John 14:28 You have heard how I said unto you,

Spoken to: 

Apostles

At the Last Supper, Jesus gives his final message to the apostles. The discussion was the tranquility that Jesus is giving them.

KJV: 

John 14:28 You have heard how I said to you, I go away, and come again unto you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.

NIV : 

John 14:28 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, for the Father is greater than I.

LISTENERS HEARD: 

You heard because I myself told you, "I go and I show up for you." Since you cared for me, you possibly should be cheered that I go before the Father. Because the Father is greater than me.

MY TAKE: 

We are not always cheered by what we might be cheer by.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page): 

LOST IN TRANSLATION: 

This verse is perfectly consistent with Jesus's statements about the Father as the source of his power. This is obvious even in translation. Jesus does not say that he is "coming again" or "coming back." He says simply that he shows up for us before the Father. The "would" is a special word that makes the verb a possibility, with the sense of "possibly would." Its use here is a little bit humorous. The "rejoice" and "be glad" are actually from a passive verb, "might possibly be cheered."

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

10
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "how" is not the common word usually translated as "how."
  • MW -- Missing Word  -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "again" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "unto" is NOT the same word translated as "unto" above.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • WV - Wrong Voice - The verb here is translated as active but it is passive.
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "I said" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "my" should be something more like "the."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "I" is not the subject but the indirect object, "than me."

# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES: 

8
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "that" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "me" is not an object but a subject, "I."
  • MW -- Missing Word  -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "to you" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "again" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "glad" is not an adjective but a passive verb, "be cheered."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "I" is not the subject but the indirect object, "than me."

EACH WORD of KJV : 

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

have -- (WT) 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.

heard -- "Heard" is from a Greek verb that means "to hear" and "to listen." It has the same sense as the English not only of listening but of understanding.   It also means "to listen" and "to understand," but amusingly, it also means "to be silent." The accusative object is the person/thing heard about, while the genitive is the person/thing heard from.  However, two genitives can be used with the sense of "hear of a thing from a person."

how -- (CW) The word translated as "how" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This is not the common word that means "how."

I -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since the subject of the sentence is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.

missing "myself" -- (MW)  The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."

said - The word translated as "said" means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.

unto-- This word "unto" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.

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

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

go away, -- "Go away" is a Greek verb that means literally "go under" or "bring under," and Jesus uses it to mean "go away" and "depart."

and -- 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."

come -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.

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

unto -- (CW) The word translated as "unto" means "towards," "by reason of (for)," "before" both in time and place, "in the presence of," "against," and several other types of "before." With verbs of seeing it specifically means "towards." This is not the word form translated as "unto" above.

you. -- The "you" here is the second-person, plural pronoun in the form of an object of the action 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.

If .-- (CW) The "if" here expresses a condition but it means nothing regarding whether that condition is met or not. It also means "if ever" and "whenever." However, when used as an "if" the verb is the subjunctive form of possibility.  When citing a fact with a declarative verb, indicative, instead of one of possibility, the sense is more "since" or "as sure as."

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

loved -- The word translated as "love" expresses a lot of different ideas including "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," and "to be contented with." Jesus however, applies it to relationships where we have a duty to care for others: family, God, etc. Another word, also translated as "love," is used to for relationships of affectionate friendship that are more voluntary. To distinguish this word, translating it as "cares for" seems to work best. See this article on love for more information.

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.

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

would -- "Would" is a particle used with verbs to indicate that the action is limited by circumstances or defined by conditions. There is no exact equivalent in English but "possibly" is close. This word works similarly to the "might" or "should" of a subjunctive verb, but we don't want to confuse it with the subjunctive so using "possibly" provides a consistent translation.  This particle usually suggests the subjunctive form of the verb but can be used without it. The same Greek letters can also be the more common conjunction meaning "when," so this meaning comes from context.

rejoice, -- (WV) The Greek verb translated as "rejoice" means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome." This verb, however, is passive so "be cheered."

because  -- The word translated as "because" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This is the word translated as "how" above.

I said, -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "I said" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

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

go -- The Greek verb translated as "go" is the most common verb translated as "go" in the NT. This word means "to lead over," "depart," and "to carry over." However, this word uniquely means "to pursue a course" and "to depart from life." In the active voice, it means "made to go" or "carried over" but in the passive or middle,its normal form, the subject is either being taken or taking himself and means "going," "crossing over," or "departing" more directly.

unto -- The word translated as "unto" means "towards," "by reason of (for)," "before" both in time and place, "in the presence of," "against," and several other types of "before." With verbs of seeing it specifically means "towards." This is not the word form initially translated as "unto" above, but it is the same the preposition translated as "unto" after that.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Father: -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

for -- The word translated as "for" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This word is translated as "how" that above.

my --(WW)  The word translated as "my" is the Greek definite article. When not preceding a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Father-- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

greater -- "Greater" is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great." It means "bigger," "higher," "longer," "greater" and simply, "superior."

than -- This word "the"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession. However, it means "than" in comparisons.

