John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed

Spoken to
challengers

Jesus tells his followers that slaves are temporary, while sons are permanent but the permanent can free the temporary. However, the audience seems to change here from supporters to opponents.

KJV

John 8:37 I know that ye are Abraham's seed; but ye seek to kill me, because my word hath no place in you.

NIV

John 8:37 I know that you are Abraham’s descendants. Yet you are looking for a way to kill me, because you have no room for my word.

LISTENERS HEARD

I have seen that seeds of Abraham you are. Except, you seek to destroy me because this message, this my own, doesn't have fertile ground within you.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The word translated as "seed" and "descendants" means both offspring and physical seeds used in planting. The word translated as "hath...place," is from a root that means land that is plowed or cultivated. This idea of having fertile land for something to grow within you. It has the sense of a space between two limits so the sense is not having room within to grow. This connects to the Parable of the Sower and the "good ground" idea.

MY TAKE

Fertile seeds need fertile ground.

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
5
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The English verb "know" is the present tense, but Greek is in the past perfect, a completed action, "have seen."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" is not the common word usually translated as "but."
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "mine own" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "word" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "word" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
8
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The English verb "know" is the present tense, but Greek is in the past perfect, a completed action, "have seen."
  • IP - Inserted Phrase-- The phrase "for a way" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "in" before "you" is not shown in the English translation.
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "you" is not the subject but the object of a preposition.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "for" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "mine own" is not shown in the English translation.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "word" is not shown in the English translation.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "word" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
EACH WORD of KJV

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

know --  (WT) The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. The tense is the past perfect, "have seen."

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

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- 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." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

Abraham's -- This is from the Greek spelling of "Abraham."

seed; - "Seed" also means "source' and "offspring." They are Christ's symbol for the "source" of knowledge and of the offspring of families.

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."

ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

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.

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

kill -- "Kill" is translated from a Greek word that means "destroy" more than just "kill" because the base word means "slay." The Greek source has the sense of "kill off," that is, destroy in a more thorough way. When we talk about "destroying" someone, we use it to mean destroying their reputation, the strength of their spirit and ideas as well as physically killing them. This is more the sense here.

me, -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.\

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

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 first-person adjective, not the common pronoun, used in Greek to create a possessive or as the object of a preposition. Unlike the genitive pronoun used as a possessive, its case matches its noun. Perhaps "mine own" captures its best.

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. 

word -- (CW) "Word" is translated from a Greek word that means "calculation," or "reasoning," but it has many, many specific meanings from "deliberation" to "narrative."  It is the source of our word "logic" and is the root word for all the English words that end in "-ology." Most biblical translations translated it as "word" for somewhat poetic reasons. However, when applied to people, it means "repute" or "reputation." More about this word in this article. In English, we would say "idea" to describe it but it also means the communication of various types, so "message" often works better.

hath - -"Hath place" is from a Greek verb that has three meanings 1) having the capacity for something, 2) making progress, and 3) making way or room for someone or something else. Jesus only used this word four times usually to something making way for itself. His uses are usually humorous.

no -- 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.

place - This completes the idea of the verb.

in -- The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with a dative object as the one here.  With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during." It can mean "on," "at," or "by" in the sense of "near."

you.  -- The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc. 

EACH WORD of NIV

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

know --  (WT) The word translated as "know" means primarily "to see" and is used to mean "know' as we use the word "see" to mean "know" in English. The tense is the past perfect, "have seen."

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

you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- 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." The word also means "to exist" and where it doesn't connect to characteristics or conditions.

Abraham's -- This is from the Greek spelling of "Abraham."

descendants; - "Seed" also means "source' and "offspring." They are Christ's symbol for the "source" of knowledge and of the offspring of families.

