Jesus tells people that he is the light of the world. His opponents say his testimony is untrue because he is talking about himself.
John 8:16 And yet if I judge, my judgment is true: for I am not alone, but I and the Father that sent me.
John 8:16 But if I do judge, my decisions are true, because I am not alone. I stand with the Father, who sent me.
And when I myself, however, judge, that judgment, this one of mine, is true because I don't exist alone. Instead, I myself and the sending me Father.
Here we see the problem with translating the previous verse as "I judge no one" or "I don't judge." Here, Jesus talks about when he does judge. If he meant that he doesn't judge at all then, why does he imply here that he sometimes does? Also notice how Jesus is mixing up the ideas of "judging" the truth, with "witnessing" the truth. According to Jewish law, witnesses must see and hear things with their own eyes and ears to witness to them.
A lot of the emphasis that Jesus has in this verse is left out of the translations. He adds the subject pronoun, "I myself" twice ." He also emphasizes the word translated as "judgment/decisions" with a trailing pronoun, giving it the sense of "this judgment, this one of mine." That emphasis is not translated.
The unusual phrase, "the sending me Father" appears at the end of the verse, Jesus's usual place for the punchline. However, the final "father" doesn't appear in all ancient manuscripts. Though the final phrase implies that Jesus is one with his father, he doesn't say that. This phrase, without a verb, seems more like an answer to a question someone asked after Jesus says he is not alone. However, the point he is making is that he isn't speaking for himself, but that he was sent to represent someone else. This phrase is only used when he is talking about testimony.
None of us are alone, whether we realize it or not.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "yet" should be something more like "however."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- 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 "the" before "of mine" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "judgment" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- 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 "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "and" before "if" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- 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 "the" before "of mine" is not shown in the English translation.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "decisions" is not shown in the English translation.
- WN - Wrong Number- The word "decisions" is translated as plural but the Greek word is singular.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "instead" is not shown in the English translation.
- 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 "stand" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "with" should be something more like "and."
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "the" doesn't exist in the source.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "who" is not the common word usually translated as "who."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."
And -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
yet -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "yet" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. It can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
if -- (CW) The Greek word meaning "when" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." This is not the simple "if.
I -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate."
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
judge, -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate." Since this verb is in a "if/when" clause, we know that it is in the form of possibility."
missing "the" -- (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.
my -- "My" is the regular first-person adjective in Greek indicating possession, so "mine," "of me," "my," "relating to me," and "against me." Since this follows the noun with an article in front of it, the sense is "this one of mine."
missing "the" -- (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.
judgment -- The Greek word translated as "judgment" means distinguishing among choices and "separating" things. Christ uses it in a variety of ways, though the KJV usually translates it as "judgment." It also means a "turning point," since it is the source of the meaning of "crisis" has in English. Only secondarily does it means "judgment" as in a court judgment.
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."-- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
true: -- The literal meaning of the Greek word for "truth" is "not hidden," and it means what is real as opposed to how things seem. -- The literal meaning of the Greek word for "truth" is "not hidden," and it means what is real as opposed to how things seem.
for -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
am -- The verb "am" 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.
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. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
alone, -- "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."
but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead," "but instead,"or "rather." It is not the common word usually translated as "but." It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus often uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, not doing something, with a positive one, "instead do this."
I -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate."
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
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."
the -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.
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. This word does not exist in all texts.
that -- 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.
sent -- (WF) "He sent" is from a Greek verb that means "send," "send forth," "send away," "conduct," and "escort." This is the second most common word Jesus uses that is translated as "send," but this one doesn't have the prefix that has the sense of "out." The form of the word is not an active verb but a participle.
me. -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.
But -- The Greek word translated as "but" means "but," "however," and "on the other hand." It joins phrases in an adversarial way. Since it always falls in the second position, translating it as "however" often captures its feeling better. It can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
missing "and" -- (MW) The untranslated word "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
if -- (CW) The Greek word meaning "when" indicates more of an expectation of something happening than "if" alone. This is how we use the word "when." This is not the simple "if.
