John 9:5 — Greek interlinear

1. Greek word
2. Greek lemma
3. OET-LV words
4. OET-RV words
5. Strong's
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Ὅταν
2. ὅταν
3. Whenever
4. -
5. G3752 ↗
6. C-·······
7. whenever
8. whenever
9. S
10. Y33
11. 70908
1. ὦ
2. εἰμί
3. -
4. -
5. G1510 ↗
6. V-SPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ may_be
8. ˱I˲ may_be
9. -
10. -
11. 70909
1. ἐν
2. ἐν
3. in
4. in
5. G1722 ↗
6. P-·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70910
1. τῷ
2. ὁ
3. the
4. -
5. G3588 ↗
6. E-····DMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70911
1. κόσμῳ
2. κόσμος
3. world
4. world
5. G2889 ↗
6. N-····DMS
7. world
8. world
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70912
1. ὦ
2. εἰμί
3. I may be
4. I'm
5. G1510 ↗
6. V-SPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ may_be
8. ˱I˲ may_be
9. -
10. Y33; R70868; Person=Jesus
11. 70913
1. φῶς
2. φῶς
3. +the light
4. the light
5. G5457 ↗
6. N-····NNS
7. ˓the˒ light
8. ˓the˒ light
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70914
1. εἰμί
2. εἰμί
3. I am
4. I am
5. G1510 ↗
6. V-IPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ am
8. ˱I˲ am
9. -
10. Y33; R70868; Person=Jesus
11. 70915
1. τοῦ
2. ὁ
3. of the
4. of the
5. G3588 ↗
6. E-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70916
1. κόσμου
2. κόσμος
3. world
4. world
5. G2889 ↗
6. N-····GMS
7. world
8. world
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70917

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 9:1–12: Jesus healed a man who was blind since his birth

This section tells how Jesus healed a man who had been blind all his life. His disciples asked Jesus who had sinned to make him blind, but Jesus said that he was blind to reveal God’s works. People disagreed about whether this man who could see was the same one who was blind.

Here are other possible section headings:

Jesus cured a man who had always been blind

Jesus caused a blind man to begin to see

A man who had never seen anything began to see

Paragraph 9:1–5

Jesus and his followers saw a man who had been blind since he was born. Jesus’ followers thought this must have happened because of someone’s sin. So they asked Jesus whose sin had caused this man’s blindness. But Jesus said that no one had sinned to cause his blindness. Rather, he was born blind so that God’s power would be revealed.

9:5a

While I am in the world,

While I am present in the world
As long as I am living here on earth,

While I am in the world: This clause refers to the whole time that Jesus lived on earth. For example:

while I am here in the world (NLT)

9:5b

I am the light of the world.”

I am the world’s light.”
I am the light for all people on earth.”

I am the light of the world: The clause is a metaphor. This metaphor is also found in Isaiah 42:6, where the Messiah is said to be “a light to the nations.” In this metaphor Jesus compares himself to light. Like light, he makes it possible for people to see. He gives spiritual light to the people of the world, showing them who God is.

In some languages a literal translation of this metaphor may be difficult to understand. Here are some other ways to translate this clause:

General Comment on 9:5a–b

Change the metaphor to a simile. For example:
I am like the light of the world.
Change the metaphor to a simile and make explicit the way that they are similar. For example:
I am like the light of the world because I enable people to see.
Indicate or suggest some of the meaning. For example:
I am the one who is the true light of the world.
I bring/give true/spiritual light to the people of the world.

In some languages it may be natural to reverse the order of 9:5a and b. For example:

^5bI am the world’s light ^5aas long as I am in it. (JBP)

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ

in the world

Jesus uses world to refer to the earth on which people live. It does not refer only to the people in the world or to the entire universe. Alternate translation: [on the earth]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

φῶς εἰμι τοῦ κόσμου

˓the˒_light (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὅταν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ ὦ φῶς εἰμί τοῦ κόσμου)

See how you translated this clause in 8:12. Alternate translation: [I am the one who is like a light and who reveals God’s truth and goodness to the world]

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

1. OET-LV words
2. OET-RV words
3. Strong's
4. Greek word
5. Greek lemma
6. Role/Morphology
7. OET Gloss
8. VLT Gloss
9. CAPS codes
10. Confidence
11. OET tags
12. OET word #
1. Whenever
2. -
3. G3752 ↗
4. Ὅταν
5. ὅταν
6. C-·······
7. whenever
8. whenever
9. S
10. Y33
11. 70908
1. I may be
2. I'm
3. G1510 ↗
4. ὦ
5. εἰμί
6. V-SPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ may_be
8. ˱I˲ may_be
9. -
10. Y33; R70868; Person=Jesus
11. 70913
1. in
2. in
3. G1722 ↗
4. ἐν
5. ἐν
6. P-·······
7. in
8. in
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70910
1. the
2. -
3. G3588 ↗
4. τῷ
5. ὁ
6. E-····DMS
7. the
8. the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70911
1. world
2. world
3. G2889 ↗
4. κόσμῳ
5. κόσμος
6. N-····DMS
7. world
8. world
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70912
1. I am
2. I am
3. G1510 ↗
4. εἰμί
5. εἰμί
6. V-IPA1··S
7. ˱I˲ am
8. ˱I˲ am
9. -
10. Y33; R70868; Person=Jesus
11. 70915
1. +the light
2. the light
3. G5457 ↗
4. φῶς
5. φῶς
6. N-····NNS
7. ˓the˒ light
8. ˓the˒ light
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70914
1. of the
2. of the
3. G3588 ↗
4. τοῦ
5. ὁ
6. E-····GMS
7. ˱of˲ the
8. ˱of˲ the
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70916
1. world
2. world
3. G2889 ↗
4. κόσμου
5. κόσμος
6. N-····GMS
7. world
8. world
9. -
10. Y33
11. 70917

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.