YHN 16:8 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT And having come, that one will reprove the world about sin and about righteousness and about judgment—

UST When that one who will help comes, he will convict people in the world of the sins they have committed. He will convict them of not being righteous, and he will convict them that God will judge them.

BLB And having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment:

AICNT “And when that one comes, it will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment;

OEB And he, when he comes, will bring conviction to the world as to sin, and as to righteousness, and as to judgment;

WEBBE When he has come, he will convict the world about sin, about righteousness, and about judgement;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong concerning sin and righteousness and judgment –

LSV and having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment;

FBV When he comes, he will convince those in the world that they have wrong ideas regarding sin, about what is right, and about judgment:

TCNT And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin, righteousness, and judgment:

T4T When he comes, he will prove that those who do not belong to God [MTY] are wrong about what is sinful and about who is really righteous and about whom God will judge and condemn for their sin.

LEB And when he[fn] comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and concerning righteousness and concerning judgment:

16:8 *Here “when” is supplied as a component of the participle (“comes”) which is understood as temporal

BBE And he, when he comes, will make the world conscious of sin, and of righteousness, and of being judged:

Moff And when he comes, he will convict the world, convincing men of sin, of righteousness, and of judgment:

Wymth And He, when He comes, will convict the world in respect of sin, of righteousness, and of judgement; —

ASV And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

DRA And when he is come, he will convince the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment.

YLT and having come, He will convict the world concerning sin, and concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment;

Drby And having come, he will bring demonstration to the world, of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

RV And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
(And he, when he is come, will convict the world in respect of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: )

SLT And having come, he will convict the world of sin, and of justice, and of judgment:

Wbstr And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:

KJB-1769 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
( And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement: )

KJB-1611 And when he is come, he will [fn]reproue the world of sinne, and of righteousnesse, and of iudgement.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation and footnotes)

16:8 Or, conuince

Bshps And whe he is come, he wyll rebuke the world of sinne, and of righteousnes, and of iudgement.
(And when he is come, he will rebuke the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.)

Gnva And when he is come, he will reproue the worlde of sinne, and of righteousnesse, and of iudgement.
(And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement. )

Cvdl And whan he commeth, he shal rebuke the worlde of synne, and of righteousnes, & of iudgment.
(And when he cometh/comes, he shall rebuke the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.)

TNT And when he is come he will rebuke the worlde of synne and of rightwesnes and of iudgement.
(And when he is come he will rebuke the world of sin and of rightwesnes and of judgement. )

Wycl And whanne he cometh, he schal repreue the world of synne, and of riytwisnesse, and of doom.
(And when he cometh/comes, he shall reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgement.)

Luth Und wenn derselbige kommt, der wird die Welt strafen um die Sünde und um die Gerechtigkeit und um das Gericht:
(And when the_same comes, the/of_the becomes the world punish around/by/for the sin(n) and around/by/for the justice and around/by/for the court(n)/justice:)

ClVg Et cum venerit ille, arguet mundum de peccato, et de justitia, et de judicio.[fn]
(And when/with will_have_placed he/that_one, arguet the_world from/about sin, and from/about justice, and from/about judgement. )

16.8 Ille arguet. Non quod Filius non arguat, sed quia Spiritus dabit eis charitatem et pellet timorem, ut sit eis libertas arguendi. AUG. Arguitur de peccato qui in Christum non credit. Arguitur, etc., usque ad ne cum mundi principe judicentur quem judicatum imitantur. Et de justitia. Non de sua, sed de credentium justitia mundus arguitur, quorum comparatione damnatur. Unde non ait: Non videbit me mundus, sed Non videbitis me, vos apostoli. Contra infideles qui dicunt, Quomodo credemus quod non videmus? Est vera justitia credere quod non videtur, ut qui viderunt hominem crediderunt Deum. Et cum per ascensionem forma hominis subtracta est visibus, tunc ex omni parte impletum est: Justus ex fide vivit.

