Gospel of St. John 1:41-45 (Greek)

by Mr. William C. Michael, O.P.

The lesson below belongs to the Classical Liberal Arts Academy’s Greek Reading I course. In this course, we study the Gospel of St. John in the New Testament. Students wishing to master the lesson below are to complete translation exercises daily from Greek into English and English into Greek, until every Greek word and its English meaning are memorized.

Text

41 εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Σίμωνα καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Χριστός. 42 ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος. 43 Τῇ ἐπαύριον ἠθέλησεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, καὶ εὑρίσκει Φίλιππον. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀκολούθει μοι. 44 ἦν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδά, ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀνδρέου καὶ Πέτρου. 45 εὑρίσκει Φίλιππος τὸν Ναθαναὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: ὃν ἔγραψεν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ οἱ προφῆται, εὑρήκαμεν, Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέτ.

Exposition

Use the following guide to study the meaning of each Greek word in context.

41 εὑρίσκει οὗτος πρῶτον τὸν ἀδελφὸν τὸν ἴδιον Σίμωνα καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: εὑρήκαμεν τὸν Μεσσίαν, ὅ ἐστιν μεθερμηνευόμενον Χριστός.

εὑρίσκει : verb, 3rd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(he) finds”
οὗτος : pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “this” (Smyth, 333)
πρῶτον : adverb, “first”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
ἀδελφὸν : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “brother”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
ἴδιον : adjective noun, masc, sing, acc, “his own”
Σίμωνα : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Simon”
καὶ : conjunction, “and”
λέγει : verb, 3rd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(he) says”
αὐτῷ : pronoun, masc, sing, dat, “to him”
εὑρήκαμεν : verb, 1st, plur, perf, ind, act, “(we) have found”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
Μεσσίαν : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Messiah”
ὅ : pronoun, neut, sing, nom, “that” (Smyth, 366)
ἐστιν : verb, 3rd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(it) is”
μεθερμηνευόμενον : participle, present, passive, neut, sing, nom, “being interpreted”
Χριστός : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Christ”

Translation: Finds this (man) first the brother the his own Simon and (he) says to him: “We have found the Messiah.”, that is, being interpreted, Christ.

42 ἤγαγεν αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸν Ἰησοῦν. ἐμβλέψας αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶπεν: σὺ εἶ Σίμων ὁ υἱὸς Ἰωάννου, σὺ κληθήσῃ Κηφᾶς, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Πέτρος.

ἤγαγεν : verb, 3rd, sing, aorist, ind, act, “(he) led”
αὐτὸν : pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “him”
πρὸς : preposition (+ acc.), “to”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
Ἰησοῦν : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Jesus”
ἐμβλέψας : participle, aorist, active, masc, sing, nom, “looking”
αὐτῷ : pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “at him”
ὁ : def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
Ἰησοῦς : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Jesus”
εἶπεν : verb, 3rd, sing, aorist, ind, act, “(he) said”
σὺ : pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “you”
εἶ : verb, 2nd, sing, pres, ind, act, “(you) are”
Σίμων : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Simon”
ὁ : def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
υἱὸς : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “son”
Ἰωάννου: substantive noun, masc, sing, gen, “of John”
σὺ : pronoun, masc, sing, nom, “you”
κληθήσῃ : verb, 2nd, sing, fut, ind, pass, “(you) shall be called”
Κηφᾶς : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Cephas”
ὃ : pronoun, neut, sing, nom, “which” (Smyth, 366)
ἑρμηνεύεται : verb, 3rd, sing, pres, pass, act, “(it) is interpreted”
Πέτρος : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Peter”

Translation: He led him to Jesus. Looking at him, Jesus said, “You are Simon, the son of John, you shall be called Cephas.”, which is interpreted Peter.

43 Τῇ ἐπαύριον ἠθέλησεν ἐξελθεῖν εἰς τὴν Γαλιλαίαν, καὶ εὑρίσκει Φίλιππον. καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ἀκολούθει μοι.

