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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Yhn C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21
Yhn 6 V1 V4 V7 V10 V13 V16 V19 V22 V25 V28 V31 V34 V37 V40 V43 V46 V49 V52 V55 V58 V61 V64 V67 V70
OET (OET-LV) The spirit is which giving_life, the flesh is_ not _benefiting nothing.
The messages which I have_spoken to_you_all is spirit and is life.
OET (OET-RV) It’s the spirit that is the source of life, not the body. The concepts that I’ve taught you are all spiritual and life-giving.
This section describes Jesus’ followers dividing into groups. Many of them rejected Jesus’ teaching that he was the bread of life, and they stopped following him. But the twelve (12) apostles, with Simon Peter speaking for them, understood that Jesus brought them true words from God that give life.
Here are other possible titles for this section:
Simon Peter recognized that Jesus had the words of eternal life
Many of Jesus’ followers stopped following him
Jesus’ teaching made many of his followers unhappy. They did not understand how he could be the living bread, or how they could eat him. In this paragraph Jesus responded to their complaints. He insisted that he came from God and that his words brought life from God.
The Spirit gives life;
The Spirit is the one who gives life.
You(plur) receive true life from the Holy Spirit.
It is God’s Spirit who gives eternal/unending life.
The Spirit gives life: There are two ways to interpret this expression:
The phrase The Spirit refers to the Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit gives true life, spiritual life. For example:
What gives life is God’s Spirit (GNT) (BSB, NASB, ESV, NIV, NET, NLT, GNT, CEV, NCV)
The phrase The Spirit refers to the human spirit. Without the spirit, there is no natural human life. For example:
It is the spirit that gives life. (NJB) (KJV, RSV, NRSV, NJB, NABRE, REB)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English translations. In the Scriptures God’s Spirit is often mentioned as the source of life (for example, John 3:5–8).
the flesh profits nothing.
Human flesh can do nothing.
Human strength/effort does not give any life.
the flesh profits nothing: The clause that the BSB translates as the flesh profits nothing indicates that a person using his own strength cannot achieve what the Spirit achieves. A human being, and anything a human achieves, cannot give him true, or spiritual, life.
Here are other ways to translate this clause:
the flesh has nothing to offer (NJB)
the flesh can achieve nothing (REB)
The flesh will not help you (JBP)
the flesh: The Greek word that the BSB translates as flesh can refer to the physical human body. However, in this context in John it refers to human strength or effort. It is what a person can do without God’s help or strength. Jesus was saying that humans cannot understand what he said without the Spirit. Jesus was not referring to his own flesh or body, which he had already said was life-giving (6:51c). If using the same word that you used in 6:51c would have this wrong meaning, you should use a different word or phrase. For example:
human strength (CEV)
Human effort (NLT)
human power (GNT)
The statements that “the Spirit…gives life” (NJB) and “the flesh is useless” contrast God’s Holy Spirit and humanity. In your translation, make sure that there is a clear contrast. For example:
What gives life is God’s Spirit; human power is of no use at all. (GNT)
It is the Spirit that gives life. The flesh doesn’t give life. (NCV)
The one who gives life is God’s Spirit, not human strength. Human strength cannot help you with that at all.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life.
The words I have spoken to you(plur) are for the spirit. They are/give life.
What I have said to you is spiritual and will cause you/people to live.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life: As in 6:63a, the Greek word that the BSB translates as spirit can be interpreted in two ways:
(1) It refers to the human spirit.
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (NJB) (BSB, NET, ESV, NASB, NIV84, KJV, REB, RSV, NRSV, GW, NJB, NABRE)
(2) It refers to God’s Holy Spirit.
The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life. (NIV11) (NIV11, CEV, GNT)
Here it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as most English translations do. Because it is the Holy Spirit that gives life (6:63a), the words that Jesus spoke are for a person’s spirit.
The Greek text emphasizes the word I. That emphasis indicates that Jesus’ words were different from what others said. Those who believed what he said would receive life. However, those who depended on their flesh could not accept what he said and did not receive life.
are spirit and they are life: The Greek expression that the BSB translates as are spirit and they are life can be interpreted in two ways:
It refers to two separate ideas: (a) Jesus’ words are spirit, meaning that they are spiritual words or for the spirit, and (b) Jesus’ words give life. For example:
The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life. (NIV84) (BSB, KJV, NASB, NIV, NJB, REB, NET, NCV, RSV, NRSV, ESV, NLT)
It refers to one idea: Jesus’ words are from the life-giving Spirit, or bring spiritual life. For example:
The words I have spoken to you bring God’s life-giving Spirit. (GNT) (GNT, GW, CEV)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), along with most English translations. In the Greek text the verb, translated are, is repeated, suggesting two separate ideas (“the words…are spirit and are life”). However, the two ideas are related, and it is not necessary to repeat the verb if it is not natural in your language.
are life: Jesus’ words are life in the sense that they give life to those who believe. In some languages it may be natural to translate life as a verb and say:
cause/enable people to live
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
τὸ Πνεῦμά ἐστιν τὸ ζῳοποιοῦν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τό Πνεῦμα ἐστίν τό ζῳοποιοῦν ἡ σάρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν Τά ῥήματα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστίν καί ζωή ἐστίν)
Here, making alive refers to giving eternal life, not physical life. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [The Spirit is the one giving eternal life]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ἡ σὰρξ
the (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τό Πνεῦμα ἐστίν τό ζῳοποιοῦν ἡ σάρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν Τά ῥήματα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστίν καί ζωή ἐστίν)
Here, the flesh could refer to: (1) human nature, as in the UST. (2) Jesus’ body. Alternate translation: [my flesh] (3) both human nature and Jesus’ body. [your nature and my flesh]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν
not ˓is˒_benefiting nothing
Here, profit means to be beneficial or useful. It does not mean to earn money. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [has no benefit] or [is no help at all]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy
τὰ ῥήματα & ζωή ἐστιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τό Πνεῦμα ἐστίν τό ζῳοποιοῦν ἡ σάρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν Τά ῥήματα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστίν καί ζωή ἐστίν)
Here, words stands for the teachings that Jesus had just spoken to the crowd in verses [26–58](../06/26.md). If this might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning plainly. Alternate translation: [The teachings … these teachings are life]
πνεῦμά ἐστιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τό Πνεῦμα ἐστίν τό ζῳοποιοῦν ἡ σάρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν Τά ῥήματα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστίν καί ζωή ἐστίν)
This could mean: (1) from the Spirit. Alternate translation: [are from the Spirit] (2) about the Spirit. Alternate translation: [are about the Spirit]
καὶ ζωή ἐστιν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Τό Πνεῦμα ἐστίν τό ζῳοποιοῦν ἡ σάρξ οὐκ ὠφελεῖ οὐδέν Τά ῥήματα ἅ ἐγώ λελάληκα ὑμῖν πνεῦμα ἐστίν καί ζωή ἐστίν)
This could mean: (1) give life. Alternate translation: [and they give life] (2) about life. Alternate translation: [and they are about life]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ζωή
life
Here, life refers to eternal life. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers.
6:63 The essence of Jesus’ gift is found in the Holy Spirit alone, not in human effort (literally the flesh). Life and understanding come through the gift of the Spirit (see 14:15-20; 20:21-22). True life can be found only when the Holy Spirit infuses human life.
OET (OET-LV) The spirit is which giving_life, the flesh is_ not _benefiting nothing.
The messages which I have_spoken to_you_all is spirit and is life.
OET (OET-RV) It’s the spirit that is the source of life, not the body. The concepts that I’ve taught you are all spiritual and life-giving.
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.
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