I. - (WF) "I" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun. This pronoun follows  a comparison so "than me." The subject "I" indicates "I am," which is not what the Greek says.

EACH WORD of NIV : 

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

heard -- "Heard" is from a Greek verb that means "to hear" and "to listen." It has the same sense as the English not only of listening but of understanding.   It also means "to listen" and "to understand," but amusingly, it also means "to be silent." The accusative object is the person/thing heard about, while the genitive is the person/thing heard from.  However, two genitives can be used with the sense of "hear of a thing from a person."

missing "that"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

me   -- (WF) The pronoun "I" is used here. Since the subject of the sentence is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English. This is not an object of the verb, but the subject.

missing "myself" -- (MW)  The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."

say - The word translated as "said" means "to say" and "to speak." It is one of the two most common words translated "speak," "say" and "tell," but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.

missing "to you"  -- (MW) The untranslated word "to you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc.

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

am -- This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. It is used here to form the present, progressive tense, which doesn't exist in Greek but which can smooth the flow of English sentences.

going away, -- "Going away" is a Greek verb that means literally "go under" or "bring under," and Jesus uses it to mean "go away" and "depart."

and -- 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."

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

am -- This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. It is used here to form the present, progressive tense, which doesn't exist in Greek but which can smooth the flow of English sentences.

coming -- The word translated as "come" primarily means "to start out" but Christ usually uses it to mean "come" but not always. It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "start," "come," or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." Our English word "show up" captures both the "start" and "come" ideas. See this article for more.

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

to -- The word translated as "unto" means "towards," "by reason of (for)," "before" both in time and place, "in the presence of," "against," and several other types of "before." With verbs of seeing it specifically means "towards." This is not the word form translated as "unto" above.

you. -- The "you" here is the second-person, plural pronoun in the form of an object of the action 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.

If .-- (CW) The "if" here expresses a condition but it means nothing regarding whether that condition is met or not. It also means "if ever" and "whenever." However, when used as an "if" the verb is the subjunctive form of possibility.  When citing a fact with a declarative verb, indicative, instead of one of possibility, the sense is more "since" or "as sure as."

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

loved -- The word translated as "love" expresses a lot of different ideas including "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," and "to be contented with." Jesus however, applies it to relationships where we have a duty to care for others: family, God, etc. Another word, also translated as "love," is used to for relationships of affectionate friendship that are more voluntary. To distinguish this word, translating it as "cares for" seems to work best. See this article on love for more information.

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.

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

would -- "Would" is a particle used with verbs to indicate that the action is limited by circumstances or defined by conditions. There is no exact equivalent in English but "possibly" is close. This word works similarly to the "might" or "should" of a subjunctive verb, but we don't want to confuse it with the subjunctive so using "possibly" provides a consistent translation.  This particle usually suggests the subjunctive form of the verb but can be used without it. The same Greek letters can also be the more common conjunction meaning "when," so this meaning comes from context.

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.

glad , -- (WF) The Greek verb translated as "glad" is a verb means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome." This verb, however, is passive so "be cheered."

that -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This is the word translated as "how" above.

I said, -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "I said" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

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

am -- This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb. It is used here to form the present, progressive tense, which doesn't exist in Greek but which can smooth the flow of English sentences.

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

going -- The Greek verb translated as "going" is the most common verb translated as "go" in the NT. This word means "to lead over," "depart," and "to carry over." However, this word uniquely means "to pursue a course" and "to depart from life." In the active voice, it means "made to go" or "carried over" but in the passive or middle,its normal form, the subject is either being taken or taking himself and means "going," "crossing over," or "departing" more directly.

to --  The word translated as "to" means "towards," "by reason of (for)," "before" both in time and place, "in the presence of," "against," and several other types of "before." With verbs of seeing it specifically means "towards." This is not the word form initially translated as "unto" above, but it is the same the preposition translated as "unto" after that.

the   -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article; without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Father: -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

for -- The word translated as "for" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore." This word is translated as "how" and "because" above.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. When not preceding a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more. 

Father-- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

is -- The verb "is" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics. With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

greater -- "Greater" is an adjective which is the comparative form of the word meaning "big" or "great." It means "bigger," "higher," "longer," "greater" and simply, "superior."

than -- This word "the"  comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English.  The most common is the "of" of possession. However, it means "than" in comparisons.

