This is after the resurrection and six of the apostles go fishing.
John 21:5 Children, have ye any meat?
John 21:5 Friends, haven’t you any fish?
Little ones, you have no sort of fish?
Jesus seems to be avoiding his normal ways of talking here.
The word translated as "children/friend" means "little one" and is commonly used to refer to children.
The negative is unusually, negating the word meaning "any," but the sense is "no sort of". This phrase is very uncommon.
The word translated as "mean/fish" is a very unusual word, used only here. It can mean "fish" but only as a misspelling of another uncommon word that does mean fish. It is not a common word meaning fish.
Παιδία, μή τι προσφάγιον ἔχετε;
Little ones, no sort of fish you have
Children, have ye (MW) any meat(CW)?
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "no" after "ye" is not shown in the English translation.
- CW -- Confusing Word -- This is not the common word usually translated as "meat."
Friends(WW), haven’t you any fish?
- WW --Wrong Word -- The word translated as "friends" should be something more like "children."
Children, - "Children" is translated from a Greek word that means "a young child" or "little child." It is one of several words that Jesus uses that are translated as "child" or "children." (See this article.) One unique aspect of this word is that it is neither masculine or feminine, but neuter. The English word "kids" seems to capture its feeling.
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "to indulge in," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
ye -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
missing "no" -- (MW) The untranslated negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, verbs of possibility, and requests. It applies to will, feeling, and thought.
any -- The Greek word translated as "any" in the singular means "anyone," "someone," "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine and 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," "which," or even "why."
meat -- "Meat" is from the word that means a "victim sacrificed beforehand." However, it is assumed to be a Greek variation on the spelling of another uncommon word meaning "fish." This word is only used once in the New Testament. The word meaning "fish" is used five times. This is not the word usually translated as "meat."
Friends, - "Friends" is translated from a Greek word that means "a young child" or "little child." It is one of several words that Jesus uses that are translated as "child" or "children." (See this article.) One unique aspect of this word is that it is neither masculine or feminine, but neuter. The English word "kids" seems to capture its feeling. This word doesn't mean "friends."
have -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "to indulge in," "keep close," "hold in," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
n’t -- The negative used here is the Greek negative of a subjective opinion, commands, verbs of possibility, and requests. It applies to will, feeling, and thought.
you -- This is from the second-person, plural form of the verb.
any -- The Greek word translated as "any" in the singular means "anyone," "someone," "something," and "anything." The same forms are used both for the masculine and 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," "which," or even "why."
fish -- "Fish" is from the word that means a "victim sacrificed beforehand." However, it is assumed to be a Greek variation on the spelling of another uncommon word meaning "fish." This word is only used once in the New Testament. The word meaning "fish" is used five times.
Παιδία, [21 verses](noun pl neut nom/acc/voc) "Children" is paidion. which means "little child" or "young child," (up to seven years) "infant" or "young slave." The diminutive of παῖς (pais), the common Greek word that means child that Jesus uses twice.
μὴ [447 verses](conj) "Not" is me , which is the negative used in prohibitions and expressions of doubt meaning "not" and "no." The negative, μή, rejects, is relative, and subjective. It is used with verbs of subjective action: thinking, feeling, seeing, etc. It is used in imperative and subjunctive clauses because both express opinions. With pres. or aor. subjunctive, it is used in a warning or statement of fear, "take care." The combination of ἵνα μή means "lest." The combination of ὅτι μή, means "except." Used before tis with an imperative to express a will or wish for something in independent sentences and, with subjunctives, to express prohibitions. It is used with infinitives that express a purpose. When used with verbs of physical action, its sense is that "not wanting" or "thinking" something, not that it isn't done or thought. With these verbs, the sense is rejecting the action, rather than simply not doing it. With the verb "to be," the sense is "doesn't seem." When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. Used with an imperative to express a will or wish. Used in negative conditional "when/if/whoever" clauses. With "have," the sense is "lacks" or "wants."
τι [252 verses](pron sg neut nom/acc) "What" 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." Plural, "who are" is τίνες ἐόντες. 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? τί ὅτι "why it is that,"
προσφάγιον {ὀψάριον}[1 verse] (noun sg neut nom/acc) "Meat" is from prosphagion, which actually means a "victim sacrificed beforehand." However, it is the Greek variation on the spelling of another word opsarion meaning "fish." This word is only used once in the New Testament. The word meaning "fish" is used five times. It is assumed to be from "to eat."
ἔχετε; [181 verses](verb 2nd pl pres ind act) "Have" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to indulge in," "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." In reference to habits or states, it means "indulge in." With a gen. object, "to keep back" or "withhold" a thing. When its object is an infinitive verb, it means "to have the means or power," or "to be able" not "it must" as in English. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as the helper verb does in English.Nor does it have the sense of "must" when used with infinitives.