translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: JHN

label: NET translator note

text: For location see Map1-C3 ; Map2-D2 ; Map3-C5 .


text: Grk “in Galilee, and Jesus’ mother.”


text: The word “left” is not in the Greek text but is implied. sn They have no wine left. On the backgrounds of this miracle J. D. M. Derrett pointed out among other things the strong element of reciprocity about weddings in the Ancient Near East. It was possible in certain circumstances to take legal action against the man who failed to provide an appropriate wedding gift. The bridegroom and family here might have been involved in a financial liability for failing to provide adequately for their guests (“Water into Wine,” BZ 7 [1963]: 80-97). Was Mary asking for a miracle? There is no evidence that Jesus had worked any miracles prior to this (although this is an argument from silence). Some think Mary was only reporting the situation, or (as Calvin thought) asking Jesus to give some godly exhortations to the guests and thus relieve the bridegroom’s embarrassment. But the words, and the reply of Jesus in v. 4 , seem to imply more. It is not inconceivable that Mary, who had probably been witness to the events of the preceding days, or at least was aware of them, knew that her son’s public career was beginning. She also knew the supernatural events surrounding his birth, and the prophetic words of the angel, and of Simeon and Anna in the temple at Jesus’ dedication. In short, she had good reason to believe Jesus to be the Messiah, and now his public ministry had begun. In this kind of context, her request does seem more significant.


text: Grk “and Jesus said to her.”


text: Grk “Woman, what to me and to you?” (an idiom). The phrase τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί , γύναι ( ti emoi kai soi, gunai ) is Semitic in origin. The equivalent Hebrew expression in the Old Testament had two basic meanings: (1) When one person was unjustly bothering another, the injured party could say “What to me and to you?” meaning, “What have I done to you that you should do this to me?” ( Judg 11:12 , 2 Chr 35:21 , 1 Kgs 17:18 ). (2) When someone was asked to get involved in a matter he felt was no business of his, he could say to the one asking him, “What to me and to you?” meaning, “That is your business, how am I involved?” ( 2 Kgs 3:13 , Hos 14:8 ). Option (1) implies hostility, while option (2) implies merely disengagement. Mere disengagement is almost certainly to be understood here as better fitting the context (although some of the Greek Fathers took the remark as a rebuke to Mary, such a rebuke is unlikely).


text: Grk “my hour” (referring to the time of Jesus’ crucifixion and return to the Father). sn The Greek word translated time ( ὥρα , Jwra ) occurs in John 2:4; 4:21, 23; 5:25, 28, 29; 7:30; 8:20; 12:23, 27; 13:1; 16:25; and 17:1 . It is a reference to the special period in Jesus’ life when he was to leave this world and return to the Father ( 13:1 ); the hour when the Son of man is glorified ( 17:1 ). This is accomplished through his suffering, death, resurrection (and ascension – though this last is not emphasized by John). John 7:30 and 8:20 imply that Jesus’ arrest and death are included. John 12:23 and 17:1 , referring to the glorification of the Son, imply that the resurrection and ascension are included as part of the “hour.” In John 2:4 Jesus’ remark to his mother indicates that the time for this self-manifestation has not yet arrived; his identity as Messiah is not yet to be publicly revealed.


text: The pronoun “it” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied. Direct objects in Greek were often omitted when clear from the context.


text: Grk “for the purification of the Jews.”


text: Grk “holding two or three metretes” (about 75 to 115 liters). Each of the pots held 2 or 3 μετρηταί ( metrhtai ). A μετρητῆς ( metrhths ) was about 9 gallons (40 liters); thus each jar held 18-27 gallons (80-120 liters) and the total volume of liquid involved was 108-162 gallons (480-720 liters). sn Significantly, these jars held water for Jewish ceremonial washing (purification rituals). The water of Jewish ritual purification has become the wine of the new messianic age. The wine may also be, after the fashion of Johannine double meanings, a reference to the wine of the Lord’s Supper. A number have suggested this, but there does not seem to be anything in the immediate context which compels this; it seems more related to how frequently a given interpreter sees references to the sacraments in John’s Gospel as a whole.


text: Grk “them” (it is clear from the context that the servants are addressed).


text: Or “the master of ceremonies.”


text: Grk “And when.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ ( de ) has not been translated here.


text: Grk “and he did not know where it came from.”


text: Grk “the head steward”; here the repetition of the phrase is somewhat redundant in English and the pronoun (“he”) is substituted in the translation.


text: Grk “every man” (in a generic sense).


text: Or “poorer.”


text: Grk “when they”; the referent (the guests) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. also 4:54 where the same construction occurs.


text: Grk “in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed.”


text: Or “his disciples trusted in him,” or “his disciples put their faith in him.”


