John 14
The full text of John 14 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 Don't let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.
2 In my Father's house are many dwelling places. If it were not so, I would have told you. I am going to prepare a place for you.
3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and welcome you to myself, so that where I am, you also may be.
4 You know the way to where I am going.
5 Thomas said to him, "Lord, we don't know where you are going. How can we know the way?"
6 Jesus tells him, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."
7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father as well. From now on you do know him — you have seen him.
8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and that will be enough for us."
9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, Philip, and you do not know me? The one who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, 'Show us the Father'?"
10 Don't you believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in me? The words I speak to you are not my own. Rather, the Father who lives in me is doing his work.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father and the Father in me; or else believe me because of the works themselves.
12 Truly, truly, I tell you: whoever believes in me will also do the works I am doing—and will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.
13 And whatever you ask in my name, I will do it, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If you ask me for anything in my name, I will do it.
15 If you love me, you will keep my commands.
16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will be with you forever,
17 the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot accept, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.
19 A little while longer, and the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.
20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, you in me, and I in you.
21 The one who has my commands and keeps them—that is the one who loves me. And the one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I myself will love him and show myself to him.
22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to him, "Lord, why is it that you intend to reveal yourself to us, and not to the world?"
23 Jesus answered him, "Anyone who loves me will hold to my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling with them.
24 Anyone who does not love me does not obey my words. And the message you hear is not mine, but the Father's who sent me.
25 I have said these things to you while still here with you.
26 But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and remind you of all that I told you.
27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not lose heart.
28 You heard me say, 'I am going away, and I am coming back to you.' If you loved me, you would be glad that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I am.
29 I have told you now, before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe.
30 I will not speak with you much longer, because the ruler of the world is coming. He has no hold on me,
31 But the world must know that I love the Father, and that just as the Father commanded me, so I do. Get up, let's go from here.
Translation notes (39)
- John 14:1a The Greek word 'pisteuete' has the same form whether it is a statement of fact (indicative) or a command (imperative). This allows for four possible readings: (1) 'You believe in God; you believe also in me,' (2) 'Believe in God; believe also in me,' (3) 'You believe in God; believe also in me' (which is adopted here), and (4) 'Believe in God; you believe also in me.' Reading 3 is part of the historic King James Version and Darby tradition and emphasizes the parallel between believing in God and believing in Christ.
- John 14:2a The Greek word monai means "dwelling places" and is related to menō, which means "to abide"—a key term in John's Gospel (see John 14:23; 15:4). The traditional translation "mansions" (King James Version) comes from the Latin mansiones, but modern translations like "rooms" lose the sense of abiding.
- John 14:2b The punctuation here is a matter of interpretation. The critical Greek text reads this verse as three separate statements (as in this translation), while the United Bible Societies' Greek New Testament reads it as one rhetorical question: 'If it were not so, would I have told you that I am going to prepare a place for you?' Reading it as a statement better fits verse 3, which assumes Jesus's going as a fact.
- John 14:2c The Greek word hoti ('that') is found in P66, Sinaiticus, Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Vaticanus, Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus (original hand), Codex Washingtonianus, and most ancient manuscripts; its presence makes the rhetorical-question reading grammatically possible.
- John 14:3a This can also be translated, 'I am coming again.' The Greek word erchomai is in the present tense, which is often used in John's Gospel to describe an action that is certain or imminent.
- John 14:3b The Greek phrase paralēpsomai pros emauton literally means 'I will receive you to myself,' which implies a personal welcoming rather than merely a relocation to a place.
- John 14:4a The Greek more literally says, 'where I am going, you know the way.' Some ancient manuscripts read, 'where I am going you know, and the way you know.'
- John 14:6a The Greek literally says, 'Jesus says to him.' The use of a present-tense verb to describe a past event, known as the "historic present," is a characteristic style of John's Gospel for vivid dialogue.
- John 14:6b Each noun in the Greek text carries the definite article (like "the" in English), so it reads hē hodos ('the way'), hē alētheia ('the truth'), and hē zōē ('the life')—emphasizing that it is 'the way,' not 'a way.' This exclusive meaning is built into the grammar.
- John 14:7a Some ancient manuscripts, including P66 and Sinaiticus, read the Greek word egnōkate ('you have known'), which implies a condition that is assumed to be true. Other manuscripts, including Codex Bezae, read the pluperfect egnōkeite ('you had known'), which implies a condition that is not true. The critical Greek text prints the pluperfect; this difference in wording changes the intended meaning from a rebuke to an affirmation.
- John 14:7b The Greek phrase ap' arti can mean either 'from this moment forward' (referring to time) or 'in light of what I have just said' (suggesting a conclusion). This translation preserves the temporal sense, but the inferential meaning is also possible.
- John 14:10a This can also be translated, 'the Father who abides in me.' The Greek word menōn carries the specific meaning in John's Gospel of continuous indwelling (see John 15:1–10).
- John 14:11a This can also be translated, 'otherwise, believe me on account of the works themselves.' The Greek phrase ei de mē is a common idiom meaning 'but if not' or 'otherwise.'
- John 14:12a The Greek words 'Amen, amen' are a solemn way of affirming something as true. This translation renders it 'Truly, truly' to preserve the way John's Gospel often repeats words for emphasis.
- John 14:12b The Greek phrase meizona toutōn is a grammatical form that refers to multiple things that are not masculine or feminine, and it does not have an explicitly mentioned noun. It could be translated as 'greater works' (by supplying the noun ta erga, meaning "the works") or left open as 'greater things.' This translation leaves it open.
