John 16:14 He shall glorify me:

Spoken to
Apostles

After the Last Supper, after Jesus says the spirit will guide them to the whole truth.

KJV

John 16:14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you.

NIV

John 16:14 He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you.

LISTENERS HEARD

That one there will recognize me because he will get for himself from this my own and he will transmit to you.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The innocuous "he" that begins this sentence is a pronoun meaning "that one there" that Jesus uses to honor those like the Father and the Spirit. The verb translated as "glorify"has a primary meaning of "to think" and "to imagine," but Jesus uses it like "recognize" meaning both identifying and rewarding. See this article. The verb translated as "receive" is in the middle voice, which has the sense of "take" rather than "receive." Used with the Greek preposition meaning "from" adds the sense of getting "produce" or a "profit." The "get" could mean "understand."The "of mine" and "from me" is a more complicated construction that means "from this of mine." The "show" and "make known" is an uncommon verb that has the same root as "messenger," so "deliver" or "transmit" may work best. This verb was used in the previous verse with verbs that mean "relay" so there is a strong sense of passing information on.

MY TAKE

Information can become clearer if passed on by a good messenger.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The word translated as "glorify" is more like "recognize."
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
  • WV  --Wrong Voice - The verb in the middle voice requires the concept of "for yourselves" as its object.
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "of" does not capture the word's specific meaning.
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "mine" is not shown in the English translation.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "it" doesn't exist in the source.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
9
  • CW --Confusing Word -- The "he" is not the common word usually translated as "he."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The word translated as "glorify" is more like "recognize."
  • IW --Inserted Word -- The word "it is" doesn't exist in the source.
  •  MW - Missing Word -- The word "the/this" before "mine" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF -- Wrong Form -  The "me" is not an object but a genitive with an article "the one of mine."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WV  --Wrong Voice - The verb in the middle voice requires the concept of "for yourselves" as its object.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "what" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW --Missing Word -- The word "and" is not shown in the English translation.
EACH WORD of KJV

He -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there." Used a pronoun, the sense is "that one there" or "this one here." Jesus often uses it as a term of honor to refer to his father, the Spirit, prophets, and so on.

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

glorify -- (CW) The Greek term translated as "glorify" is a word that primarily means "to imagine" and "to expect." It also means "to honor" in a sense. However, the word that it comes closest to in English is "to recognize" since that word captures both the mental "expectation" and "praising" sense of the word. The verb form also has the sense of spreading someone's good reputation, so "publicized and "proclaimed" also work.  More about this word in this article.

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.

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

he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.

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

receive --  (WV) The word translated as "receive" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing." In the middle voice, used here, has a much stronger sense of "take," that is, "get for himself." Used with the Greek preposition meaning "from" adds the sense of getting "produce" or a "profit."

of -- (CW) The Greek preposition translated as "of" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context. However, in Greek, they use the genitive case instead of a preposition for the types of phrases that are translated into English "of" phrases.

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.

mine, -- "Mine" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.  The pronoun has an article before it so "this one of mine."

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 can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

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

show  - "Show" is a verb that means to "carry back tidings", "to report", "tell," and "proclaim." From the Greek word for "angels" that means "messengers." This is uncommon verb that Jesus only uses five times.

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

unto -- This word "to" 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. As the object of a preposition, this form implies no movement, but in a fixed position or events occur at a specified time or while the action was being performed.

EACH WORD of NIV

He -- (CW) The word translated as "he" is an adjective that highlights its noun as being in a specific place or time from a word that means "there." Used a pronoun, the sense is "that one there" or "this one here." Jesus often uses it as a term of honor to refer to his father, the Spirit, prophets, and so on.

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.

glorify -- (CW) The Greek term translated as "glorify" is a word that primarily means "to imagine" and "to expect." It also means "to honor" in a sense. However, the word that it comes closest to in English is "to recognize" since that word captures both the mental "expectation" and "praising" sense of the word. The verb form also has the sense of spreading someone's good reputation, so "publicized and "proclaimed" also work.  More about this word in this article.

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.

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

it is  (IW) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "it is" in the Greek sourceIW - Inserted Word -- The word "it is" doesn't exist in the source.

from -- The Greek preposition translated as "from" means "out of" or "from." The word also means "beyond," "on," "in," "since," or "by"based upon its context. However, in Greek, they use the genitive case instead of a preposition for the types of phrases that are translated into English "of" phrases.

