Spoken to:
As he is dying on the cross, Jesus still seems light-hearted.
KJV:
NIV :
John 19:26 Woman, here is your son,”
LISTENERS HEARD:
Woman, look! This son is yours.
MY TAKE:
See me!
GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page):
GREEK ORDER:
LOST IN TRANSLATION:
This is the setup line for one last bit of Jesus's word play. "Behold" is a verbal command meaning "See!" and "Look!" It is from the most common word meaning "to see" in Greek. In a humorous vein, it is also an adverbial exclamation like we use the phrase "ta-da" in a magic show, or "voila" in French which means "see there". "Look here!" or "See there!" comes closest in English. Jesus uses it both ways. It is a word that Jesus uses to lighten situations.
The word "son" is a subject without a verb. An "is" in implied, but this is not clear until the next verse. Here, Jesus appears to be referring to himself and still being alive.
# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES:
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "son" is not shown in the English translation.
- WF -- Wrong Form - The "son" is not the object of the verb but the subject.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES:
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "here" should be something more like "Look."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "son" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV :
Woman, -- The word translated as "woman" is the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female." It is in the form of addressing someone.
behold -- "Behold" is a verbal command meaning "See!" and "Look!" It is from the most common word meaning "to see" in Greek. In a humorous vein, it is also an adverbial exclamation like we use the phrase "ta-da" in a magic show, or "voila" in French which means "see there". "Look here!" or "See there!" comes closest in English. Jesus uses it both ways.
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," and "those"). See this article for more.
son! -- (WF) The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." This is shown as the object of the verb, but it is a subject without a verb. When a subject without a verb is used, an "is" is assumed.
EACH WORD of NIV :
Woman, son,”
Woman, -- The word translated as "woman" is the Greek word that means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)." It is closer to our "female." It is in the form of addressing someone.
here -- (WW) "Here" is a verbal command meaning "See!" and "Look!" It is from the most common word meaning "to see" in Greek. In a humorous vein, it is also an adverbial exclamation like we use the phrase "ta-da" in a magic show, or "voila" in French which means "see there". "Look here!" or "See there!" comes closest in English. Jesus uses it both ways.
is -- There is no verb "is" here in the Greek source but it is implied by the noun in the form of a subject having no verb associated with it.
your -- 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," and "those"). See this article for more.
son! -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." This is shown as the object of the verb, but it is a subject without a verb. When a subject without a verb is used, an "is" is assumed.
COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV :
Γύναι, [28 verses](noun sg fem voc) "Woman" is gyne, which means "woman (as opposed to man)," "wife," "spouse," "mortal woman (as opposed to a goddess)," and "female mate (among animals)."
ἴδε [52 verses](verb 2nd sg aor imperat act ) "Behold" is idou, which means "to behold," "to see," and "to perceive." It acts as an adverbial phrase in this form meaning "Lo! Behold!" and "See there!' It is a form of the verb eido, which means "to see."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). -
υἱὸς [158 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Son" is huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." It is used generally to refer to any male descendant.
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."