John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled:

Spoken to
Apostles

At the Last Supper, Jesus comforts his Apostles.

KJV

John 14:1 Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.

NIV

John 14:1 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me.

LISTENERS HEARD

It mustn't be agitated, that heart of yours. Trust as far as the Divine and as much as me trust.

MY TAKE

Trusting the Divine leads to trusting Jesus.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The concept of the "heart" in Jesus's teaching is part of a worldview. His era saw people ase motivated by 1) the belly (physical desires), 2) the heart (feeling toward others), and 3) the mind (intellectual desires, often money). To these three, Jesus adds another, higher motivation, the desire for spirit, higher things, the Divine. So, Jesus is asking his followers not to be troubled by their feelings for him.

This second part is interesting because the two repetitions of "believe" are in the same form, but that form can be a statement ("You believe.")  or a command ("Believe!"). English translations recognize that they have a choice.  Most translations put the statement first, "You believe in God." The command comes second, "Believe also in me." They also move the "and" connecting them to after the second verb, translating it as "also." However, the Greek reads, "Believe in the Divine and you believe in me." It puts the verb first in the first clause, which is typical of commands in both Greek and English,  and the verb is at the end in the second, which is more typical of statements.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
2
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "heart" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
3
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "hearts" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WN  - Wrong Number- The word "hearts" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

Let -- This "let" is the helping verb used to translate the Greek form of the third-person command. In English all commands are in the second person. This form is used as something like our word "must." Using "let" as the active verb, rather than a helper verb like "must," changes the subject from the third party to the second.

not . --  The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. Here, it is part of a command.

your -- The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours." Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.

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. 

heart -- "Heart" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. Jesus and the Septuagint use a singular "heart" when referring to a group of people.

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

troubled: - "Troubled" is a verb that means means to "stir", "trouble", "agitate", "disturb", "cause relaxation of the bowels", and "trouble the mind." The opposite of being "troubled" is being at peace. Jesus used this word to describe agitation of the heart and the self.

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

believe  -- The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much but trusting or relying upon other people, especially their words. Jesus usually uses it in contexts, such as the one here, that apply to trusting words.

in -- The word translated as "in" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject,"up to" limits in time and measure, and "for" a purpose or object.

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. 

God, -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God," "the Divine" or "the divine one." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

believe  -- The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much but trusting or relying upon other people, especially their words. Jesus usually uses it in contexts, such as the one here, that apply to trusting words.

also -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

in  -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject,"up to" limits in time and measure, and "for" a purpose or object.

me. -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition. As the object of a preposition, an accusative object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement.

EACH WORD of NIV

Do -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek

not . --  The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, and requests. Here, it is part of a command.

let -- This "let" is the helping verb used to translate the Greek form of the third-person command. In English all commands are in the second person. This form is used as something like our word "must." Using "let" as the active verb, rather than a helper verb like "must," changes the subject from the third party to the second.

your -- The word translated as "your" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. This pronoun follows the noun so the possessive "of yours." Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.

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. 

hearts -- (WN) "Hearts" is the Greek word that means "heart" both the physical organ and as the seat of emotions, which we discuss in a larger Greek context in this article here. Jesus and the Septuagint use a singular "heart" when referring to a group of people.

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

troubled: - "Troubled" is a verb that means means to "stir", "trouble", "agitate", "disturb", "cause relaxation of the bowels", and "trouble the mind." The opposite of being "troubled" is being at peace. Jesus used this word to describe agitation of the heart and the self.

You -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

believe  -- The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much but trusting or relying upon other people, especially their words.

in -- The word translated as "in" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject,"up to" limits in time and measure, and "for" a purpose or object.

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. 

God, -- The word translated as "God" means "God" and "deity." It is introduced with an article, so "the God," "the Divine" or "the divine one." Jesus often uses it this way perhaps to indicate the one God as opposed to the pagan gods.

believe  -- The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much but trusting or relying upon other people, especially their words. J

also -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

in  -- The word translated as "unto" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject,"up to" limits in time and measure, and "for" a purpose or object.

me. -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition. As the object of a preposition, an accusative object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Not" is me , which 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. It can be the conjunction "lest" or "for fear that."

ταρασσέσθω [4 verses] (verb 3rd sg pres imperat mp ) "Troubled" is from tarasso, which means "stir", "trouble", "agitate", "disturb", "cause relaxation of the bowels", an "trouble the mind."  -

ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." It is either a possessive pronoun or the object of a preposition.

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

καρδία: [37 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Heart" is kardia, which means "heart (the physical organ)," "the seat of emotions (especially passion, rage, and anger)," "inclination," "desire," "purpose," "mind," "the pith (in wood), and "the deep (of the sea)."

πιστεύετε [69 verses](verb 2nd pl pres imperat/ind act) "You believe" is pisteuo, which means "to trust, put faith in, or rely on a person," "to believe in someone's words," "to comply," "to feel confident in a thing," and "to entrust in a thing."

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "In" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

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

θεόν[144 verses](noun sg masc acc) "God" is theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

εἰς [325 verses](prep) "In" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."

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

πιστεύετε [69 verses](verb 2nd pl pres imperat/ind act) "Do you...believe" is pisteuo, which means "to trust, put faith in, or rely on a person," "to believe in someone's words," "to comply," "to feel confident in a thing," and "to entrust in a thing."

Wordplay

 Christ reverses the phrase in referring to God and himself: believe in God, in my have faith. 

Related Verses

Matthew 18:6 Mar 9:42: These are the only two other verses when Christ refers to others believing in him. In these cases, it was little children.

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