τῇ : def. article, fem, sing, dat, “on the”
ἐπαύριον : adverb, “(the ) next day”
ἠθέλησεν : verb, 3rd, sing, aorist, ind, act, “(He) wished”
ἐξελθεῖν : verb, aorist, inf, act, “to go out”
εἰς : preposition (+ acc.), “into”
τὴν : def. article, fem, sing, acc, “the”
Γαλιλαίαν : substantive noun, fem, sing, acc, “Galilee”
καὶ : conjunction, “and”
εὑρίσκει : verb, 3rd, sing, present, ind, act, “(He) finds”
Φίλιππον : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Philip”
καὶ : conjunction, “and”
λέγει : verb, 3rd, sing, present, ind, act, “(He) says”
αὐτῷ : pronoun, masc, sing, dat, “to him”
ὁ : def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
Ἰησοῦς : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Jesus”
ἀκολούθει : verb, 2nd, sing, present, inperative, act, “follow”
μοι : pronoun, masc, sing, dat, “me”

Translation: On the next day, He wished to go out into the Galilee, and He finds Philip. And He says to him the Jesus, “Follow me.”

Note: In the phrase, “ἀκολούθει μοι”, we see the pronoun in the dative case. We can understand this phrase to mean, “be a disciple to me”.

44 ἦν δὲ ὁ Φίλιππος ἀπὸ Βηθσαϊδά, ἐκ τῆς πόλεως Ἀνδρέου καὶ Πέτρου.

ἦν : verb, 3rd, sing, imperfect, ind, act, “was”
δὲ : conjunction, “now”
ὁ : def. article, masc, sing, nom, “the”
Φίλιππος : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Philip”
ἀπὸ : preposition (+ gen.), “from”
Βηθσαϊδά : substantive noun, fem, sing, gen, “Bethsaida”
ἐκ : preposition (+ gen.), “from”
τῆς : def. article, fem, sing, gen, “the”
πόλεως : substantive noun, fem, sing, gen, “city”
Ἀνδρέου : substantive noun, masc, sing, gen, “of Andrew”
καὶ : conjunction, “and”
Πέτρου : substantive noun, masc, sing, gen, “of Peter”

Translate: Was now the Philip from Bethsaida, from the city of Andrew and of Peter.

45 εὑρίσκει Φίλιππος τὸν Ναθαναὴλ καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ: ὃν ἔγραψεν Μωϋσῆς ἐν τῷ νόμῳ καὶ οἱ προφῆται, εὑρήκαμεν, Ἰησοῦν υἱὸν τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τὸν ἀπὸ Ναζαρέτ.

εὑρίσκει : verb, 3rd, sing, present, ind, act, “(He) finds”
Φίλιππος : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Philip”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
Ναθαναὴλ : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Nathanael”
καὶ : conjunction “and”
λέγει : verb, 3rd, sing, present, ind, act, “(he) says”
αὐτῷ : pronoun, masc, sing, dat, “to him”
ὃν : pronoun, masc, sing, acc, “whom”
ἔγραψεν : verb, 3rd, sing, aorist, ind, act, “(he) has written”
Μωϋσῆς : substantive noun, masc, sing, nom, “Moses”
ἐν : preposition (+ dat.), “in”
τῷ : def. article, masc, sing, dat, “the”
νόμῳ : substantive noun, masc, sing, dat, “law”
καὶ : conjunction “and”
οἱ : def. article, masc, plur, nom, “the”
προφῆται : substantive noun, masc, plur, nom, “prophets”
εὑρήκαμεν : verb, 1st, plur, perfect, ind, act, “(we) have found”
Ἰησοῦν : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “Jesus”
υἱὸν : substantive noun, masc, sing, acc, “son”
τοῦ : def. article, masc, sing, gen, “of the”
Ἰωσὴφ : substantive noun, masc, sing, gen, “Joseph”
τὸν : def. article, masc, sing, acc, “the”
ἀπὸ : preposition (+ gen.), “from”
Ναζαρέτ : substantive noun, fem, sing, gen, “Nazareth”

Translation: Finds Philip the Nathanael and says to him, ” (He) whom has written Moses in the law and the prophets, we have found, Jesus son of the Joseph the from Nazareth.

Translation

The following is the English translation found in the Douay Rheims Catholic Bible. Compare it to the grammatical translations above and not any differences.

41 He findeth first his brother Simon, and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ. 42 And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona: thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter. 43 On the following day, he would go forth into Galilee, and he findeth Philip. And Jesus saith to him: Follow me. 44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. 45 Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth.