go vs. return

Kayaw has two main verbs of movement: lè for movement in a direction away from one’s home, and the ge for movement in a direction returning back to one’s home. So in Kayaw, you “go somewhere”, but you never “go home”, you only “return home”. Thus, in John 14:2-5, Jesus speaks of returning to his Father’s house in heaven, rather than going to his Father’s house in heaven. In verse 5 Thomas says that he and the other disciples don’t know where Jesus is returning, or the way that would enable them to go there (for them a new place, not their home). This use of return implies that Thomas is confused about both Jesus’ origin (coming down from his Father) and Jesus’ destination (returning to his Father). This fits well with verses 6-11 where Jesus uses Thomas’ confusion to expound on his relationship to the Father. (Source: Anonymous)

complete verse (John 14:3)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 14:3:

  • Uma: “When I finish preparing your dwelling-places, I will come back to get you, I will carry you going to my dwelling-place, so that where my dwelling-place is, you will be there with me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Then when I have finished preparing your dwellings, I will come again to fetch you and I will bring you to my dwelling so that we (incl.) live together.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And when I go there to prepare a place for you to live in, I will come back for you and I will take you there to where I live, and then where I am there you will be also.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “When your dwelling-places are then prepared, I will then return to go call you so that you will stay-with (me) where I am.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “Well since it is true that I will go there and do what will cause you to be able to live there, it’s also true that I will indeed return here to cause you to go with me. Then we will all live there together.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “When I have gone to prepare a place for you to stay, I am going to come again to get you so that we will be together.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 14:3

And after appears as “and if” in most translations. However, in such a context the Greek particle (ean) translated “if” actually carries the meaning “when,” and Good News Translation expresses this by translating and after. In some languages the idea may be expressed more satisfactorily as cause or reason in some languages, for example, “Since I am going and preparing a place for you, I will come back….”

In Greek the verb will come is a present tense which carries a future force. John has chosen the present (literally “I am coming”) to emphasize the certainty of Jesus’ return for his disciples.

Take you to myself (New English Bible “receive you to myself”; New American Bible “take you with me”; Moffatt “take you to be with me”) is expressed in various ways, but with essentially the same meaning in all translations. Take you to myself may be expressed in some languages by means of a causative, for example, “I will cause you to remain with me.” This rendering fits well with the clause that follows.

In the statement so that you will be where I am, the pronouns you and I are emphatic. In some languages a general term of “being,” cannot be used. One must choose an expression which more specifically indicates existence, for example, “so that you will exist where I exist.” This meaning is often expressed in a more concrete form, for example, “so that you will live where I live” or even “so that you will sit where I sit.” (In some languages the verb “sit” is a general designation for existence in a place.)

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .