¹ tn Grk “to the Jews.” In NT usage the term ᾿Ιουδαῖοι (Ioudaioi) may refer to the entire Jewish people, the residents of Jerusalem and surrounding territory (i.e., “Judeans”), the authorities in Jerusalem, or merely those who were hostile to Jesus. (For further information see R. G. Bratcher, “‘The Jews’ in the Gospel of John,” BT 26 [1975]: 401-9; also BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e.) Here the phrase refers to the Jewish people in Jerusalem who had been listening to Jesus’ teaching in the temple and had believed his claim to be the Messiah, hence, “those Judeans who had believed him.” The term “Judeans” is preferred here to the more general “people” because the debate concerns descent from Abraham (v. 33).

² tn Grk “If you continue in my word.”

³ tn Or “truly.”

⁴ tn The word “people” is supplied in the translation to clarify that the Greek pronoun and verb are plural.

⁵ tn Many translations read “You are of your father the devil” (KJV, ASV, RSV, NASB) or “You belong to your father, the devil” (NIV), but the Greek preposition ἐκ (ek) emphasizes the idea of source or origin. Jesus said his opponents were the devil’s very offspring (a statement which would certainly infuriate them).

⁶ tn Grk “the desires of your father you want to do.”

⁷ tn Grk “That one” (referring to the devil).

⁸ tn Grk “he does not stand in the truth” (in the sense of maintaining, upholding, or accepting the validity of it).

⁹ tn Grk “Whenever he speaks the lie.”

¹⁰ tn Grk “he speaks from his own.”

¹¹ tn Grk “because he is a liar and the father of it.”