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John Chapter 19

John Chapter 19

(Underlining marks a quotation/allusion. [Brackets] mark a textual variant.fnWhen two (or more) different copies of an original manuscript disagree on any given word or phrase — addition, omission, word order, etc. — the disagreement is called a "textual variant". ~99% of existing textual variants are either minor (like spelling), obviously not original (often appearing only in a few late manuscripts), or don't affect meaning (like "Jesus Christ" vs. "Christ Jesus"). The ~1% that remain do not affect any central doctrine of Christianity. The BOS Bible only marks significant textual variants that affect the meaning; smaller variants that do not affect meaning won't be marked for readability.  "Love" with a caret ("^love") is agapé.fn"agapé" The Greek words ἀγάπη (agapé, noun), and ἀγαπάω (agapaó; verb) are typically translated "love".  However, unlike our English word "love" – which primarily speaks of affection and feelings — agapé centers on choice and behavior.  It’s the "love" based on will, choice, behavior, and action; not feelings.  (Feelings-based love is the Greek word φιλέω (phileó), which properly means "brotherly love/affection".)  Thus, you could hate someone passionately and still treat him with "agapé".  Agapé "love" is best understood as the pursuit of what is most beneficial to someone or something, regardless of the cost to yourself or the type of response received from the person or thing.  It can also indicate a preference for someone or something over other things. An asterisk (*) indicates a verb in the Greek perfect tense.fnThe Greek perfect tense signifies a completed action in the past with a result and/or an ongoing state that extends into the present. For example, Hebrews 12:2 says in part: "He *sat down at the right hand of the throne of God"; the verb for "sat" is in the perfect tense, indicating that He sat down once (completed action in the past), and also that He remains seated until the present moment (ongoing state).)

Glossary

Note: this glossary is currently a work in progress; entries that do not expand will be added as time permits

Ages/of ages
“ages” and “of ages” are the Greek words “αἰών” (aión, noun form) and “αἰώνιος” (aiónios, adjective form) respectively.  The adjective form is typically translated “eternal”, as in “eternal life”. The noun form refers to a whole time period, (Keizer, “Life Time Entirety”) such as a person’s lifetime (an older Greek sense), an age/epoch (e.g., 2 Cor 4:4), or even time in its entirety, making its meaning similar to “forever” (e.g., John 14:16). The adjective form is similarly context-dependent, and the New Testament context often dictates a meaning similar to “forever” (but not always: e.g. 2 Tim 1:9).  Alternately or additionally, it can indicate the quality of a time period — indicating greatness/severity — like the English idiom “of ages” (e.g. “battle of the ages”). Thus, “of ages” was chosen for the adjective form so that both the time and quality senses remain visible.

Clean/unclean

Covenant

Faith

Flesh

Forgive/forgiveness

Grace
The Greek word is “χάρις” (charis), most often translated “grace”, “gift”, or “thanks”. It was a technical term in the 1st century, referring to the Patronage system in place. The Patron (from “pater” = “father”) would give gifts or do favors (both called a charis). A charis was always given/done freely to anyone who would be grateful for it, and this person then became a “client” of the patron. The clients were expected to reciprocate by telling everyone what the patron had done, and offering their services to the patron whenever the patron needed them. This reciprocal act was also called “charis”, and the ones who reciprocated were “being faithful” by giving thanks in this way. Both were done out of gratitude, not legal obligation. A client who wasn’t faithful and grateful probably wouldn’t receive any more charis from his patron, or any other patrons. The patron was responsible for taking care of all his clients, and making sure their needs were met. New Testament usage typically casts God the Father as a Heavenly Patron, to whom Christians should be grateful and faithful because of the gifts He has given us. (e.g. salvation, provision, protection, etc.)

