John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free

Spoken to
audience

Jesus tells his followers that thinking they aren't slaves is the mistake that makes them slaves. Then he explains the slaves are temporary, while sons are permanent.

KJV

John 8:36 If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.

NIV

John 8:36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

LISTENERS HEARD

When then the Son frees you, Amen you will be free.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

This is a punchline verse. Jesus uses rare and complicated words primarily for humor. Jesus repeats two such words here, both from the same root, both used only in one other verse. The verb "make/set free" was just introduced in the setup John 8:32, and the adjective "free," appearing only here and in Matthew 17:26, refers to children of rulers not owing taxes to their fathers. Another word, a simple but tricky one,  appears only here. It is translated as "indeed," which, of course, misses the point.

The obvious joke here is about being "free," which means the same thing as having your debts forgiven. The setup is that everyone owes a debt to the Divine and we are all therefore his slaves (John 8:34). There is no paying "repaying" our debt to the Divine, so the debt must be canceled. Can a son cancel a debt owed to the father? We cannot know the laws of the times, but from Jesus's statement here, we assume that they could. So Jesus is saying that the Son of the Divine can cancel our debts to the Divine.

The key to his meaning is the word translated simply as "indeed." Jesus only uses this word once, here. What makes this word different is that it is based on the objective participle of "to be," but is it the freedom for existing or freedom from existing? The threat of getting put out of the house (John 8:35) raises this question, but the permanent (the son) is freeing the temporary (the slave) so at the deepest level we are talking about freedom from being temporary.

MY TAKE

We want to be free to exist not from existence.

GREEK ORDER

ἐὰν     οὖν    υἱὸς    ὑμᾶς ἐλευθερώσῃ,
When then the Son  you         frees ,

ὄντως ἐλεύθεροι ἔσεσθε.
truly free.            you will be

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
3
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" is not the common word usually translated as "if."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "shall" does not mean the future tense.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "indeed" is not the common word usually translated as "indeed."
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
4
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "so" is not the common word usually translated as "so."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "if" is not the common word usually translated as "if."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "shall" does not mean the future tense.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "indeed" is not the common word usually translated as "indeed."
EACH WORD of KJV

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.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." The phrase "the son of man" is the common way Christ refers to himself. It is discussed in detail in this article. Its sense may be "the child of the man."

therefore -- The Greek word translated as "therefore" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore." Jesus uses it to respond positively to questions, but in parables, it can continue the story.

shall -- (CW) This helping verb "shall" does not indicate the future tense, but that the verb describes a possibility, the subjunctive voice. A "might" or "should" in English is more appropriate, but is assumed in an "if/when/whoever/except" clause. Helping verbs are not needed in Greek since the main verb carries this information in its form.

make  -- The word translated as "make...free" and "set free" means to "free" a slave or "release a debtor."  It also means to "free from blame" or acquit at a trial. On the negative side, it also means to indulge in licentious (lewd) behavior.

you -- The "you" here is the second-person, plural pronoun in the form of an object of the action.

free, -- This completes the idea of the verb.

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural 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.

be  -- The verb "be" 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.

free - "Free" is from an adjective that means "free," "freedom," "independent," and "freed from a thing." Jesus only uses it twice.

indeed.  - (CW) "Indeed" is from an adverb means "really", "actually", "truly," and "verily." This is not the word usually translated as "indeed" in John 8:31.

EACH WORD of NIV

So -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "so" either emphasizes the truth of something ("certainly," "really") or it simply continues an existing narrative, "then," "therefore." Jesus uses it to respond positively to questions, but in parables, it can continue the story.

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.

the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more. 

Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." The phrase "the son of man" is the common way Christ refers to himself. It is discussed in detail in this article. Its sense may be "the child of the man."

sets -- The word translated as "sets...free" and "set free" means to "free" a slave or "release a debtor."  It also means to "free from blame" or acquit at a trial. On the negative side, it also means to indulge in licentious (lewd) behavior.

you -- The "you" here is the second-person, plural pronoun in the form of an object of the action.

free, -- This completes the idea of the verb.

you -- This is from the second-person, plural 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.

be  -- The verb "be" 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.

free - "Free" is from an adjective that means "free," "freedom," "independent," and "freed from a thing." Jesus only uses it twice.

indeed.  - (CW) "Indeed" is from an adverb means "really", "actually", "truly," and "verily." This is not the word usually translated as "indeed" in John 8:31.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

ὰν [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."

οὖν [82 verses](adv) "Therefore" is oun, which means "certainly," "in fact," "really," "in fact," "so" and "then" (continuing a narrative), and "then" and "therefore."

[821 verses] (article sg masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

υἱὸς [157 verses](noun sg masc nom) "The Son" is from huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child."

ὑμᾶς [210 verses](pron 2nd pl acc) "You" is humas which is the plural objective form of the second-person pronoun, "you."

ἐλευθερώσῃ, [2 verses] (3rd sg aor subj act) "Shall make...free" is from eleutheroo, which means "to set free", "to free from blame", "to indulge in license," and "to release from"

ὄντως [1 verse](adv) "Indeed" is from ontos, which means "really", "actually", "truly," and "verily."

ἐλεύθεροι [2 verses](adj pl masc/fem nom)"Free" is eleutheros, which means "free," "freedom," "independent," "unencumbered (of property)," "fit for a freeman," "frank," "legally permissible," "open to," of things: "free," "open to all,"and "freed from a thing." 

ἔσεσθε. [614 verses] (2nd pl fut ind mid) "Ye shall be" 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.

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