Yet -- The Greek word translated as "yet" 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."

you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.

are -- This helping verb indicates the present tense of the verb.

looking -- 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.

for a way -- (IP) There is nothing that can be translated as "for a way " in the Greek source.

to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.

kill -- "Kill" is translated from a Greek word that means "destroy" more than just "kill" because the base word means "slay." The Greek source has the sense of "kill off," that is, destroy in a more thorough way. When we talk about "destroying" someone, we use it to mean destroying their reputation, the strength of their spirit and ideas as well as physically killing them. This is more the sense here.

me, -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.\

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

missing "in"  -- (MW) The untranslated word  "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time),  or "among"  with a dative object as the one here.  With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during." It can mean "on," "at," or "by" in the sense of "near."

you.  -- (WF) The Greek pronoun "you" here is plural and in the form of an indirect object, "to you," "for you," etc. This is not the subject but the object of an untranslated preposition.

have - -"Have...room" is from a Greek verb that has three meanings 1) having the capacity for something, 2) making progress, and 3) making way or room for someone or something else. Jesus only used this word four times usually to something making way for itself. His uses are usually humorous.

no -- 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.

room - This completes the idea of the verb.

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

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 first-person adjective, not the common pronoun, used in Greek to create a possessive or as the object of a preposition. Unlike the genitive pronoun used as a possessive, its case matches its noun. Perhaps "mine own" captures its best.

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. 

word -- (CW) "Word" is translated from a Greek word that means "calculation," or "reasoning," but it has many, many specific meanings from "deliberation" to "narrative."  It is the source of our word "logic" and is the root word for all the English words that end in "-ology." Most biblical translations translated it as "word" for somewhat poetic reasons. However, when applied to people, it means "repute" or "reputation." More about this word in this article. In English, we would say "idea" to describe it but it also means the communication of various types, so "message" often works better.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

οἶδα [38 verses] (1st sg perf ind act) "I know" is oida which is a form of eido (ἴδω) which means "to see," "to examine," "to perceive," "to behold," "to know how to do," "to see with the mind's eye," and "to know."

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" 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."

σπέρμα [7 verses](noun pl neut nom/acc) "Seed" is sperma, which means "seed," "sperm," "origin," "race," "descent," and "offspring." 

Ἀβραὰμ [18 verses](Hebrew name) "Abraham" is Abraam, which is the Greek form of "Abraham."

ἐστε: [614 verses](2nd pl pres ind act) "Are" 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.

ἀλλὰ [154 verses](conj) "But" is alla, which means "otherwise," "but," "still," "at least," "except," "yet," nevertheless," "rather," "moreover," and "nay."

ζητεῖτέ [36 verses](2nd pl pres ind act) "You seek" is zeteo, which means "inquire for," "search for," "seek after," "desire," and "feel the want of."

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

ἀποκτεῖναι, [31 verses](verb aor inf act) "To kill" is apokteino, which means "to kill," and "to slay." It combines the word for "to slay" (-kteino) with the proposition, apo, indicating separation, meaning "from" or "away from." but it is a stronger form than the normal verb -kteino. It is more like our "destroy." It is in the form of a present participle, "destroying" acting as a noun ("those destroying").

ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" 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."

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

λόγος, [80 verses](noun sg masc nom) "Word" is logos, which means "word," "computation," "relation," "explanation," "law," "rule of conduct," "continuous statement," "tradition," "discussion," "reckoning," "reputation" (when applied to people), and "value."

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

ἐμὸς[28 verses](adj sg masc nom) "My" is emos, which means "mine," "of me," "my," "relating to me," and "against me." The form can also be the object of a preposition, "me."

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.

χωρεῖ [4 verses](verb 3rd sg pres ind act) "Hath...place" is from choreo, which means "to leave room for another," "to make way," "to withdraw," "to go forward," "to make progress," "to advance," "to proceed," [of gold] "to be spent," "to have room for," "to hold," "to contain," and "to be capable of." 

ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means, with a dative object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during,"  and "with." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." Referring to time, it means. "in the course of" or "during." 

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

Wordplay

A play on the concept of "seeds" and the concept of having fertile ground within you for an idea to grow. 

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