text: Grk “the Passover of the Jews.” This is first of at least three (and possibly four) Passovers mentioned in John’s Gospel. If it is assumed that the Passovers appear in the Gospel in their chronological order (and following a date of a.d. 33 for the crucifixion), this would be the Passover of the spring of a.d. 30, the first of Jesus’ public ministry. There is a clear reference to another Passover in 6:4 , and another still in 11:55, 12:1, 13:1, 18:28, 39, and 19:14 . The latter would be the Passover of a.d. 33. There is a possibility that 5:1 also refers to a Passover, in which case it would be the second of Jesus’ public ministry ( a.d. 31), while 6:4 would refer to the third ( a.d. 32) and the remaining references would refer to the final Passover at the time of the crucifixion. It is entirely possible, however, that the Passovers occurring in the Fourth Gospel are not intended to be understood as listed in chronological sequence. If the material of the Fourth Gospel originally existed in the form of homilies or sermons by the Apostle John on the life and ministry of Jesus, the present arrangement would not have to be in strict chronological order (it does not explicitly claim to be). In this case the Passover mentioned in 2:13 , for example, might actually be later in Jesus’ public ministry than it might at first glance appear. This leads, however, to a discussion of an even greater problem in the passage, the relationship of the temple cleansing in John’s Gospel to the similar account in the synoptic gospels.


text: For location see Map5-B1 ; Map6-F3 ; Map7-E2 ; Map8-F2 ; Map10-B3 ; JP1-F4 ; JP2-F4 ; JP3-F4 ; JP4-F4 .


text: Grk “in the temple.” sn The merchants ( those who were selling ) would have been located in the Court of the Gentiles.


text: Grk “the money changers sitting”; the words “at tables” are not in the Greek text, but are implied.


text: Ï co). Internal evidence, though, leans toward the shorter reading. Scribes tended to add to the text, and the addition of ὡς here clearly softens the assertion of the evangelist: Instead of making a whip of cords, Jesus made “[something] like a whip of cords.”


text: Grk “the temple.”


text: Or (perhaps) “Stop making.”


text: Or “a house of merchants” (an allusion to Zech 14:21 ). sn A marketplace. Zech 14:20-21 , in context, is clearly a picture of the messianic kingdom. The Hebrew word translated “Canaanite” may also be translated “merchant” or “trader.” Read in this light, Zech 14:21 states that there will be no merchant in the house of the Lord in that day (the day of the Lord, at the establishment of the messianic kingdom). And what would Jesus’ words (and actions) in cleansing the temple have suggested to the observers? That Jesus was fulfilling messianic expectations would have been obvious – especially to the disciples, who had just seen the miracle at Cana with all its messianic implications.


text: Or “Fervent devotion to your house.”


text: Or “the Jewish authorities”; Grk “the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι ( Ioudaioi ) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory, the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. Here the author refers to the authorities or leaders in Jerusalem. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9.)


text: Grk “answered and said to him.”


text: Grk “answered and said to them.”


text: The imperative here is really more than a simple conditional imperative (= “if you destroy”); its semantic force here is more like the ironical imperative found in the prophets ( Amos 4:4 , Isa 8:9 ) = “Go ahead and do this and see what happens.”


text: See the note on this phrase in v. 18 .


text: A close parallel to the aorist οἰκοδομήθη ( oikodomhqh ) can be found in Ezra 5:16 (LXX), where it is clear from the following verb that the construction had not yet been completed. Thus the phrase has been translated “This temple has been under construction for forty-six years.” Some, however, see the term ναός ( naos ) here as referring only to the sanctuary and the aorist verb as consummative, so that the meaning would be “this temple was built forty-six years ago” (so ExSyn 560-61). Ultimately in context the logic of the authorities’ reply appears to fit more naturally if it compares length of time for original construction with length of time to reconstruct it.


text: Grk “that one”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity. This Greek term is frequently used as a way of referring to Jesus in the Johannine letters (cf. 1 John 2:6; 3:3, 5, 7, 16; 4:17 ).


text: The genitive “of his body” ( τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ , tou swmato" autou ) is a genitive of apposition, clarifying which temple Jesus was referring to. Thus, Jesus not only was referring to his physical resurrection, but also to his participation in the resurrection process. The New Testament thus records the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit as all performing the miracle of Christ's resurrection. sn Jesus was speaking about the temple of his body. For the author, the temple is not just the building, it is Jesus’ resurrected body . Compare the nonlocalized worship mentioned in John 4:21-23 , and also Rev 21:22 (there is to be no temple in the New Jerusalem; the Lord and the Lamb are its temple). John points to the fact that, as the place where men go in order to meet God, the temple has been supplanted and replaced by Jesus himself, in whose resurrected person people may now encounter God (see John 1:18, 14:6 ).


text: Or “statement”; Grk “word.”


text: Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.


text: Grk “all.” The word “people” has been supplied for clarity, since the Greek word πάντας ( pantas ) is masculine plural (thus indicating people rather than things).


text: The masculine form has been retained here in the translation to maintain the connection with “a man of the Pharisees” in 3:1 , with the understanding that the reference is to people of both genders.


text: See previous note on “man” in this verse.