John 15
The full text of John 15 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser.
2 Every branch in me that bears no fruit, he takes away; and every branch that does bear fruit, he prunes, so that it bears more fruit.
3 You are already clean because of the message I have spoken to you.
4 Stay in me, and I in you. Just as a branch cannot bear fruit on its own unless it stays on the vine, neither can you unless you stay in me.
5 I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me, and I in them, bears much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing.
6 If anyone does not remain in me, he is cast out like a branch and withers; they gather such branches, throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you want, and it will happen for you.
8 My Father is glorified by this: that you bear much fruit and become my disciples.
9 Just as the Father has loved me, so I have loved you. Now remain in my love.
10 If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and remain in his love.
11 I have told you all this so that my joy may be in you, and your joy may overflow.
12 This is my commandment: love one another as I have loved you.
13 Greater love than this no one has: that someone lay down his life for his friends.
14 You are my friends if you do what I command.
15 I no longer call you slaves, because a slave doesn't know what his master is doing. But you — I have called you friends, because everything I heard from my Father I have made known to you.
16 You did not choose me; I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that remains—so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give you.
17 This is what I command you: love one another.
18 If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before you.
19 If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own. But you do not belong to the world — I chose you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
20 Remember the word I spoke to you: a servant is not greater than his master. If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours.
21 But they will do all these things against you on account of my name, because they do not know the one who sent me.
22 If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no pretext for their sin.
23 Whoever hates me hates my Father as well.
24 If I had not done among them the works no one else did, they would not have sin. But as it is, they have seen, and they have hated both me and my Father.
25 But this happened so the word written in their Law would be fulfilled: 'They hated me for no reason.'
26 "When the Helper comes—the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, whom I will send to you from the Father—he will testify about me.
27 And you also must testify, because you have been with me from the beginning.
Translation notes (40)
- John 15:1a The Greek word georgos means "one who cultivates the soil." In the context of a vineyard, as seen in Mark 12:1–9, it refers to the vine-grower or vinedresser—the one who plants, tends, and prunes the vines.
- John 15:1b "True" (ἀληθινή) here means genuine or real, set against the OT picture of Israel as a vine that failed to bear fruit (Isa 5:1–7; Jer 2:21; Ps 80:8–16; Hos 10:1).
- John 15:2a The Greek word airei can mean "takes away" (to remove) or "lifts up" (referring to the practice of raising trailing vines off the ground). Some interpreters understand it as "lifts up" here, but "takes away" preserves both possible meanings.
- John 15:2b The Greek word kathairei means "cleanses" and, in the context of tending vines, "prunes." It shares a common sound with airei, creating a deliberate wordplay in Greek that is difficult to reproduce in English.
- John 15:3a The Greek word katharoi ("clean") intentionally echoes kathairei ("prunes") from verse 2, creating a wordplay related to vine-pruning. This connection cannot be fully captured by a single English adjective without adding too much meaning.
- John 15:3b The Greek word logos here refers to the message Jesus has spoken throughout the Farewell Discourse, not to "the Word" as a title for Jesus found in John 1:1.
- John 15:4a This can also be translated as "Abide" or "Remain." The Greek verb menō (μένω) signifies an ongoing, mutual relationship of living within each other, and this same verb is used throughout John 15:1–10 and 1 John.
- John 15:4b This can also be translated as "from itself," meaning out of its own resources or initiative.
- John 15:5a The Greek literally reads: "the one who remains in me, and I in him, this one bears much fruit." The Greek masculine singular phrase ho menōn... autō (ὁ μένων... αὐτῷ) is used in a general sense, referring to any person, male or female; it is rendered with the singular "them" to keep the singular reference without implying only males.
- John 15:6a The Greek original shifts its verb tenses: from a past tense indicating an action completed by someone else (eblēthē/exēranthē), to a present tense indicating an action performed by the subject (synagousin/ballousin), and then to a present tense indicating an action done to the subject (kaietai). The initial past tenses describe what generally happens, like a general truth, and are translated as English present tense for easier reading.
- John 15:7a This can also be translated as "abide." The Greek word menō means a continuing presence and relationship, not merely a physical location.
- John 15:7b This can also be translated as "sayings." The Greek word rhēmata in John often refers to Jesus' spoken utterances (compare John 6:63, 6:68, 17:8).
- John 15:7c Literally, this means "it will become/come to pass for you." The one who performs this action, though not explicitly stated, is God.
- John 15:8a This can also be translated as "show yourselves to be my disciples." The Greek word genēsthe (γένησθε), a verb form expressing a possibility or command, most naturally means "become," though in this context it can also mean to show or prove something.
- John 15:8b Some early manuscripts (A D Θ, later Byzantine manuscripts) read genēsesthe (γενήσεσθε), meaning "and you will be," which is a verb form stating a future fact. However, the critical Greek text prefers the subjunctive genēsthe (γένησθε), a verb form expressing a possibility or command.
