complete verse (John 15:15)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 15:15:

  • Uma: “I no longer call you my slaves, because a slave does not know what is in the heart of his master. Now, you are really my companions, because I tell you all that my Father tells me.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Now I am no longer calling you my servants, for to servants it is not explained as to what their master is going to do. But you, I have already explained to you all that my Father has told me. Therefore I call you already my friends.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I will no longer name you my servants, because as for a servant, the master does not tell him what the master is going to do. I name you my friends because all that my Father God caused me to understand, I caused you also to understand.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “Servants is not my spoken-opinion of you now but rather friends. Because the servant, he doesn’t know the plans of his master, but as for you, I have already made-known to you all that I heard from my Father.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I will not/no-longer call you servants, because a servant doesn’t know what his master is thinking. Friends is what I will call you now, because all those things which I heard from my Father, I have now said to you.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Now I do not call you just workers. Because the one who is just a worker does not know what his boss does. Now I say that you are my friends because I have explained all that my Father has told me.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

formal pronoun: Jesus addressing his disciples and common people

Like many languages (but unlike Greek or Hebrew or English), Tuvan uses a formal vs. informal 2nd person pronoun (a familiar vs. a respectful “you”). Unlike other languages that have this feature, however, the translators of the Tuvan Bible have attempted to be very consistent in using the different forms of address in every case a 2nd person pronoun has to be used in the translation of the biblical text.

As Voinov shows in Pronominal Theology in Translating the Gospels (in: The Bible Translator 2002, p. 210ff.), the choice to use either of the pronouns many times involved theological judgment. While the formal pronoun can signal personal distance or a social/power distance between the speaker and addressee, the informal pronoun can indicate familiarity or social/power equality between speaker and addressee.

Here, Jesus is addressing his disciples, individuals and/or crowds with the formal pronoun, showing respect.

In most Dutch translations, Jesus addresses his disciples and common people with the informal pronoun, whereas they address him with the formal form.

Translation commentary on John 15:15

Servants (so most translations) may also be rendered “slaves” (New American Bible, Goodspeed, Revised Standard Version footnote). In the present context the meaning of “servant” is better than “slave,” since the connotations of “slave” are derogatory. Furthermore, the relationship of the disciples to Jesus was never that of slave to an owner.

Does not know what his master is doing is difficult, for it is almost impossible to imagine a household where the servants would not know what their masters were doing. New English Bible and New American Bible try to overcome this difficulty by rendering “does not know what his master is about,” while Phillips renders “does not share his master’s confidence” (Jerusalem Bible “does not know his master’s business”). One may also render “does not know what his master’s intentions are” or “does not know the implications of what his master is doing.”

In the last sentence of this verse you and everything are emphatic.

Have told you is literally “made known to you” (New American Bible). However, since Jesus is speaking of making known everything he has “heard,” it is legitimate in the present context to render the Greek verb by the more specific term “to tell.” Everything I heard from my Father may be rendered “everything which my Father told me.” Accordingly, the final part of verse 15 may be translated “because I have told you everything my Father told me.”

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 .