John 13:38 Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake?

Spoken to
Peter

At the Last Supper, Jesus gives final instruction to Apostles. Peter asks why he can't follow saying he will lay down his life.

KJV

John 13:38 Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto thee, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice.

NIV

John 13:38 Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!

LISTENERS HEARD

This self of yours, for me you will put down? Amen, Amen, I tell you a cock will never cry, until this: You will reject me three times.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This statement is more humorous than the English translation. Jesus is making light of it to protect Peter's ego. In the first clause, the verb "laying down" has a number of military meanings. Interestingly, it means both to take up arms and to lay them down in surrendering. It is also used as the word for burying the dead. Then comes Jesus's most common catchphrase. See this article discussing this "amen phrase." The negative Jesus uses in the next clause for a rooster "not" crying is a more exaggerated negative meaning "never."Before the final clause, after the "until" is an untranslated demonstrative article, meaning "this" that is the setup for the final statement. The "three times" is the punchline.

MY TAKE

One is an accident. Twice is a coincidence. Three times is enemy action.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "life" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "life" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - - Confusing Word -- The "crow" does not capture the more general meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "this" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "hast" should be something more like "will" or "might.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
11
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "really" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "life" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "life" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "very" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "before" should be something more like "until".
  • WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "until" doesn't appear here but before the next clause.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "shall" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "never" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - - Confusing Word -- The "crow" does not capture the more general meaning of the word.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "this" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

Wilt -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

lay down -- The Greek verb translated as "lay down" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," and "to place," and in the military, "to bear arms," "to lay down and surrender," but which has many related meanings as well.

thy -- The word translated as "thy" is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

life - (CW) -The word translated here as "soul" is life, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, meaning "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. It has a clear sense of the conscious self and is often translated as "life" in the Gospels. Jesus uses it to specifically mean our identity in our worldly life, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "social self," or what we commonly call our "ego." See this article for detail about this word.

for -- "For" is a preposition that means "over" "beyond," "concerning," "on behalf of,"  and "instead of" with many other specific uses.

my -- "My" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.  As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.

sake? --  This completes the idea of the preposition.

Verily, -- The word translated as "verily" is from the Hebrew word that means "truly" or "certainly," but it sounds like the Greek word with the same meaning. In Greek, the word also means "to reap."  See this article discussing this "amen phrase."

verily -- The word translated as "verily" is from the Hebrew word that means "truly" or "certainly," but it sounds like the Greek word with the same meaning. In Greek, the word also means "to reap." See this article discussing this "amen phrase."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.

say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

unto -- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English, but the translator must decide which preposition to use: a "to" as an indirect object.

you,  -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is singular and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

The -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source. A singular noun without a definite article should have an indefinite article, "a" not the definite article, "the."

cock - The word for "cock" means a "rooster" and also a "husband."

shall -- This helping verb "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense or a form that indicates possibility at some time. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

not -- (CW)  The "not" here is both of the Greek negatives used together. Greek has two negatives, one objective, one subjective. The use of both together is more extreme, like saying, "never" or literally, "you cannot really think." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

crow, - -- (CW) The word translated as "crow" simply means "to utter cries."  It means the cries of animals, but it also refers specifically to someone calling another name. Jesus uses it both for the voice of people and the calls of animals.

till -- The word translated as "till" means "until" but it also means "till," "while," "as long as," "in order that."  With the particle of possibility and the subjunctive form of the verb, the sense is until some unknown time.

missing "this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "this" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

hast -- (WW) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here. This is either the future tense requiring a "will" or a subjunctive, requiring a "might."

denied -- "Deny" is translated from a Greek word that means "to reject" and "to deny utterly." The form is either the future tense or a tense meaning something that might happen at some specific time, past, present, or future. If the word is the "at some time" tense, it is in a form that indicates something that "might" happen. This later "might at some time" form is always used with "if" clauses, which is the sense here.

me -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.

thrice. "Thrice" is a word that means "three times" and "thrice."

EACH WORD of NIV

Will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

really -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "really" in the Greek source.

lay down -- The Greek verb translated as "lay down" is translated from a Greek word that means primarily "to put," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," and "to place," and in the military, "to bear arms," "to lay down and surrender," but which has many related meanings as well.

your -- The word translated as "your " is the genitive form of the singular, second-person pronoun, which is most commonly the possessive form. This pronoun follows the noun so "of yours."

missing "the/this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article,"the," which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

life - (CW) -The word translated here as "soul" is life, a common word in Greek, familiar in English, meaning "life," "soul," "consciousness," and "a sense of self." It is used for different aspects of "self," the emotional self, the conscious self, the intellectual self. It has a clear sense of the conscious self and is often translated as "life" in the Gospels. Jesus uses it to specifically mean our identity in our worldly life, the role we play on earth, what we might call the "social self," or what we commonly call our "ego." See this article for detail about this word.

for -- "For" is a preposition that means "over" "beyond," "concerning," "on behalf of,"  and "instead of" with many other specific uses.

me -- "Me" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.  As a genitive object of a preposition, it means a movement away from something or a position away from something else.

Very, -- (CW) The word translated as "very" is from the Hebrew word that means "truly" or "certainly," but it sounds like the Greek word with the same meaning. In Greek, the word also means "to reap." See this article discussing this "amen phrase."

Truly -- The word translated as "truly " is from the Hebrew word that means "truly" or "certainly," but it sounds like the Greek word with the same meaning. In Greek, the word also means "to reap." See this article discussing this "amen phrase."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the following verb.

tell -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," and "to speak," but it also means "to teach," which seems to be the way Christ uses it more frequently. It also has many ancillary meanings such as "to count" ("to number" or like we might say, "to recount" a story) or "to choose for yourself." Christ usually uses this word to refer to his own speaking or teaching.

you,  -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is singular and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

 before -- (WW, WP) The word translated as "before" means "until" but it also means "till," "while," "as long as," "in order that."  With the particle of possibility and the subjunctive form of the verb, the sense is until some unknown time.

the -- (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source. A singular noun without a definite article should have an indefinite article, "a" not the definite article, "the."

rooster - The word for "cock" means a "rooster" and also a "husband."

missing "shall"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "shall" indicates that the verb is the future tense or a form that indicates possibility at some time. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

missing "never"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "never" here is both of the Greek negatives used together. Greek has two negatives, one objective, one subjective. The use of both together is more extreme, like saying, "never" or literally, "you cannot really think." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

crow, - -- (CW) The word translated as "crow" simply means "to utter cries."  It means the cries of animals, but it also refers specifically to someone calling another name. Jesus uses it both for the voice of people and the calls of animals.

missing "this"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "this" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

will -- This helping verb "will" indicates that the verb is the future tense. Helping or auxiliary verbs are needed to translate the Greek verb forms into English.

disown -- "Disown " is translated from a Greek word that means "to reject" and "to deny utterly." The form is either the future tense or a tense meaning something that might happen at some specific time, past, present, or future. If the word is the "at some time" tense, it is in a form that indicates something that "might" happen. This later "might at some time" form is always used with "if" clauses, which is the sense here.

me -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.

three times -- "Three times" is a word that means "three times" and "thrice."

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc)  Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").  -

ψυχήν [33 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Life" is psyche, which means "breath," "life," "self," "personality," "spirit," and "soul." It is also used to describe "the spirit" of things. It is also often translated as "soul."

σου” [144 verses](pron 2nd sg gen) "Thy" is sou is the genitive form of the second-person, singular pronoun that means "of you" and "your." 

ὑπὲρ [17 verses](prep) "On our part" is hyper (huper), which means "over" (of place), "above' (in a state of rest), "off' (ships at sea), "over" and "across (in a state of motion), "over," "beyond," "on behalf of one (metaphor), "for," "instead of," "in the name of," "as a representative of" (in an entreaty), "for" and "because of" (of the cause or motive), "concerning," "exceeding" "above" and "beyond" (of measure), "above" and "upwards" (of numbers), "before" and "earlier than" (of time), "over much" and "beyond measure" (as an adverb), "for" and "in deference of" (doing a thing), and "above measure." 

ἐμοῦ [239 verses](adj sg masc gen) "Me" is from mou (emou), which means "me," and "mine." As a genitive object means movement away from something or a position away from something else.

θήσεις; [24 verses](verb 2nd sg fut ind act)  "Lay down" is tithemi which means "to put," "to place," "to propose," "to suggest," "o deposit," "to set up," "to dedicate," "to assign," "to award," "to agree upon," "to institute," "to establish," "to make," "to work," "to prepare oneself," "to bear arms [military]," "to lay down and surrender [military]," "to lay in the grave," "to bury," and "to put words on paper [writing]," and a metaphor for "to put in one's mind."

ἀμὴν [88 verses](exclaim) "Verily" is amen, which is the Hebrew, meaning "truly," "of a truth," and "so be it." It has no history in Greek of this meaning before the NT. However, this is also the infinitive form of the Greek verb amao, which means "to reap" or "to cut."

ἀμὴν [88 verses](exclaim) "Verily" is amen, which is the Hebrew, meaning "truly," "of a truth," and "so be it." It has no history in Greek of this meaning before the NT. However, this is also the infinitive form of the Greek verb amao, which means "to reap" or "to cut."

λέγω [264 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "I say" is lego, which means "to recount," "to tell over," "to say," "to speak," "to teach," "to mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command." It has a secondary meaning "pick out," "choose for oneself," "pick up," "gather," "count," and "recount." A less common word that is spelled the same means "to lay," "to lay asleep" and "to lull asleep."

σοὶ [81 verses](pron 2nd sg dat) "You" is soi which is the singular, second-person pronoun, "you," in the form of an indirect pronoun.

οὐ μὴ [39 verses](partic) "Not" is ou me, the two forms of Greek negative used together. Ou is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. Mê (me) is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." As οὐ (ou) negates fact and statement; μή rejects, οὐ denies; μή is relative, οὐ absolute; μή subjective, οὐ objective.

ἀλέκτωρ [4 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Cock" is from alektor which means "rooster", "cock", "husband," and "consort." It is also a metaphor for a trumpeter. 

φωνήσῃ [10 verses](verb 3rd sg aor subj act) "Crow" is phoneo which means "to produce a sound or tone," "to speak loudly or clearly" (of men), "uttering cries" (of animals), "affirm" (in court), "call by name," "command," and "speak of." 

ἕως [63 verses](conj) "Till" is heos which means "until," "till," "while," "as long as," and "in order that" and "up to the point that."

οὗ [294 verses](pron sg neut gen ) Untranslated is hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.

ἀρνήσῃ [9 verses]( verb 2nd sg fut ind mp or verb 2nd sg aor subj mp ) "You hast denied" is from aparneomai, which means "to deny utterly," "to refuse," "to reject," and "to deny."

με [49 verses](pron 1st sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which is the objective first-person, objective, singular pronoun that means  "me."

τρὶς[3 verses] (adv) "Thrice" is from tris, which means "three times" and "thrice."

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