In the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus repeats this question Judas and soldiers again.
John 18:7 ...Whom seek ye?
John 18:7 Who is it you want?
Who do you seach for?
Most English Bibles make no real mistakes in translation, but the NIV doesn't like "seek" in puts in "want."
Jesus is the one we are seeking.
KJV Analysis identifies the location of translation issues with their abbreviations in bold face.
- IW - Inserted Word -- The word "is it" doesn't exist in the source.
- WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "want" should be something more like "seek."
Whom- The Greek word translated as "whom" in the singular means "anyone," "someone," "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine or feminine so "anyone" works best for a person. In the plural, it means "everyone," "some," "they," and "those." Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who," "what," or even "why."
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. It also means to "search," "inquire into," "investigate," and "examine."
ye? -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
Who- The Greek word translated as "whom" in the singular means "anyone," "someone," "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine or feminine so "anyone" works best for a person. In the plural, it means "everyone," "some," "they," and "those." Jesus often uses it to start a question so it means "who," "what," or even "why."
is it -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "is it" in the Greek source.
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
want-- (WW) 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. It also means to "search," "inquire into," "investigate," and "examine." This is not the word translated as "want."
Τίνα [252 verses](pron sg masc acc) "Who" is tis, which can mean "someone," "something," "any one," "everyone," "they [indefinite]," "many a one," "whoever," "anyone," "anything," "some sort," "some sort of," "each," "any," "the individual," "such," and so on. In a question, it can mean "who," "why," or "what." It has specific meanings with certain prepositions, διὰ τί; for what reason? ἐκ τίνος; from what cause? ἐς τί; to what point? to what end? -
ζητεῖτε; [36 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind act ) "Seek ye" is zeteo, which means "inquire for," "search for," "seek after," "desire," and "feel the want of."