- John 14:13a This can also be translated, 'so the Father will be honored through the Son.' The Greek word en can indicate either location or the means by which something is done, meaning the Father's glory is shown in or through the Son's action.
- John 14:14a Many ancient manuscripts omit the Greek word me ('me'), reading 'If you ask anything in my name.' The critical Greek text places [me] in brackets, indicating uncertainty. It is included in P66, Sinaiticus, Codex Vaticanus, and Codex Washingtonianus, but omitted in Codex Alexandrinus, Codex Bezae, Codex Cyprius, Codex Regius, Codex Athous Lavrensis, family 1, family 13, and most later manuscripts. This difference is significant because the longer reading is one of the few New Testament texts where prayer is addressed directly to Jesus.
- John 14:14b This can also be translated, 'If you ask anything in my name' (following the shorter reading found in some ancient manuscripts).
- John 14:15a The critical Greek text reads tērēsete, a verb form indicating a future action as a statement of fact, meaning 'you will keep.' Some ancient manuscripts read tērēsēte (a verb form indicating a potential or desired action) or tērēsate (a verb form giving a direct command), both meaning 'keep,' which is the basis for the command-like translation in the King James Version, World English Bible, and Darby Bible.
- John 14:15b The Greek word tērēsete can also be understood as a future tense verb used to express a command, meaning 'see to it that you keep.' The way the words are put together allows for both a promise and a command, and John's Gospel often uses this overlap (see John 14:21, 15:10).
- John 14:16a The Greek word paraklētos means "one called alongside to help," and can be translated as Advocate, Helper, Counselor, or Comforter. The same word is used to describe Jesus himself in 1 John 2:1.
- John 14:16b The word "another" translates the Greek word allos, which means "another of the same kind," implying that the Spirit will be a paraklētos, meaning "one called alongside to help," just as Jesus has been.
- John 14:17a The Greek word auto, meaning "it," is neuter, agreeing with the Greek word pneuma, meaning "spirit," which is also neuter. However, it is rendered "him" here because John personally portrays the Paraclete (meaning "one called alongside to help") as a person, as seen in John 14:26, 15:26, and 16:13–14, where the masculine Greek word ekeinos (meaning "that one" or "he") is used. "It" is a defensible alternative that matches the literal grammar.
- John 14:17b Some early Western manuscripts read the Greek word estin, meaning "is in you," instead of estai, meaning "will be in you." The future tense (estai) is supported by more manuscripts and is followed here; this difference affects the timing of when the Spirit dwells within believers.
- John 14:18a The Greek word orphanous can mean "orphans" (fatherless children) or, by extension, "disciples who have lost their teacher"; both meanings fit the context of Jesus' Farewell Discourse.
- John 14:18b The Greek word erchomai is in the present tense, meaning "I am coming," which conveys a sense of immediacy; however, many translations render it as future, "I will come."
- John 14:19a This can also be translated as "perceive me"; the Greek word theōreō carries a nuance of sustained, attentive seeing, as also seen in John 14:17.
- John 14:21a The Greek word emphanisō means "show myself" or "make visibly apparent." It conveys the force of Jesus personally revealing himself, not just sharing information.
- John 14:21b The Greek word kagō (formed from kai, meaning "and," and egō, meaning "I") is emphatic, meaning "I myself" or "I too." This emphasizes that just as the Father loves them, Jesus also shares in that love.
- John 14:23a This can also be translated as "keep my word." The Greek phrase tēreō ton logon carries the sense of guarding, observing, and obeying, not merely remembering.
- John 14:23b The Greek word monēn is the same word translated as "dwelling places" in John 14:2. Here, Jesus promises the Father's house as a present reality, not only a future one.
- John 14:24a In the Greek, the plural word logous, meaning "words," in the first part of the sentence shifts to the singular word logos, meaning "word" or "message," in the second part, referring to Jesus' unified teaching as a whole.
- John 14:26a The Greek word paraklētos means "one called alongside to help." It is also rendered as "Helper," "Counselor," or "Comforter." This same term is used of Jesus in 1 John 2:1.
- John 14:27a The Greek word deiliatō, which appears only once in the New Testament, carries the sense of cowardice or losing courage, which is distinct from generic fear (phobeomai). Therefore, "Do not lose heart" captures this specific nuance better than the more common rendering, "do not be afraid."
- John 14:28a "The Father is greater than I" has been read since the patristic era as referring to Jesus' incarnate mission and human nature, not to ontological inferiority within the Trinity (cf. John 10:30; Phil 2:6–7). The comparative μείζων is unambiguous in Greek; the question is in what respect.
- John 14:28b This can also be translated as "you would have rejoiced." The Greek phrase echarēte an (meaning "you would have rejoiced") describes a past situation that did not happen. However, because the "if" clause, ēgapate (meaning "you loved"), refers to the present, a translation that describes a present situation that is not true fits the English temporal logic better.
- John 14:30a The Greek phrase "in me he has nothing" is an expression similar to those found in Hebrew, meaning that someone has no grip, foothold, share, or claim. This expression is difficult to translate with a single English equivalent.
- John 14:31a The Greek sentence begins with an elliptical clause, meaning some words are left out but understood, "but so that..." (alla hina), without a main verb. We supply "must know" in English to preserve the intended force of the statement.
- John 14:31b This can also be translated as "Rise, let us go from here." Some interpreters understand this as Jesus and his disciples leaving the upper room, while others see it as Jesus turning his focus toward the cross.
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