John 10:18

10:18 No one takes it away from me, but I lay it down ¹  of my own free will. ²  I have the authority ³  to lay it down, and I have the authority ⁴  to take it back again. This commandment ⁵  I received from my Father.”

John 21:23

21:23 So the saying circulated ⁶  among the brothers and sisters ⁷  that this disciple was not going to die. But Jesus did not say to him that he was not going to die, but rather, “If I want him to live ⁸  until I come back, ⁹  what concern is that of yours?”

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¹ tn Or “give it up.”

² tn Or “of my own accord.” “Of my own free will” is given by BDAG 321 s.v. ἐμαυτοῦ c.

³ tn Or “I have the right.”

⁴ tn Or “I have the right.”

⁵ tn Or “order.”

⁶ tn Grk “went out.”

⁷ tn Grk “the brothers,” but here the term refers to more than just the immediate disciples of Jesus (as it does in 20:17). Here, as R. E. Brown notes (John [AB], 2:1110), it refers to Christians of the Johannine community (which would include both men and women).

⁸ tn Grk “to stay” or “to remain”; but since longevity is the issue in the context, “to live” conveys the idea more clearly.

⁹ tn The word “back” is supplied to clarify the meaning.