Holy

Justification

Law (Torah)

Make purification

Pure/Impure

Purification offering
In the Old Testament, this is typically the Hebrew “חַטָּ֖את” (khat-tat); in the New Testament, it’s typically “περὶ ἁμαρτίας” (peri hamartias), which is what the Septuagint (an ancient translation of the Old Testament into Greek) used to translate the Hebrew. It’s traditionally translated “sin offering”, but that translation has less support in high-level scholarship. The Hebrew word can mean “sin”, but it can also mean “purification” (e.g. Numbers 8:7). This offering was used to purify uncleanness, whether or not a sin was committed. Thus, it was required even when no sin was committed, such as after childbirth (Leviticus 12:1-8), for certain diseases (Leviticus 14), etc. High-level, peer-reviewed scholarship dedicated to the field (e.g. Milgrom, Levine, Gane, Sklar, Wright, Gorman, etc.) is largely united on the “purification offering” understanding. The BOS Bible has aligned itself with that high-level, peer-reviewed scholarship in its translation.

Ransom

Redemption

Repent/repentance

Righteous/righteousness

Salvation/save

Soul
“soul” is the Greek word “ψυχή/psuché” and Hebrew word “נֶפֶשׁ/nephesh”. The BOS Bible translates these words as “soul” for consistency, and so the full meaning of “soul” isn’t obscured by different translations in different places. They closely overlap in meaning and are typically translated “soul” or “life”. They refer to the animating force of a living thing, and thus can also refer to its life, or to the whole of any person or creature, including animals (e.g. fish in Revelation 8:9 and Genesis 1). They are frequently used as an emphatic reference to a person’s whole self, including longings, deep emotions, and inner life. (e.g. Ps 42:11) Note: while “soul” has significant overlap in meaning with “spirit”, the words have distinct meanings and usages throughout scripture. For example, lions tear apart a soul in Psalm 7:2, and a “dead soul” is mentioned in Leviticus 21:11; “spirit” has no analogous usages, and it returns to God at death (Ecc 12:7; Acts 7:59). The adjective forms of soul and spirit are contrasted in 1 Corinthians 2:14-15; see also: Hebrews 4:12; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

Sin

Click to Collapse the Glossary
Jesus before Pilate (continued)

(Parallel accounts: Matthew 27:1–2,11–23;  Mark 15:1–14;  and Luke 23:1–5,13–25)

  1. So then Pilate took Jesus and flogged Him.
  2. And having woven a crown of thorns, the soldiers put it on His head and clothed Him in a purple robe.
  3. And they were going to Him and were saying: “Hail, the King of the Jews!” and were giving Him slaps.
  4. And Pilate went out to the Jews again and tells them: “Behold, I bring Him out to you so you might know that I find not even one cause for charges against Him.”
  5. So Jesus went out wearing the thorny crown and the purple robe, and he tells them: “Behold the man.”fnpossible quotation/allusion to Zechariah 6:12
  6. So when they saw Him, the chief priests and the officers cried out saying: “Crucify! Crucify!”  Pilate tells them: “Take Him and crucify Him yourselves, for I find no cause for charges against Him.”
  7. The Jews answered him: “We have a law, and according to the law He ought to die because He made Himself out to be God’s Son.”
  8. So when Pilate heard this statement, he feared even more.
  9. And he went into the Praetorium again and says to Jesus: “Where are you from?”  But Jesus didn’t give him an answer.
  10. So Pilate says to Him: “You aren’t speaking to me?  Don’t you *know that I have authority to release you and I have authority to crucify you?”
  11. Jesus answered him: “You wouldn’t have any authority over Me unless it was *given to you from above.  Because of this, the man who delivered Me to you has a greater sin.”
  12. From this, Pilate was seeking to release Him, but the Jews cried out saying: “If you release this man, you aren’t a friend of Caesar.  Every man making himself out to be a king contradicts Caesar.”
  13. So having heard these words, Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgement seat at a place called The Stone Pavement, and in Hebrew: Gabbatha.
  14. Now, it was the Day of Preparation for the Passover,fn “the Day of Preparation for the Passover”. The Last Supper was, of course, the Passover according to Luke 22:15. In the first century, the Passover had become synonymous with the Feast of Unleavened Bread according to Luke 22:1. Thus, they likely meant the Feast of Unleavened Bread, since it was also called “Passover” at that time. and it was about the sixth hour.  And he tells the Jews: “Behold your king!”
  15. So they cried out: “Away!  Away with Him!  Crucify Him!”  Pilate says to them: “Should I crucify your king?”  The chief priests answered: “We have no king except Caesar.”
Jesus is crucified

