[B-Greek] John 3:16

George F. Somsel gfsomsel at juno.com
Thu Jun 17 17:08:32 EDT 2004


On Thu, 17 Jun 2004 22:26:43 +0300 "Iver Larsen" <iver_larsen at sil.org>
writes:
> >
> > I agree that "so ... that" is a possible translation. But, it
> > is quite misleading, if we consider how many times
> > this passage is explained as "for God so *much* loved the
> > world..."
> 
> There is nothing misleading about the translation "so much".
> 
> > And also, if you are not a native-english speaker, I suppose that
> > you have noticed that other translations, which are based on
> > the english traslation, translate it as "so much..."
> 
> As a non-native-English speaker and Bible translator I can inform 
> you that
> such translations are not necessarily based on English versions, 
> but
> hopefully on a careful study of the Greek text. There is no such 
> thing as
> "the English translation", but many and varied English renderings of 
> John
> 3:16.
> 
> > Regards
> > M.
> >
> > PS. Needless to say that I'm not a Th.D. or that I haven't got 
> any
> > kind of specialised knowledge in BGreek...
> 
> The normal result connector in John's gospel is hINA. hWSTE is used 
> only
> once by John, and that is in 3:16. hWSTE in the GNT normally 
> indicates an
> unusual or unexpected result. It is this aspect of hWSTE plus the 
> context of
> sacrificing one's own son that makes a translation like "God loved 
> the world
> so much that..." an accurate rendering of the Greek text.
> 
> You may find the following excerpt from the NET note of interest:
> 
> "The Greek adverb hOUTWS can refer (1) to the degree to which God 
> loved the
> world, that is, to such an extent or so much that he gave his own 
> Son (see
> R. E. Brown, John [AB], 1:133-34; D. A. Carson, John, 204) or (2) 
> simply to
> the manner in which God loved the world, i.e., by sending his own 
> son (see
> R. H. Gundry and R. W. Howell, "The Sense and Syntax of John 3.14-17 
> with
> Special Reference to the Use of hOUTWS...hWSTE in John 3.16," NovT 
> 41
> [1999]: 24-39). Though the term more frequently refers to the manner 
> in
> which something is done (see BAGD 597-98 s.v. hOUTWS, the following 
> clause
> involving hWSTE plus the indicative (which stresses actual, but 
> [usually]
> unexpected result) emphasizes the greatness of the gift God has 
> given."
> 
______________

The translation "so much" is not only misleading, it is positively
incorrect.  Thus dispite the fact that in every other case it clearly
indicates the manner in which something occurs, some would have it mean
"so much" simply because they will it to be so.  Here, as in the other
cases, hOUTWS means "In this manner."

gfsomsel



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