complete verse (John 8:37)

Following are a number of back-translations of John 8:37:

  • Uma: “I know that you are the descendants of Abraham. But there are some of you who want to kill me, because you do not take-in-heart my words.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
  • Yakan: “I know that you are the descendants of Ibrahim. But you want to kill me because you are not accepting my teaching.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
  • Western Bukidnon Manobo: “I know that you are the descendants of Abraham, but in spite of that, you want to kill me because my teaching to you does not fit into your breath.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
  • Kankanaey: “‘Now I know granted that you are Abraham’s descendants, but here you are wanting to kill-me, because you reject/dislike what I am telling you.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
  • Tagbanwa: “I am well aware that you are indeed descendants of Abraham. But even though it’s like that, because you refuse-to-listen and don’t take seriously this teaching of mine, you are persevering to get me killed.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
  • Tenango Otomi: “I know that you are descendants of Abraham. But you want to kill me because you do not look favorably on what I say.” (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 8:37

I know you are Abraham’s descendants may be equivalent to “I recognize that you are Abraham’s descendants” or “… that you have descended from Abraham” or “… that Abraham was your ancestor.”

In the expression you are trying to kill me, the pronoun you includes all the persons Jesus is addressing; Phillips tries either to soften the words of Jesus or to make this verse fit with verse 31 by rendering “some of you,” but this distinction has no basis in the Greek text.

Because you will not accept my teaching is more literally “because my word finds no place in you” (Revised Standard Version). New English Bible translates “because my teaching makes no headway with you” (see Moffatt); Jerusalem Bible “because nothing I say has penetrated into you”; and New American Bible “because my word finds no hearing among you.” To speak of a word or a teaching as not “having room” in someone is simply another way of saying that that person will not accept the word or the teaching. The restructuring of Good News Translation is an attempt to simplify this rather difficult Greek construction.

Because you will not accept my teaching may be rendered “because you will not believe what I have taught you” or “because you will not follow what I have taught.” One may in some languages translate “… obey what I have taught.”

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 .