(Parallel accounts: Matthew 27:33–38, 55–56;  Mark 15:22–27,40–41;  and Luke 23:33–34,38,49)

  1. So then he handed Him over to them so He might be crucified.  So they took Jesus,
  2. and carrying His own cross, He went out to the area called “Place of a Skull”, which in Hebrew is called ‘Golgotha’,
  3. where they crucified Him and two others with Him, one on one side and one on the other side, and Jesus in between.
  4. And Pilate also wrote a placard and put it on the cross, and it was *written: “Jesus the Nazarene, the King of the Jews.”
  5. So many of the Jews read this placard because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and it was *written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
  6. So the chief priests of the Jews were saying to Pilate: “Don’t write ‘the King of the Jews’, but instead write that: ‘this man said: I’m King of the Jews’.”
  7. Pilate answered: “I have written what I have written.”
  8. So when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took His garments and His tunic and made four portions, one portion for each soldier.  But the tunic was seamless from the top down, woven entirely throughout.
  9. So they said to one another: “We shouldn’t tear it, but we should cast lots for it to decide whose it will be.”  This happened so the scripture might be fulfilled, the one saying: “They divided My garments among themselves, and they cast a lot for My clothing.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 22:18  So the soldiers indeed did these things.
  10. Now, His mother had been standing by Jesus’ cross, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.
  11. So having seen His mother and the disciple whom He ^loved *standing there, Jesus says to His mother: “Woman, behold your son.”
  12. Next He says to the disciple: “Behold your mother.”  And from that hour on, the disciple took her into his own household.
Jesus’ death and burial

(Parallel accounts: Matthew 27:48–60;  Mark 15:36–46;  and Luke 23:36, 46–53 )

  1. After this, *knowing that all things were already *accomplished so the scripture might be fulfilled, Jesus says: “I thirst.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 69:21, and possibly Psalm 22:15
  2. A vessel full of sour wine was lying nearby, so having put a sponge filled with sour wine on a hyssop stalk, they brought it to His mouth.
  3. So when Jesus took the sour wine, He said: “It’s *finished!”  And having bowed His head, He handed over His spirit.
  4. So since it was a Sabbath Preparation Day, and so that the bodies might not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a great holy day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and they might be taken away.
  5. So the soldiers came and indeed broke the legs of the first man, and the other man who was crucified with Him.
  6. But having come to Jesus, they didn’t break His legs when they saw that He already *died.
  7. But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water came out.
  8. And the man who has seen this has testified, and his testimony is true.  And that man *knows that he is speaking the truth, so that you also might believe,
  9. for these things took place so the scripture might be fulfilled: “Not a bone of His will be broken.”fnquotation/allusion to Psalm 34:20, and also tangentially to Exodus 12:46 and Numbers 9:12
  10. And again another scripture says: “They will see Him whom they pierced.”fnquotation/allusion to Zechariah 12:10
  11. And after these things, Joseph from Arimathea – being a disciple of Jesus, but *concealing this because of the fear of the Jews – asked Pilate so he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate allowed it.  So he came and took away His body.
  12. And Nicodemus – the man who first came to Him at night – also came bearing a mixture of myrrh and aloe, about 100 litras.fn“litras” is the plural of litra, which was a Roman pound.  It’s approximately equivalent to twelve ounces, or 327.5 grams.
  13. So they took the body of Jesus and bound it in linen wrappings with the spices, as is the custom for the Jews to prepare a body for burial.
  14. Now, at the place where He was crucified was a garden, and in the garden was a new tomb in which no one has ever been laid.
  15. So they laid Jesus there because of the Preparation Day of the Jews, because the tomb was near.

 

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