Jesus challengers ask "Who are you?" Jesus refers them to his first statement that started the debate about truth under Jewish law.
John 8:26 I have many things to say and to judge of you: but he that sent me is true; and I speak to the world those things which I have heard of him.
John 8:26 I have much to say in judgment of you. But he who sent me is trustworthy, and what I have heard from him I tell the world.”
Many things I hold to pass on and to judge about you. Except the one sending me is true, and I myself? What I hear from him, these I pass on into this world order.
This verse is the equivalent to someone saying, "I could say some really tough things to you, but I am going to control myself." The key to this very entertaining verse is the word translated as "but" separating the first sentence and the second.
The Greek word means "instead" or "except," contrasting what is not done (what comes before) with what is done (what comes after). The verb translated as "have" before it can also mean to "withhold" or "keep back" a thing. In the first clause, Jesus says initially that he holds or more precisely, withholds, much that he could say and judge. Then he goes on to say that instead, he defers to the truth of the one sending him. Instead, he passes on what he has been told. This implies that his Father is unerring in a way that he is not. Jesus has a human side that he has to control.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "say" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "of" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."
- MW -- Missing Word -- The pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "speak" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- 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).
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "of" should be something more like "from."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "say" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "in" should be something more like "and."
- WF - Wrong Form - The "judgment" is not a noun but an infinitive, "to judge."
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "of" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
- WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "trustworthy" should be something more like "true."
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "these things" 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."
- 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 "tell" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "into" is not shown in the English translation.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "hold in," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. It can also mean "to without" or "keep back" a thing. Here, it seems to have the sense of "holding in," that is, keeping back speaking and judging.
many -- The word translated as "many" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
things - This comes from the neuter, plural form of "many."
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "speak" is not the ordinary "to say" or "to speak" in Greek. This word means both "idle chatter," "gossip," and "the proclamations of an oracle." Jesus uses it to capture the idea of "pass on" or "relay" information because that captures both someone gossiping and an oracle does. The word is somewhat self-effacing.
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."
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
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."
of -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "of" means "around" when referring to a place, but in referring to a subject, it means "about," "concerning," "on account of," and "in regard to." This is the way Jesus usually uses it. It is not the standard "of" or the preposition incorrectly translated as "of" below.
you: -- The word translated as "you" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.
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."
he -- 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.
that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
sent -- -- (WF) "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 out," 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, a verb in the form of an adjective, "sending."
me -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.
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 word translated as "true" primarily means "unconcealed", based on the noun form, which means "what is not hidden." It therefore means "so true," an accentuated form of true, with nothing hidden.
and I -- -- This is from a contraction of the conjunction "and" and the subject pronoun "I". Since the verb is already in the first person, that addition of the pronoun is like saying "and I myself," emphasizing the first- person speaker.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
speak -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "speak" is not the ordinary "to say" or "to speak" in Greek. This word means both "idle chatter," "gossip," and "the proclamations of an oracle." Jesus uses it to capture the idea of "pass on" or "relay" information because that captures both someone gossiping and an oracle does. The word is somewhat self-effacing. This word was translated as "say" above.
to -- (CW) The word translated as "to" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. An accusative object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement.
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.
world -- Jesus uses the word translated as "the world" to mean "the world order," and "civilization," specifically its "rulers," or its organization. Today, we use the word "society" or "regime" in this sense. More about this word in this article about related words.
those -- The "those" is a pronoun that can mean "this" or "that," the nearer or the further depending on usage. It is often used in the neuter plural to refer to "these things."
things - There is no word, "things," in the Greek source, but this word comes from the neuter, plural form of the previous adjective.
which -- The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular 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 is the most common verb that Christ uses meaning "to hear." It also means "to listen" and "to understand," but amusingly, it also means "to be silent."
of -- (WW) The Greek preposition translated as "of" 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. This word should be "from."
him. -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means movement away from something or a position away from something else.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.
much -- The word translated as "much" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
say -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "speak" is not the ordinary "to say" or "to speak" in Greek. This word means both "idle chatter," "gossip," and "the proclamations of an oracle." Jesus uses it to capture the idea of "pass on" or "relay" information because that captures both someone gossiping and an oracle does. The word is somewhat self-effacing.
in -- (WW) The Greek word translated as "in" 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."
judgment -- (WF) 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." It is not the noun, but an infinitive, "to judge."
of -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "of" means "around" when referring to a place, but in referring to a subject, it means "about," "concerning," "on account of," and "in regard to." This is the way Jesus usually uses it. It is not the standard "of".
you: -- The word translated as "you" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.
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."
he -- 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.
who -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "who" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.
sent -- -- (WF) "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 out," 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, a verb in the form of an adjective, "sending."
me -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.
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."
trustworthy - (WW) The word translated as "trustworthy " primarily means "unconcealed", based on the noun form, which means "what is not hidden." It therefore means "so true," an accentuated form of true, with nothing hidden. It is not the word that means "trustworthy." It has been translated as "true" throughout this section.
and -- This is from a contraction of the conjunction "and" and the subject pronoun "I". Since the verb is already in the first person, that addition of the pronoun is like saying "and I myself," emphasizing the first- person speaker.
missing "these things" -- (MW) The untranslated word "those" is a pronoun that can mean "this" or "that," the nearer or the further depending on usage. It is often used in the neuter plural to refer to "these things."
what-- The word translated as "who" is a demonstrative pronoun ("this" "that"), but it often acts as a pronoun "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
missing "myself" -- (MW) The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "I myself."