16.8 He/That_one arguet. Not/No that Son not/no arguat, but because Spirit will_give to_them charity and hide/skin(n)t fear, as be to_them freedom arguendi. AUG. Arguitur from/about sin who/which in/into/on Christ/Messiah not/no he_believes. Arguitur, etc., until to not when/with world prince judgeur which judgesum they_imitate. And from/about justice. Not/No from/about his_own, but from/about believers justice world arguesur, whose comparison damnatur. From_where/who not/no he_said: Not/No will_see me world, but Not/No you(pl)_will_see me, you(pl) apostles. Contra infidels who/which they_say, How/In_what_manner believemus that not/no we_see? It_is true justice to_believe that not/no it_seems, as who/which they_saw man they_believed God. And when/with through ascension form of_man subtracta it_is visibus, then from all in_part/partly filled it_is: Just from with_faith lives.

UGNT καὶ ἐλθὼν, ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ περὶ κρίσεως;
(kai elthōn, ekeinos elegxei ton kosmon peri hamartias, kai peri dikaiosunaʸs, kai peri kriseōs;)

SBL-GNT καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως·
(kai elthōn ekeinos elegxei ton kosmon peri hamartias kai peri dikaiosunaʸs kai peri kriseōs;)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως·
(Kai elthōn ekeinos elegxei ton kosmon peri hamartias kai peri dikaiosunaʸs kai peri kriseōs;)

TC-GNT Καὶ ἐλθὼν ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τὸν κόσμον περὶ ἁμαρτίας καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης καὶ περὶ κρίσεως·
(Kai elthōn ekeinos elegxei ton kosmon peri hamartias kai peri dikaiosunaʸs kai peri kriseōs; )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 16:4c–15 Jesus would send the Holy Spirit

Jesus told his disciples that it was for their benefit that he would leave. That is because he would send the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit would prove that the world was wrong in their sin and righteousness and judgment. He would also lead the disciples into all truth, which comes from Jesus and his Father.

Here are some other possible section headings:

What the Holy Spirit would do when he came

The Holy Spirit will teach the world and Jesus’ disciples

Paragraph 16:4c–11

Jesus told his disciples that he would go back to God and send the Holy Spirit to them. The Holy Spirit would work in the world convicting the people there.

16:8–11

The Holy Spirit would come to Jesus’ disciples after Jesus leaves them. He would help them, and he would work in the world too. He would show the people in the world that their sin and even their righteousness and judgment were all wrong.

16:8a

And when He comes,

When he comes to earth
After the Counselor arrives,

And when He comes: This clause is short for “When the Holy Spirit comes to earth.” If you do not use a pronoun here, refer to the Spirit as you did in 16:7c. For example:

When the Helper comes (NCV)

When the Comforter/Encourager arrives on earth

16:8b–d

He will convict the world in regard to sin and righteousness and judgment: This clause is very difficult to understand.D.A. Carson and John Aloisi have written very good articles about this passage. Carson summarizes his article in his commentary. Both come to similar conclusions and form the basis for the interpretations recommended in these Notes. Klink agrees with them. First, there is more than one way to understand the word that some English versions translate as “prove…wrong.”

It means “convict” or “prove that someone did something wrong” as in a court of law. That is what the word means in 8:46. For example:
he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment (KJV) (BSB, KJV, GW in part, NLT)
It means “prove that someone’s thoughts are wrong.” For example:
he will prove to the people of the world that they are wrong about sin and about what is right and about God’s judgment (GNT) (GNT, NET, ESV, NASB, NIV, NCV, REB, RSV, NRSV, GW in part)
It means “show that someone is wrong” or “show what is right.” In 3:20, the BSB translates this word as “exposed” (revealed something that was hidden) and this meaning is similar. For example:
he will show the world how wrong it was, about sin, and about who was in the right, and about judgement (NJB) (NJB, GW in part, CEV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). That follows the way the Greek text uses the word in 8:46, which has a similar context. There the BSB says “Which of you convicts me of sin?” Interpretation (2) is not wrong teaching and most English translations follow it. However, 8:46 cannot be understood in that way, so it is better to follow interpretation (1). However, if a major language translation in your area follows interpretation (2), you may want to follow it.

It may seem difficult to understand why the Holy Spirit would convict the world of righteousness and judgment. But as the notes below explain, the righteousness and judgment of the world is not good. That is what the Holy Spirit will seek to correct.

Another issue with this Greek word is whether the Holy Spirit convinces the world that they are wrong. A few English translations say or imply that the world will be convinced (GNT, NCV, RSV, GW in part). The other translations can be understood either way (that they are convinced or not convinced). It is recommended that you follow those translations that can be understood either way. However, the meaning that someone is convinced is often included in the Greek word. So if a major language translation in your area says that the world is convinced, you may want to follow that translation.

