NOTES

BIBLE

John 15

1	“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower.	Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος ἡ ἀληθινή, καὶ ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν·	vine-grower While the term γεωργός (geōrgos) in this famous verse is rendered as “vinedresser” in some English translations, the term “vine-grower” communicates the same idea more clearly, and thus provides a better mental picture of what Jesus is describing here than the archaic wording “vinedresser.”
2	Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He cleans it so that it may bear more fruit.	πᾶν κλῆμα ἐν ἐμοὶ μὴ φέρον καρπὸν αἴρει αὐτό, καὶ πᾶν τὸ καρπὸν φέρον καθαίρει αὐτὸ ἵνα καρπὸν πλείονα φέρῃ.	cleans “Cleans” translates καθαίρει (kathairei). Jesus’ use of this verb makes a connection with what Jesus said in John 13:10 and 11, where He uses καθαρός (katharos) to refer to spiritual cleansing. The link between the two passages shows that the words Jesus spoke to the disciples, with their belief of those words, is what has made them clean (cf. 15:3). And for those who are clean, the Father continues to clean (i.e., sanctify; 15:2) them.
3	You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.	ἤδη ὑμεῖς καθαροί ἐστε διὰ τὸν λόγον ὃν λελάληκα ὑμῖν·
4	Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit from itself unless it abides in the vine, so neither can you unless you abide in Me.	μείνατε ἐν ἐμοί, κἀγὼ ἐν ὑμῖν. καθὼς τὸ κλῆμα οὐ δύναται καρπὸν φέρειν ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ἐὰν μὴ μένῃ ἐν τῇ ἀμπέλῳ, οὕτως οὐδὲ ὑμεῖς ἐὰν μὴ ἐν ἐμοὶ μένητε.
5	I am the vine, you are the branches; he who abides in Me and I in him, he bears much fruit, for apart from Me you can do nothing.	ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα. ὁ μένων ἐν ἐμοὶ κἀγὼ ἐν αὐτῷ οὗτος φέρει καρπὸν πολύν, ὅτι χωρὶς ἐμοῦ οὐ δύνασθε ποιεῖν οὐδέν.
6	If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.	ἐὰν μή τις μένῃ ἐν ἐμοί, ἐβλήθη ἔξω ὡς τὸ κλῆμα καὶ ἐξηράνθη, καὶ συνάγουσιν αὐτὰ καὶ εἰς τὸ πῦρ βάλλουσιν καὶ καίεται.
7	If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.	ἐὰν μείνητε ἐν ἐμοὶ καὶ τὰ ῥήματά μου ἐν ὑμῖν μείνῃ, ὃ ἐὰν θέλητε αἰτήσασθε καὶ γενήσεται ὑμῖν·
8	My Father is glorified by this, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be My disciples.	ἐν τούτῳ ἐδοξάσθη ὁ πατήρ μου ἵνα καρπὸν πολὺν φέρητε καὶ γένησθε ἐμοὶ μαθηταί.
9	Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love.	καθὼς ἠγάπησέν με ὁ πατήρ, κἀγὼ ὑμᾶς ἠγάπησα, μείνατε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ τῇ ἐμῇ.
10	If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love.	ἐὰν τὰς ἐντολάς μου τηρήσητε, μενεῖτε ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ μου, καθὼς ἐγὼ τὰς ἐντολὰς τοῦ πατρός μου τετήρηκα καὶ μένω αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ ἀγάπῃ.
11	These things I have spoken to you so that My joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.	ταῦτα λελάληκα ὑμῖν ἵνα ἡ χαρὰ ἡ ἐμὴ ἐν ὑμῖν ᾖ καὶ ἡ χαρὰ ὑμῶν πληρωθῇ.	be complete The phrase “be complete” translates the Greek aorist passive verb πληρωθῇ (plērōthē; lit. “filled”). In this context, it describes joy being brought to a full or completed state, and thus is translated “complete.” This translation also helps to emphasize the aorist tense of the verb, which is often used to communicate a simple action in the past. Thus, joy here is not seen as being filled more and more to completion, but already complete. Jesus teaches here that settled and complete joy is realized when His followers keep His commandments and abide in His love.
12	“This is My commandment, that you love one another, just as I have loved you.	Αὕτη ἐστὶν ἡ ἐντολὴ ἡ ἐμὴ ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους καθὼς ἠγάπησα ὑμᾶς·
13	Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends.	μείζονα ταύτης ἀγάπην οὐδεὶς ἔχει, ἵνα τις τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ θῇ ὑπὲρ τῶν φίλων αὐτοῦ.
14	You are My friends if you do what I command you.	ὑμεῖς φίλοι μού ἐστε ἐὰν ποιῆτε ἃ ἐγὼ ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν.
15	No longer do I call you slaves, for the slave does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from My Father I have made known to you.	οὐκέτι λέγω ὑμᾶς δούλους, ὅτι ὁ δοῦλος οὐκ οἶδεν τί ποιεῖ αὐτοῦ ὁ κύριος· ὑμᾶς δὲ εἴρηκα φίλους, ὅτι πάντα ἃ ἤκουσα παρὰ τοῦ πατρός μου ἐγνώρισα ὑμῖν.