I. - (WF) "I" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun. This pronoun follows  a comparison so "than me." The subject "I" indicates "I am," which is not what the Greek says.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV : 

ἠκούσατε [95 verses](verb 2nd pl aor ind act) "You have heard" is akouo,  which means "hear of," "hear tell of," "what one actually hears," "know by hearsay," "listen to," "give ear to," "hear and understand," and "understand." The accusative object is the person/thing heard about, while the genitive is the person/thing heard from.  However, two genitives can be used with the sense of "hear of a thing from a person." -

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "How" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "Me" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.

εἶπον [162 verses] (verb 1st sg aor ind act) "I said" is eipon, which means "to speak," "to say," "to recite," "to address," "to mention," "to name," "to proclaim," "to plead," "to promise," and "to offer."  This is the second most common word Jesus uses for this idea. Perhaps translating it consistently as "tell" would work.

ὑμῖν [289 verses](pron 2nd pl dat) "To you" is humin the plural form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." 

Ὑπάγω [47 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "Go" is hypago, which means "to lead under," "to bring under," "to bring a person before judgment," "to lead on by degrees," "to take away from beneath," "to withdraw," "to go away," "to retire," "to draw off," and "off with you."

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." 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."

ἔρχομαι [198 verses](3rd pl pres ind mp) "Come" is  erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out," "to come," "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.

πρὸς [92 verses](prep)  "Unto" is from pros, which means "from (place)," "on the side of," "toward," "before," "in the presence of," "in the eyes of," "before (supplication, a judge, a witness)," "near" a time, "for" the moment, "proceeding from (for effects)," "dependent on," "derivable from," "agreeable," "in comparison with," "becoming," "like," "at the point of," "in addition to," "against," and "before."  It also means "dependent upon."

ὑμᾶς [210 verses](pron 2nd pl acc) "You" is humas which is the plural objective form of the second-person pronoun, "you."

εἰ [90 verses](conj) "If" is ei, which is the particle used to express conditions "if" (implying nothing about its fulfillment) or indirect questions, "whether." It also means "if ever," "in case," and "whenever." In citing a fact, it can mean "as sure as" or "since."  It is combined with various conjunctions to create derivative conditions. When appearing as εἰ δὲ (literally, "if however") the sense is "if this...then that." The construction  εἰ οὖν has the sense of "if so." nction translated as "but" or "however," the structure works like an "if then" statement in English.

ἠγαπᾶτέ [32 verses](verb 2nd pl imperf ind act ) "You love" is agapao, which means "to be fond of," "to greet with affection," "to persuade," "to caress," "to prize," "to desire," "to be pleased with," and "to be contended with."  This love is more associated with affection in relationships where we are obligated. Jesus uses another word. Jesus uses another word, phileô, which means "to love," "to like," "to be fond of doing," and "to show affection" to express "love" in the sense of like and dislike.He never uses the word eros, which describes romantic, sexual love.

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

ἐχάρητε [14 verses](verb 2nd pl aor ind pass) "Rejoice" is chairo which means "rejoice," "take pleasure in," and "welcome." 

ἂν [60 verses](particle) "Would" is an, which is a particle used with verbs to indicate that the action is limited by circumstances or defined by conditions. There is no exact equivalent in English, but it is translated as "possibly," "would have," "might," "should," and "could." 

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) Untranslated is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

πορεύομαι [54 verses](verb 1st sg pres ind mp) "I go" is poreuomai (poreuo) which means "make to go," "carry," "convey," "bring," "go," "march," and "proceed." It is almost always translated as "go" in the NT.

πρὸς [92 verses](prep)  "Unto" is from pros, which means "from (place)," "on the side of," "toward," "before," "in the presence of," "in the eyes of," "before (supplication, a judge, a witness)," "near" a time, "for" the moment, "proceeding from (for effects)," "dependent on," "derivable from," "agreeable," "in comparison with," "becoming," "like," "at the point of," "in addition to," "against," and "before."  It also means "dependent upon."

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

πατέρα, [191 verses](noun sg masc acc) "The Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) Untranslated is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that," "seeing that," and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

[821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). When not preceding a noun, takes the meaning of "the one" or, in the plural, "the ones."

πατὴρ [191 verses](noun sg masc nom) "The Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."

μείζων [22 verses](adj sg masc nom comp) "Greater" is meizon which means "bigger," "higher," "longer," and "greater" and is the comparative form of megas, which means "big" and "great." The superlative form "greatest" is megistos, μέγιστος.

μου [239 verses](adj sg masc gen) "Than I" 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.-

ἐστίν.[614 verses](3rd sg pres ind act) "Is" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen,"  and "is possible." With the genitive object, the sense is "belongs to." It can also mean "must" with a dative.

Wordplay: 

 The repeated use of the Greek word "oti" translated in KJV as "how," "because," and "for." 

Related Verses: 

Front Page Date: 

Oct 15 2022