I -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate."
do -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
judge, -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate." Since this verb is in a "if/when" clause, we know that it is in the form of possibility."
missing "the" -- (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.
my -- "My" is the regular first-person adjective in Greek indicating possession, so "mine," "of me," "my," "relating to me," and "against me." Since this follows the noun with an article in front of it, the sense is "this one of mine."
missing "the" -- (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.
decisions -- (WN) The Greek word translated as "judgment" means distinguishing among choices and "separating" things. Christ uses it in a variety of ways, though the KJV usually translates it as "judgment." It also means a "turning point," since it is the source of the meaning of "crisis" has in English. Only secondarily does it means "judgment" as in a court judgment. This word is not plural.
are -- The verb "are" 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."-- When the verb "to be" appears early in the clause before the subject, the sense is more like "it is" or, in the plural, "there are."
true: -- The literal meaning of the Greek word for "truth" is "not hidden," and it means what is real as opposed to how things seem. -- The literal meaning of the Greek word for "truth" is "not hidden," and it means what is real as opposed to how things seem.
because -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
am -- The verb "am" 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.
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. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.
alone, -- "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."
missing "instead" -- (MW) The untranslated word "instead" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead," "but instead,"or "rather." It is not the common word usually translated as "but." It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus often uses this conjunction to connect a negative clause, not doing something, with a positive one, "instead do this."
I -- The term used here for "judge" means "judge," "criticize," "decide," "discriminate," and "separate," depending on the context. No English word corresponds to it precisely. It is often helpful to think of its primary meaning are the action of "to separate."
stand -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "stand" in the Greek source.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
with -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "with" 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."
the -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "the" in the Greek source.
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. This word does not exist in all texts.
who -- (CW) The word translated as "who" 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. It is not the pronoun for "who."
sent -- (WF) "He sent" is from a Greek verb that means "send," "send forth," "send away," "conduct," and "escort." This is the second most common word Jesus uses that is translated as "send," but this one doesn't have the prefix that has the sense of "out." The form of the word is not an active verb but a participle.
me. -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.
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."
ἐὰν [162 verses](conj) "If" is ean, which is a conditional particle (derived from ei (if) and an (might), which makes reference to a time and experience in the future that introduces but does not determine an event. This is how we use the word "when."
κρίνω [30 verses](1st sg pres subj act) "Judge" is krino, which primarily means "to separate," "to put asunder," and "to distinguish." It has a lot of other secondary meanings, including "to pick out," "to choose," "to decide" disputes or accounts, "to win" a battle, "to judge" especially in the sense of "estimate," "to expound," or "to interpret" in a particular way.
δὲ [446 verses](conj) "But" is de which means "but" and "on the other hand." It is the particle that joins sentences in an adversarial way but can also be an explanation of cause ("so").
ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself. -- The pronoun "I" is used here. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use accentuates who is speaking "I." Saying "I myself" captures this feeling in English.
ἡ [821 verses](article sg fem nom) [821 verses](article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
κρίσις [26 verses](noun sg fem nom) "Judgment" is krisis, which means "separating," "distinguishing," "judgment," "choice," "election," "trial," "dispute," "event," and "issue."
ἡ [821 verses](article sg fem nom) [821 verses](article sg masc nom) Untranslated is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
ἐμὴ [28 verses](adj sg fem nom) "My" is emos, which means "mine," "of me," "my," "relating to me," and "against me."
ἀληθινή : [19 verses] (noun sg masc/fem nom) "Truth" is aletheia, which means literally "the state of not being hidden," means "truth" and "reality" as opposed to appearances.
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.
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."
μόνος [18 verses](adj sg masc nom) "Alone" 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."
οὐκ [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.
εἰμί, 614 verses](1st sg pres ind act) "Am" 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.
ἀλλ᾽ [154 verses](conj) "But" is alla, which means "otherwise," "but," "still," "at least," "except," "yet," nevertheless," "rather," "moreover," and "nay."
ἐγὼ [162 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom) "I" is ego, which is the first-person singular pronoun meaning "I." It also means "I at least," "for my part," "indeed," and for myself.
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."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "That" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
πέμψας [39 verses](part sg aor act masc nom) "Him that sent" is pempo, which means "send," "send forth," "send away," "conduct," and "escort."
με [49 verses](pron 1st sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which is the objective first-person, objective, singular pronoun that means "me."
[πατήρ]. [191 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."