- John 15:8c This can also be translated as "In this my Father is glorified." The Greek hina (ἵνα) clause, a grammatical construction often indicating purpose or result, may be explaining or defining "this," or it may suggest either the reason for an action or its outcome.
- John 15:9a This can also be translated as "abide." The Greek word menō is the main or most important verb in John 15, appearing 11 times in verses 4–10.
- John 15:9b The Greek phrase tē agapē tē emē (τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ) is emphatic, stressing "this love of mine."
- John 15:11a This can also be translated as "your joy may be full." The Greek word plērōthē (πληρωθῇ) vividly pictures joy being filled to the brim (compare John 3:29; 16:24; 1 John 1:4).
- John 15:13a The Greek word psychēn (ψυχήν) here means "life," which is its usual meaning in phrases related to giving up one's life. This is the same grammatical structure as in John 10:11, 15.
- John 15:13b The Greek word philōn ("friends") in John's writings carries the meaning of friends who are faithful to a sacred agreement, and this is redefined in verse 14 as those who keep Jesus' command.
- John 15:14a The Greek present subjunctive verb poiēte (ποιῆτε) implies ongoing obedience, meaning "if you keep doing what I command."
- John 15:15a The Greek word doulos means a chattel slave, not a hired servant. This contrast between slave and friend is important because slaves had no access to their master's plans, but friends do.
- John 15:16a The Greek word ethēka literally means 'set' or 'placed,' but here it is used in the sense of appointing or commissioning.
- John 15:16b The Greek word menē is the same verb translated as 'abide' or 'remain' throughout John 15:1–10.
- John 15:18a This can also be translated as 'you know that it has hated me before you.' The Greek word ginōskete can be understood either as a statement ('you know') or as a command ('know!'), and both meanings are possible in John's writing.
- John 15:19a The Greek phrase 'to be of (ek) the world' means to belong to it and share its nature and allegiance. The Greek verb used here is phileō, which refers to affection or kinship-love, and is distinct from agapaō.
- John 15:20a This can also be translated as 'slave.' The Greek word doulos refers to an owned bondservant, not a hired worker; the proverb emphasizes the difference between an owner and what is owned.
- John 15:20b This can also be translated as 'obeyed my word.' In John's Gospel, 'keep my word' means obedient adherence, not just remembering it (compare John 8:51; 14:23). The Greek also allows for the second part of the sentence to be either ironic or a genuine parallel.
- John 15:21a The phrase "on account of my name" reflects a Semitic idiom (compare the Hebrew lema'an shmi), meaning because of allegiance to me, not simply the word 'Jesus.'
- John 15:22a The Greek phrase 'have sin' (hamartian echein) is an idiom in John's writings that combines the ideas of 'bear sin,' 'be in a state of sin,' and 'be culpable' or 'guilty.' This phrase is preserved literally in the translation; compare John 9:41; 19:11; 1 John 1:8.
- John 15:22b The Greek word prophasis means 'pretext, cover-story, or an alleged motive put forward to mask the real one' (according to BDAG, a Greek lexicon); it is stronger than the modern conversational word 'excuse.'
- John 15:24a The Greek phrase 'they would not have sin' (hamartian ouk eichosan) is the same idiom found in John 9:41, 15:22, and 19:11. It refers to both guilt and the ongoing state of being in sin. The translation preserves this phrase literally to keep its full meaning.
- John 15:24b The phrase 'But as it is' translates the Greek nun de, which is used here to show a logical contrast ('as things stand') rather than a strict time reference.
- John 15:25a The Greek here is elliptical, meaning some words are left out: 'But so that the word written in their Law might be fulfilled.' A subject, 'this happened,' is added in English for better readability.
- John 15:25b δωρεάν here means 'for no reason' or 'without cause' (cf. Ps 35:19; 69:4 LXX), not 'freely' or 'as a gift.'
- John 15:25c 'Their Law' renders αὐτῶν literally; the same idiom appears at John 8:17; 10:34. Jesus cites the Psalms (here Ps 35:19 / 69:4) under the broader heading of Torah.
- John 15:26a The Greek word paraklētos means 'one called alongside,' and can be translated as Helper, Advocate, Counselor, or Comforter. This same word is used to refer to Jesus in 1 John 2:1.
- John 15:26b The Greek word ekporeuetai means 'proceeds' or 'goes out from.' This verse is the origin of the language used in creeds about the Holy Spirit's procession. The Eastern and Western churches later disagreed on whether the Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from the Father and the Son (known as the filioque clause). The Greek text here states only 'from the Father.'
- John 15:27a The Greek word martyreite is in the present tense and can mean either a statement ('you testify') or a command ('testify!'); 'must testify' conveys the sense of a command in this context. The Greek phrase este ('you are') with ap' archēs is an idiom that describes an action that began in the past and continues into the present, which is translated using the English perfect tense.
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