YHN 5:4 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 5:1–18: Jesus healed a lame man by a pool on the Sabbath

In this section Jesus healed a lame man who was lying by a pool of water. Because Jesus healed him on a Sabbath day, the Jewish leaders became angry. They believed that healing a person was work and that Jews should not work on the Sabbath.

The man who was healed did not know who had healed him. Then Jesus met this man in the temple. He told him that he should not sin anymore. The healed man went to the Jewish leaders and told them that it was Jesus who had healed him.

Here are some other possibilities for a section heading:

Jesus healed a lame man on the Sabbath.

Jewish leaders criticized Jesus for healing a man on the holy/rest day.

Paragraph 5:1–4

This paragraph introduces the story of how Jesus healed a lame man near the Bethesda pool.

5:4a

For from time to time an angel descended into the pool and stirred the water.

They did that because sometimes an angel of the Lord God would come down to move the water.
They hoped/believed that an angel from the Lord God would come down from heaven and disturb the water of the pool.

For: The Greek word that the BSB footnote translates as For here introduces an explanation. The explanation explains why the sick and disabled people were waiting for the stirring of the water. They believed that an angel stirred the water and that they could be healed by stepping into the pool.

Here is another way to translate this word:

because

from time to time: The Greek phrase that the BSB footnote translates literally as from time to time means “occasionally.” For example:

…would sometimes come down to stir it… (CEV footnote)

an angel: The Greek phrase that the BSB footnote translates as an angel here refers to a spirit being who serves God. See KBT. Here are some ways to translate this phrase:

Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:
a messenger from God/heaven
a good/holy spirit-being
Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.
In some areas the churches may already use a borrowed term or a transliterated word for “angel.” Be sure that this term fits the biblical meaning. If the term does not communicate the right meaning, you may need to indicate the meaning in some way. For example:
an angelos messenger from God
a sacred angelos spirit

descended into the pool and stirred the water: In this phrase the verb descended means “used to come down.”

People believed that an angel sometimes came down from God to stir or move the water. This was tradition or a story that the people believed. Translate this phrase so that you imply that this may not be fact. For example:

they thought that an angel from God would come down and stir up the water

5:4b

As soon as it was stirred, the first to enter the pool would be healed of his disease.]]

The first person who got into the pool after the angel moved it would be healed of his disease.]]
When/If that happened, the first person to step into the pool would become well.]]

the first to enter the pool: The Greek phrase that the BSB footnote translates as the first to enter refers to the person who entered the water before the other sick and disabled people. In some languages it may be natural to make that clear. For example:

the person who entered the water before the others

would be healed: This is a passive clause. In some languages it is more natural to use an active verb. For example:

he would become well/healthy

of his disease: The Greek word that the BSB translates as disease also includes physical conditions such as blindness that make one disabled. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

from his physical problem

from whatever illness or disability that he was suffering

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear YHN (JHN) 5:4

SR Greek word order (including unused variant words in grey)

Section 5:1–18: Jesus healed a lame man by a pool on the Sabbath

Paragraph 5:1–4

5:4a

5:4b

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)