Judas (the disciple)

The term that is transliterated as “Judas” in English is translated in American Sign Language with the sign for the letter J and the sign signifying holding a bag of money, referring to John 12:6. (Source: RuthAnna Spooner, Ron Lawer)


“Judas” in American Sign Language, source: Deaf Harbor

In Spanish Sign Language it is translated with with the sign for “kiss,” referring to Matthew 26:49 et al. (Source: Steve Parkhurst)


“Judas” in Spanish Sign Language, source: Sociedad Bíblica de España

John as a first-person evangelist (John 6:71)

In the Yatzachi Zapotec translation of the Gospel of John, any reference to the evangelist and presumed narrator is done in the first person.

The translator Inez Butler explains (in: Notes on Translation, September 1967, pp. 10ff.):

“In revising the Gospel of John in Yatzachi Zapotec we realized from the start that the third person references of Jesus to himself as Son of Man had to be converted into first person references, but only more recently have we decided that similar change is necessary in John’s references to himself as ‘the disciple whom Jesus loved.’ As I worked on those changes and questioned the informant about his understanding of other passages in the Gospel, I discovered that the reader misses the whole focus of the book as an eyewitness account unless every reference to the disciples indicates the writer’s membership in the group. In view of that we went back through the entire book looking for ways to cue in the reader to the fact that John was an eyewitness and a participant in a many of the events, as well as the historian.

“When the disciples were participants in events along with Jesus, it was necessary to make explicit the fact that they accompanied him, although in the source language that is left implicit, since otherwise our rendering would imply that they were not present.”

In this verse, the Yatzachi Zapotec says: “He said that about Judas Iscariot the son of Simon, the person who was to pass him into the hands of those who hated him, and Judas was one of us twelve.”

complete verse (John 6:71)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 6:71:

  • Uma: “The one Yesus was aiming-at, was Yudas the child of Simon Iskariot. For even though Yudas was one of the twelve disciples, he was the one who would sell Yesus to his enemies.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “Isa said this about Judas, the son of Simon Iskariyot. For this Judas was one of Isa’s twelve disciples and he was the one to betray Isa in the future.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “The one he was speaking about was Judas the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas was one of the twelve and it was Judas who would betray him.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “The one he was speaking-of, it was Judas the child of Simon Iscariot, because even though he was one of his twelve disciples, it was he nonetheless who would later betray Jesus.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “As for that which Jesus said, the one he was referring to was Judas who was the Son of Simon Iscariote, because as for that Judas, even though he was included in those twelve chosen by Jesus, even so, well, that was the one who would trade him.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “Jesus was speaking of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Because Judas was to betray Jesus and he was one of the twelve learners.” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 6:71

The manuscript evidence is strongly in support of connecting Iscariot with Simon rather than with Judas, and so most modern translations read Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Judas in the second sentence is actually a pronoun in Greek (literally “this one”), which Good News Translation renders by the noun Judas, in order to avoid suggesting that Simon Iscariot was one of the twelve and one who would betray Jesus.

In Greek was going to betray him comes before even though he was one of the twelve disciples. Jerusalem Bible, Phillips, and Revised Standard Version have essentially the same restructuring as Good News Translation. Here, as in verse 67, the twelve disciples is literally “the twelve.”

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 .