16	You did not choose Me but I chose you, and appointed you that you would go and bear fruit, and that your fruit would abide, so that whatever you ask of the Father in My name He may give to you.	οὐχ ὑμεῖς με ἐξελέξασθε, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς, καὶ ἔθηκα ὑμᾶς ἵνα ὑμεῖς ὑπάγητε καὶ καρπὸν φέρητε καὶ ὁ καρπὸς ὑμῶν μένῃ, ἵνα ὅ τι ἂν αἰτήσητε τὸν πατέρα ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου δῷ ὑμῖν.	abide “Abide” translates the word μένω (menō), which also appears in verses 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, and 10 (likewise translated “abide”). This consistency in translation shows that as believers abide in Christ, their fruit abides also.
17	This I command you, that you love one another.	ταῦτα ἐντέλλομαι ὑμῖν ἵνα ἀγαπᾶτε ἀλλήλους.
18	“If the world hates you, know that it has hated Me before it hated you.	Εἰ ὁ κόσμος ὑμᾶς μισεῖ, γινώσκετε ὅτι ἐμὲ πρῶτον ὑμῶν μεμίσηκεν.	know In Greek, a second person, present tense verb may communicate either a simple statement or an imperative command, with context as the primary determiner. Here, the second person, present tense verb γινώσκετε (ginōskete), on its own, may legitimately be translated either as “you know” or as the command, “know!”. The context of this verse signifies that the verb is more naturally taken as an imperative here since Jesus is commanding His disciples (cf. v. 17). Thus, Jesus is providing further instruction here—if the world hates Christians, they are to know that it hated Jesus first.
19	If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.	εἰ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου ἦτε, ὁ κόσμος ἂν τὸ ἴδιον ἐφίλει· ὅτι δὲ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου οὐκ ἐστέ, ἀλλʼ ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην ὑμᾶς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου, διὰ τοῦτο μισεῖ ὑμᾶς ὁ κόσμος.
20	Remember the word that I said to you, ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they kept My word, they will keep yours also.	μνημονεύετε τοῦ λόγου οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον ὑμῖν· Οὐκ ἔστιν δοῦλος μείζων τοῦ κυρίου αὐτοῦ· εἰ ἐμὲ ἐδίωξαν, καὶ ὑμᾶς διώξουσιν· εἰ τὸν λόγον μου ἐτήρησαν, καὶ τὸν ὑμέτερον τηρήσουσιν.
21	But all these things they will do to you for My name’s sake, because they do not know the One who sent Me.	ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πάντα ποιήσουσιν εἰς ὑμᾶς διὰ τὸ ὄνομά μου, ὅτι οὐκ οἴδασιν τὸν πέμψαντά με.
22	If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin, but now they have no excuse for their sin.	εἰ μὴ ἦλθον καὶ ἐλάλησα αὐτοῖς, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ πρόφασιν οὐκ ἔχουσιν περὶ τῆς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν.
23	He who hates Me hates My Father also.	ὁ ἐμὲ μισῶν καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου μισεῖ.
24	If I had not done among them the works which no one else did, they would not have sin; but now they have both seen and hated Me and My Father as well.	εἰ τὰ ἔργα μὴ ἐποίησα ἐν αὐτοῖς ἃ οὐδεὶς ἄλλος ἐποίησεν, ἁμαρτίαν οὐκ εἴχοσαν· νῦν δὲ καὶ ἑωράκασιν καὶ μεμισήκασιν καὶ ἐμὲ καὶ τὸν πατέρα μου.
25	But this happened to fulfill the word that is written in their Law, ‘THEY HATED ME WITHOUT CAUSE.’	ἀλλʼ ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος ὁ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ αὐτῶν γεγραμμένος ὅτι Ἐμίσησάν με δωρεάν.	*this happened* These words are not included in the original Greek text, which is why they are italicized here. They are added to help the reader infer what Jesus is referencing when He speaks of the fulfillment of the word, “They hated Me without cause” (cf. Ps 35:19; 69:4). The phrase “this happened” is more concise than “they have done this” and puts more emphasis on God’s sovereignty in fulfilling His word than on the unbelievers’ hateful actions.
26	“When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness about Me,	Ὅταν ἔλθῃ ὁ παράκλητος ὃν ἐγὼ πέμψω ὑμῖν παρὰ τοῦ πατρός, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας ὃ παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκπορεύεται, ἐκεῖνος μαρτυρήσει περὶ ἐμοῦ·	Advocate “Advocate” translates the Greek word παράκλητος (paraklētos). In the New Testament, John is the only author to use this word (cf. 14:16, 26; 16:7; 1 John 2:1). Although παράκλητος (paraklētos) can mean “helper,” its most basic meaning has to do with someone who comes to another’s aide and mediates or intercedes on their behalf. This is why in 1 John 2:1, Jesus does not merely help the believer but intercedes or advocates on their behalf before the Father.
27	and you will bear witness also, because you have been with Me from the beginning.	καὶ ὑμεῖς δὲ μαρτυρεῖτε, ὅτι ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς μετʼ ἐμοῦ ἐστε.

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