Jesus is accused of breaking the Sabbath and making himself a god by calling God his Father. The current topic is who accepts him.
John 5:44 How can ye believe, which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only?
John 5:44 How can you believe since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that comes from the only God[?
How do you have the power, you yourselves, to trust a reputation from one another receiving? And that reputation the one from the only Divine, you do not seek?
Much is made of this verse as Jesus's referral to the Father as "the only God," but some versions of the Greek do not have the word "God" in them. The phrase is only "the only" where "God" is assumed from the adjective. Of course, Jesus could have also been slyly referring to the only Son, which is actually more consistent with the context,
The Greek word translated as "honour" and "glory" is much closer in meaning to "reputation." It can almost always be translated that way in Jesus's words.
Both the Divine and Jesus are unique in human history.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "can" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourselves" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "believe" is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to trust."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "which" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "receive" is not an active verb but a participle, "receiving."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "honor" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "from" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "that" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "cometh" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
- WP -- Wrongly Placed -- The word "only" doesn't appear here but before "God."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "can" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourselves" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "believe" is not an active verb but an infinitive, "to trust."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "since" doesn't exist in the source.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "you" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "accept" is not an active verb but a participle, "receiving."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "glory" is not shown in the English translation.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "but" should be something more like "and."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "that" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "comes" doesn't exist in the source.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "God" is not shown in the English translation.
How -- "How" is the adverb that means "how," "by any means," and "I suppose." This is a common interrogatory pronoun used by Jesus.
can - (CW) The word translated as "can" means having the power or possibly a desire to accomplish something. Often, in English, "can" is a helper verb, indicating a possibility. In Greek, it indicates ability or power. This is the active verb, not a helping verb.
ye -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.
missing "yourselves" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "you yourselves."
believe, -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much as it does trusting in other people, especially their word. Christ usually uses it in contexts, as the one here, that apply to trusting words. This is not an active verb but an infinitive.
which -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "which" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
receive -- (WF) 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." It is not an active verb but a participle.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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.
honour -- The Greek noun translated as "honour" means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found primarily in translating the Bible. The English word "acclaim" comes closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word.
missing "from" -- (MW) The untranslated word "from" has many meanings, many of which depend on the case of its object. With the genitive, the sense is motion, "from the side of," "from beside," and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is static, "by the side of," "near," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more.
one of another, - "One of another" is from a plural word means "one another," "to one another," "mutually," and "reciprocally."
and -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
seek -- The Greek verb translated as "sought" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring." It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim. This is the last word in the verse.
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause.
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.
honour -- The Greek noun translated as "glory" means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found primarily in translating the Bible. The English word "acclaim" comes closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word.
that -- (CW) The word translated as "that" 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.
cometh -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "cometh" in the Greek source.
from -- The preposition translated as "from" has many meanings, many of which depend on the case of its object. With the genitive, the sense is motion, "from the side of," "from beside," and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is static, "by the side of," "near," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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.
only? " -- (WP) "Only" is an adjective that means "alone," "solitary," "only," "single," "unique," "made in one piece," "without [someone]," "only [something]," "unique," "one above all others," and "on one condition only." This is an adjective modifying "God," not an adverb.
How -- "How" is the adverb that means "how," "by any means," and "I suppose." This is a common interrogatory pronoun used by Jesus.
can - (CW) The word translated as "can" means having the power or possibly a desire to accomplish something. Often, in English, "can" is a helper verb, indicating a possibility. In Greek, it indicates ability or power. This is the active verb, not a helping verb.
you -- The pronoun "you" is used explicitly as the subject of the sentence. Since it is already part of the verb, its use here creates emphasis on the "you" as we might say "you yourselves." It is plural.
missing "yourselves" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "you yourselves."
believe, -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "believe" does not apply to religious belief as much as it does trusting in other people, especially their word. Christ usually uses it in contexts, as the one here, that apply to trusting words. This is not an active verb but an infinitive.
since -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "since" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
you (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "since" in the Greek source.
accept -- (WF) The word translated as "accept" 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." It is not an active verb but a participle.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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.
