the Jews (the authorities in Jerusalem)

In the English Good News Bible (2nd edition of 1992), this occurrence of the Greek hoi Ioudaioi, traditionally “the Jews” in English, is translated with “the authorities (in Jerusalem)” in contexts that imply that the referred groups are hostile to Jesus For an explanation of the differentiated translation in English as well as translation choices in a number of languages, see the Jews.

complete verse (John 7:11)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 7:11:

  • Uma: “At that feast, the Yahudi rulers continually searched for him, they said: ‘Where is Yesus?'” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “He was searched for by the leaders of the Yahudi there at the festival. They asked where he was.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “And there at the feast the leaders of the Jews looked for him, and they said, ‘Where is he perhaps?'” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “That being so, the leaders of the Jews who attended-the-fiesta, they were-searching-and-searching-for Jesus repeatedly-inquiring as to where he was.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “There at the fiesta-place, he was being looked for by the Judio. ‘Where is that fellow?’ they said.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “The Jews who were leaders hunted for Jesus at the celebration. They said, ‘Where is that man?'” (Source: Tenango Otomi Back Translation)

Translation commentary on John 7:11

The fact that the Jewish authorities (Greek “the Jews”) are contrasted with the crowd of the following verse indicates that, by his use of “the Jews,” John means more than simply the Jewish people in general. This contrast is brought out even more clearly in verse 13.

Were looking for him at the festival can be understood to mean “were expecting him to come to the festival.” However, it is better understood in the sense of “went around looking for him.”

Where is he? is literally “Where is that one?” “That one” is possibly used in a derogatory sense, and so New American Bible translates “Where is that troublemaker?” Phillips has “Where is that man?” But it is not necessary that “that one” be taken in a derogatory sense, and most translations employ an expression similar to that of Good News Translation.

In many languages it is necessary to indicate clearly to whom such a question was asked. One may translate, therefore, “that asked the people there” or “they asked those attending the festival.”

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 .