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.

me, -- (WF) "Me" is the first-person possessive singular pronoun.  The pronoun has an article before it so "this one of mine." It is not an object of a preposition.

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

he -- This is from the third-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.

receive --  (WV) The word translated as "receive" primarily means "take." However, it means "receive" in the same sense that we use "get" to mean "receive" and has many different uses as we use "get" in English. Among these are the ideas of "understanding" and "possessing." In the middle voice, used here, has a much stronger sense of "take," that is, "get for himself." Used with the Greek preposition meaning "from" adds the sense of getting "produce" or a "profit."

what -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "what" in the Greek source. IW - Inserted Word -- The word "what" doesn't exist in the source.

missing "and"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  MW - Missing Word -- The word "and" is not shown in the English translation. "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

he -- This is from the third-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.

make known- "Show" is a verb that means to "carry back tidings", "to report", "tell," and "proclaim." From the Greek word for "angels" that means "messengers." This is uncommon verb that Jesus only uses five times.

to -- This word "to" 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. As the object of a preposition, this form implies no movement, but in a fixed position or events occur at a specified time or while the action was being performed.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ἐκεῖνος [107 verses](adj sg masc nom) "That" is ekeinos, which means "the person there," "that person," "that thing," and, in the form of an adverb, "in that case," "in that way," "at that place," and "in that manner."

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

δοξάσει, [18 verses] (3rd sg fut ind act) "Shall glorify" is doxazo, which primarily means "to think", "to expect", "to imagine," or "to suppose." Secondarily, it means "to magnify" or "to extol," which is where we get the "glorify" used most often in NT translation. The English term "to recognize" carries the same sense of both seeing a person in the mind and honoring them. 

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "For" 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."

ἐκ  [121 verses] (prep) "Of" is ek, which means 1) [of motion] "out of," "from," "by," "away from;" 2) [of place] "beyond," "outside of," "beyond;" 3) [of succession] "after," "from;" 4) [of rest] "on," "in," 5) [of time] "since," "from," "at," "in;" 5) [of materials] "out of," "made from;" 6) cause, instrument, or means "by."

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

ἐμοῦ [239 verses](adj sg masc gen) "Mine" 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.

λήμψεται [54 verse](verb 3rd sg fut ind mid) "Receive" is lambano means to "take," "take hold of," "grasp," "seize," "catch," "overtake," "find out," "detect," "take as,"  in Logic, "assume," "take for granted," "understand," "undertake," "take in," "hold," "get," "receive [things]," "receive hospitably," "receive in marriage," "receive as produce," "profit," "admit," "initiate," "take hold of," "lay hold on," "seize and keep hold of," "obtain possession of," "lay hands upon," "find fault with," "censure," "to apprehend with the senses," and "to take hold of." It is also specifically used to mean "seized with emotion."

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."

ἀναγγελεῖ [5 verses](3rd sg fut ind act ) "Show" is from anaggello, which means "carry tidings of", "report", "tell of," and "proclaim."

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

Wordplay

 None

Unimportant Opinions and Imaginings

As we progress through this section, more and more of the verses connect to previous verses. This connection is a valuable key in understanding the meaning of the Greek. In this verse, almost every key Greek word refers to an earlier statement by Jesus in this section. Their meaning is best understood in the larger context.

John uses it specifically to refer to the way the Christ "represents" the Father by allowing people to imagine the hidden Father through Christ. The way we say this in English is that "we can think of Christ as the Father" or "we can imagine [the nature of the Father] in seeing Christ." The idea that Christ makes the Father seem greater (the secondary "magnify" meaning of doxazo, that is the source of the "glorify" translation) doesn't really make sense.

Here, John is extending this idea's use, saying that, in the go-between, the spirit of truth, represents Christ in the same way that Christ represents the Father.

In John 14:17, Christ said that the world order cannot "receive" the spirit of truth and here Christ says that his follows can receive him. However, in that verse, Christ say specifically that the problem that they have is that the world cannot "see" him so it seems more logical to translate the word translated as "receive" (lambanô) as "perceive with the senses." This inability of world of people to perceive is a constant theme throughout this monologue.

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