glory-- The Greek noun translated as "glory" means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found primarily in translating the Bible. The English word "acclaim" comes closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word.
from -- The word "from" has many meanings, many of which depend on the case of its object. With the genitive, the sense is motion, "from the side of," "from beside," and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is static, "by the side of," "near," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more.
one another, - "One another" is from a plural word means "one another," "to one another," "mutually," and "reciprocally."
but -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "but" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
do -- This helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in English, but the Greek could be either a question or a statement.
not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause.
seek -- The Greek verb translated as "sought" has a variety of meanings around the idea of "searching" and "desiring." It has a sense of seeking with a specific aim. This is the last word in the verse.
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.
glory-- The Greek noun translated as "glory" means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found primarily in translating the Bible. The English word "acclaim" comes closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word.
that -- (CW) The word translated as "that" 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.
comes -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "comes" in the Greek source.
from -- The preposition translated as "from" has many meanings, many of which depend on the case of its object. With the genitive, the sense is motion, "from the side of," "from beside," and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is static, "by the side of," "near," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more.
missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, 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.
only? " -- "Only" is an adjective that means "alone," "solitary," "only," "single," "unique," "made in one piece," "without [someone]," "only [something]," "unique," "one above all others," and "on one condition only."
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.
πῶς [36 verses](pron indecl form) "How" is pos, which means "how," "how in the world," "how then," "in any way," "at all," "by any mean," "in a certain way,"and "I suppose."
δύνασθε [61 verses](2nd pl pres ind mp) "Can" is the verb, dynamai, which means "to have power by virtue of your own capabilities," "to be able," and "to be strong enough."
ὑμεῖς [92 verses](pron 2nd pl nom) "You" is hymeis (humeis), which is the plural nominative form of the second person, "you."
πιστεῦσαι, [69 verses](aor inf act) "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."
δόξαν [26 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Glory" is doxa, which means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are applied to external appearances but are found primarily in translating the Bible. The words "recognition," "honor." and "reputation" come closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word, especially if we consider how he uses the verb form.
παρ᾽ [45 verses](prep) Untranslated is para, has many meanings, which depend on the case of its object and the sense of the verb.With the genitive, the sense is always motion, "from the side of," "from beside," "issuing from", and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is always static, "by the side of," "near," "in the presence of," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more including "along", "past", "beyond", "parallel (geometry)", "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)."
ἀλλήλων [13 verses] (adj pl masc/fem/neut gen) "One another" is allelon, which means "one another," "to one another," "mutually," and "reciprocally."
λαμβάνοντες [54 verse](part pl pres act masc nom) "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."
τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
δόξαν [26 verses](noun sg fem acc) "Glory" is doxa, which means "expectation," "notion," "opinion," "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are applied to external appearances but are found primarily in translating the Bible. The words "recognition," "honor." and "reputation" come closest to capturing the way Jesus uses the word, especially if we consider how he uses the verb form.
τὴν [821 verses](article sg fem acc) "That" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
παρὰ [45 verses](prep) "With" is para, has many meanings, which depend on the case of its object and the sense of the verb.With the genitive, the sense is always motion, "from the side of," "from beside," "issuing from", and generally "from." With the dative, the sense is always static, "by the side of," "near," "in the presence of," and "before." With the accusative, its has a number of specialized meanings depending on the character of the verb, with coming/going "near," "beside," with placing "side-by-side," as a metaphor, "like" or "as a parody of, of comparison, "compared with" and many more including "along", "past", "beyond", "parallel (geometry)", "precisely at the moment of (time)," and "throughout (time)."
τοῦ [821 verses](article sg masc gen) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
μόνου [18 verses](adj sg masc gen) "Only" is monos, which means "alone," "solitary," "only," "single," "unique," "made in one piece," "without [someone]," "only [something]," "unique," "one above all others," and "on one condition only.
[θεοῦ] [144 verses](noun sg masc gen) "God" is theos, which means "God," "divine," and "Deity."
οὐ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou , the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
ζητεῖτε [36 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Seek" is zeteo, which means "inquire for," "search for," "seek after," "desire," and "feel the want of."