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 is the most common verb that Christ uses meaning "to hear." It also means "to listen" and "to understand," but amusingly, it also means "to be silent."
from -- The Greek 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.
him. -- The word translated as "him" is the Greek word commonly translated as third-person pronouns in English. The word means "the same" when used as an adjective. As a genitive object of a preposition, as here, it means movement away from something or a position away from something else.
I -- This is from a contraction of the conjunction the "and" above and the subject pronoun "I". Since the verb is already in the first person, that addition of the pronoun is like saying "and I myself," emphasizing the first- person speaker.
tell -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "speak" is not the ordinary "to say" or "to speak" in Greek. This word means both "idle chatter," "gossip," and "the proclamations of an oracle." Jesus uses it to capture the idea of "pass on" or "relay" information because that captures both someone gossiping and an oracle does. The word is somewhat self-effacing. This word was translated as "say" above.
missing "into" -- (MW) The untranslated word "into" means "into" a place, "towards" as a direction, "in regards to" a subject, and "up to" limits in time and measure. An accusative object indicates movement towards something or a position reached as a result of that movement.
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.
world -- Jesus uses the word translated as "the world" to mean "the world order," and "civilization," specifically its "rulers," or its organization. Today, we use the word "society" or "regime" in this sense. More about this word in this article about related words.
πολλὰ [61 verses](adj pl neut nom) "Much" is polys, which means "many (in number)," "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)." As an adverb, it means "far," "very much," "a great way," and "long."
ἔχω [181 verses](3rd sg pres ind act) "He hath" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to hold in," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, it can mean "acquire," or "get." The main sense when it has an object is "to have" or "to hold." It can also mean "to without" or "keep back" a thing.
περὶ [73 verses](prep) "As touching" is peri, which means "round about (Place)," "around," "about," "concerning," "on account of," "in regard to," "before," "above," "beyond," and "all around."
ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "Your" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you."
λαλεῖν [49 verses] (pres inf act) "To say" is laleo, which means "to talk," "to speak" "to prattle," "to chat," and [for oracles] "to proclaim." It also means "chatter" as the opposite of articulate speech. However, Jesus seems to use in in the sense of "relaying" information gained from another.
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."
κρίνειν: [30 verses](pres inf act) "To 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.
ἀλλ᾽ [154 verses](conj) "But" is alla, which means "otherwise," "but," "still," "at least," "except," "yet," nevertheless," "rather," "moreover," and "nay."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "He" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
πέμψας [39 verses](part sg aor act masc acc) "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."
ἀληθής [7 verses](adj sg masc/fem nom) "True" is from alethes, which means "unconcealed", "so true", "not forgetting", "careful," [of persons] "truthful" "honest," [of oracles] "true" "unerring," and [as adverb] "actually" "in reality,"
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.
κἀγὼ [31 verses](pron 1st sg masc nom ) "And...I" is kago, a contraction of kai-ego. "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." "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."
ἃ [294 verses](pron sg neut nom/acc) "Which" is hos, which means "this," "that," "he," "she," "which," "what," "who," "whosoever," "where," "for which reason," and many similar meanings.
ἤκουσα [95 verses] (1st sg aor ind act) "I 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."
παρ᾽ [45 verses](prep) "Of" 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)."
αὐτοῦ [720 verses](adj sg masc gen) "His" (adj sg masc acc) "Him" is autos, which means "the same," and the reflexive pronouns, "myself," "yourself," "himself," "herself," "itself," or the oblique case of the pronouns, "him," "her," and "it." It also means "one's true self," that is, "the soul" as opposed to the body and "of one's own accord." In the adverbial form, it means "just here" or "exactly there."
ταῦτα [96 verses](adj pl neut acc) "These things" "These things" is tauta, which is a referring pronoun meaning "these," "this," "that," and "here." It can mean the nearer or the further depending on usage. As an adverb it can mean "therefore" and "that is why."
λαλῶ [49 verses] (1st sg pres ind act) "Speak" is laleo, which means "to talk," "to speak" "to prattle," "to chat," and [for oracles] "to proclaim." It also means "chatter" as the opposite of articulate speech. However, Jesus seems to use in in the sense of "relaying" information gained from another.
εἰς [325 verses](prep) "Into" is eis, which means "into (of place)," "up to (of time)," "until (of time)," "as much as (of measure or limit)," "as far as (of measure or limit)," "towards (to express relation)," "in regard to (to express relation)," "of an end or limit," and "for (of purpose or object)."
τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
κόσμον. [63 verses](noun sg masc acc) "World" is kosmos, which mean "order," "good order," "ruler," "civilization," "world order," "universe," and "the world of men." It is a form of the is verb kosmeô, which means "to order," "to arrange," "to rule," "to adorn" (especially women), and "to equip." It especially means controlling and arranging an army.