The word that you use to translate convict must be suitable for the three words that follow (sin, righteousness, and judgment). Here is another way to translate this word:

rebuke

16:8b

He will convict the world in regard to sin

he will convict the world about their sin,
he will show that the people of the world are wrong because they have sinned,

He will convict the world in regard to sin: This clause probably means “the Holy Spirit will convict unbelievers of the sin in their lives.” The Spirit will show that the people of the world have sinned and are guilty. Here is another way to translate this clause:

he will convict the world of its sin (NLT)

the world: The word world refers to the people in the world, specifically unbelievers (see 16:9). This phrase refers to unbelievers as a group. It does not imply that all unbelievers will be convinced of their sin and turn to God. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

the people of the world (GNT)

many unbelievers in the world

in regard to sin: The Greek phrase that the BS translates as in regard to sin here probably means “of sin” as in 8:46. The world was guilty of sin and so the Holy Spirit would cause them to know that. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

of its sin (NLT)

that it has sin

that it is sinful

sin: The Greek word that the BSB translates as sin here refers to a sinful condition rather than individual sins. (Note that the word here is sin and not “sins.”) This sinful condition leads to acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. See how you translated this word in 1:29. See also KBT Sin, Sinner A.2. The singular noun sin here refers to the idea of sin, not to one particular individual sin.

Try to translate sin with a general term that can include any wrongdoing against God. Here are problems to avoid:

The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.
The term should not include accidents or mistakes.

Here are some other ways to translate sin:

being sinful

offending God

wrongdoing

16:8c

and righteousness

about their supposed righteousness/goodness,
and they are wrong when they think that they are righteous/good,

and righteousness: The Holy Spirit will also convict people about their righteousness. It may seem strange that he would convict them of righteousness as he would convict them of sin. However, here it probably means that their own righteousness is not enough. They need God’s righteousness. (See this use of the word “righteousness” in Isaiah 64:6, Romans 10:3, and Philippians 3:9.) This probably means that the Holy Spirit will show them what is wrong with their righteousness.

In some languages it may be necessary to repeat the verb (“convict”) here. For example:

He will prove that their righteousness is wrong

and he will convict the world for their righteousness

righteousness: The Greek word that the BSB translates as righteousness refers to moral goodness. It refers to that character and action that God approves. The Spirit would show people that the righteousness that they think that they have is not true righteousness. Here are other ways to translate this word:

their righteousness

their supposed goodness

their failures to be truly righteous

16:8d

and judgment:

and about their judging.
and they are wrong about how they judge.

and judgment: The Holy Spirit would also convict the people of the world of their judgment (deciding if someone is right or wrong). This could refer to two things. First, they thought that they were right to judge Jesus wrong for calling himself the Son of God. But actually on the cross God would judge and condemn Satan (6:11), not Jesus. Second, Jesus earlier challenged people for judging wrongly by outer appearance (7:24).

judgment: This word here refers to deciding if someone is guilty or innocent of wrong. In some languages it may be natural to translate it using a verb. For example:

how it judges good and evil

how it decides who is wrong/guilty and right/innocent

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-pronouns

ἐκεῖνος

that_‹one›

Here, that one refers to the Holy Spirit, who is called “the Helper” in the previous verse. If this use of that one might confuse your readers, you could express the meaning explicitly. Alternate translation: [the Holy Spirit]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

κόσμον

world

See how you translated world in [1:29](../01/29.md).

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

περὶ ἁμαρτίας, καὶ περὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ περὶ κρίσεως

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἐλθών ἐκεῖνος ἐλέγξει τόν κόσμον περί ἁμαρτίας καί περί δικαιοσύνης καί περί κρίσεως)

If your language does not use abstract nouns for the ideas of sin, righteousness, and judgment, you could express the same ideas in other ways. Alternate translation: [about what is sinful and about what is righteous and about the fact that God will judge them]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

περὶ δικαιοσύνης

Here, righteousness could refer to: (1) God’s righteousness, which the world does not have. Alternate translation: [about the righteousness that the world lacks] (2) the false righteousness in the world, such as the actions of the Pharisees, which people thought were righteous. Alternate translation: [about the world’s false righteousness]

Parallel YHN 16:8