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
26 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων: ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι: μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε, 27 ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτοῦ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος. 28 ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων. 29 Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ λέγει: ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου. 30 οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον: ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν.
Exposition
Use the following guide to study the meaning of each Greek word in context.
26 ἀπεκρίθη αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγων: ἐγὼ βαπτίζω ἐν ὕδατι: μέσος ὑμῶν ἕστηκεν ὃν ὑμεῖς οὐκ οἴδατε,
- ἀπεκρίθη: verb, “(he) gave answer” (respondit)
- αὐτοῖς: pronoun, “to them” (eis)
- ὁ: definite article: “the”
- Ἰωάννης: substantive noun, “John” (Johannes)
- λέγων: participle, “saying” (dicens)
- ἐγὼ: pronoun, “I” (ego)
- βαπτίζω: verb, “(I) baptize” (baptizo)
- ἐν: preposition (+dat.), “in” (in)
- ὕδατι: substantive noun, “water” (aqua)
- μέσος: adverb, “in the middle” (medius)
- ὑμῶν: pronoun, “of you all” (vestrum)
- ἕστηκεν: verb, “(he) has stood” (stetit)
- ὃν: pronoun, “whom” (quem)
- ὑμεῖς: pronoun, “you all” (vos)
- οὐκ: adverb, “not” (non)
- οἴδατε: verb, “(you) have known” (scitis)
Translation: Gave answer to them John saying, “I baptize in water: in the middle of you all has stood (one) whom you all not have known,
27 ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐγὼ ἄξιος ἵνα λύσω αὐτοῦ τὸν ἱμάντα τοῦ ὑποδήματος.
- ὁ: definite article, “the” (ipse)
- ὀπίσω: preposition (+ gen.), “after” (post)
- μου: pronoun, “me” (me)
- ἐρχόμενος: participle, “coming” (venturus est)
- οὗ: pronoun, “of whom” (cuius)
- οὐκ: adverb, “not” (non)
- εἰμὶ: verb, “(I) am” (sum)
- ἐγὼ: pronoun, “I” (ego)
- ἄξιος: adjective, “worthy” (dignus)
- ἵνα: conjunction, “that” (ut)
- λύσω: verb, “(I) should loosen” (solvam)
- αὐτοῦ: pronoun, “of him” (eius)
- τὸν: definite article, “the”
- ἱμάντα: substantive noun, “strap” (corrigiam)
- τοῦ: definite article, “of the”
- ὑποδήματος: substantive noun, “of sandal” (calciamenti)
Translation: “The (one) after me coming, of whom not am I worthy that I should loosen of him the strap of the sandal.”
28 ταῦτα ἐν Βηθανίᾳ ἐγένετο πέραν τοῦ Ἰορδάνου, ὅπου ἦν ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζων.
- ταῦτα: pronoun, “these (things)” (haec)
- ἐν: preposition (+dat.), “in” (in)
- Βηθανίᾳ: substantive noun, “Bethania” (Bethania)
- ἐγένετο: verb, “(they) were done” (facta sunt)
- πέραν: preposition (+gen), “on the other side” (trans)
- τοῦ: definite article, “of the”
- Ἰορδάνου: substantive noun, “of Jordan” (Iordanem)
- ὅπου: adverb, “where” (ubi)
- ἦν: verb, “(he) was” (erat)
- ὁ: definite article, “the”
- Ἰωάννης: substantive noun, “John” (Iohannes)
- βαπτίζων: participle, “baptizing” (baptizans)
Translate: These (things) in Bethania were done on the other side of the Jordan (River), where was the John baptizing.
29 Τῇ ἐπαύριον βλέπει τὸν Ἰησοῦν ἐρχόμενον πρὸς αὐτόν, καὶ λέγει: ἴδε ὁ ἀμνὸς τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ αἴρων τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοῦ κόσμου.
- τῇ: definite article, “on the”
- ἐπαύριον: adverb, “tomorrow” (altera die)
- βλέπει: verb, “(he) sees” (videt)
- τὸν: definite article, “the”
- Ἰησοῦν: substantive noun, “Jesus” (Iesum)
- ἐρχόμενον: participle, “coming” (venientem)
- πρὸς: preposition (+ acc.), “unto” (ad)
- αὐτόν: pronoun, “him” (se)
- καὶ: conjunction, “and” (et)
- λέγει: verb, “(he) says” (ait)
- ἴδε: verb, “behold!” (ecce)
- ὁ:, definite article, “the”
- ἀμνὸς: substantive noun, “lamb” (agnus)
- τοῦ: definite article, “of the”
- θεοῦ: substantive noun, “of God” (Dei)
- ὁ: pronoun, “who” (qui)
- αἴρων: participle, “taking away” (tollit)
- τὴν: definite article, “the”
- ἁμαρτίαν: substantive noun, “sin” (peccatum)
- τοῦ: definite article, “of the”
- κόσμου: substantive noun, “of world” (mundi)
Translation: On the tomorrow, the Jesus (is) coming to him, and (he) says, “Behold the lamb of the God, who (is) taking away the sin of the world.”
At the beginning of verse 29, we have a strange arrangement in the phrase τῇ ἐπαύριον. We see the definite article in the dative case joined to an adverb, with the adverb being treated as a substantive noun with only one form.
30 οὗτός ἐστιν ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εἶπον: ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται ἀνὴρ ὃς ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν.
- οὗτός: pronoun, “this” (hic)
- ἐστιν: verb, “(he) is” (est)
- ὑπὲρ: preposition (gen.), “concerning” (de)
- οὗ: pronoun, “whom” (quo)
- ἐγὼ: pronoun, “I”
- εἶπον: verb, “(I) said” (dixi)
- ὀπίσω: preposition (+ gen.), “after” (post)
- μου: pronoun, “me” (me)
- ἔρχεται: verb, “(there) comes” (venit)
- ἀνὴρ: substantive noun, “(a) man” (vir)
- ὃς: pronoun, “who” (qui)
- ἔμπροσθέν: preposition (+ gen.), “before” (ante)
- μου: pronoun, “me” (me)
- γέγονεν: verb, “(he) has been made” (factus est)
- ὅτι: conjunction, “because” (quia)
- πρῶτός: adjective noun, “before” (prior)
- μου: pronoun, “me” (me)
- ἦν: verb, “(he) was” (erat)
Translation: This is (the man) concerning whom I said: After me comes (a) man who before* me has been made because before* me (he) was.
* Note that John uses two different Greek words translated “before” in English: ἔμπροσθέν and πρῶτός. Is there a different meaning?
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.
26 John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not. 27 The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose. 28 These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing. 29 The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him, and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God, behold him who taketh away the sin of the world. 30 This is he, of whom I said: After me there cometh a man, who is preferred before me: because he was before me.
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