John 6:38 For I came down from heaven,

A crowd comes to Jesus in Capernaum after eating of the loaves. The discussion is now about the will of the Father.

KJV

John 6:38 For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.

NIV

John 6:38 For I have come down from heaven not to do my will but to do the will of him who sent me.

LISTENERS HEARD

Because I have stepped down from the sky not because I create this pleasure, that one of mine, instead the pleasure of that one sending me.

MY TAKE

Jesus did not do what made him happy, but what made his father happy.

GREEK (Each Word Explained Bottom of Page)

John 6:38 ὅτι καταβέβηκα ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ οὐχ ἵνα ποιῶ τὸ θέλημα τὸ ἐμὸν ἀλλὰ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πέμψαντός με:

LOST IN TRANSLATION

The verb translated as "do" primary means "make" or "create." What is being made is "pleasure." The word translated as "will" has the sense of "pleasure" that our English word doesn't have. It is used to make the adverb meaning "willingly" and "gladly." Today, we would probably say, "happiness."

The word being negated here is not the verb, "do" or "make," but the conjunction that is untranslated meaning because. Jesus is say that he is not doing what makes him happy but that the reason for coming down was not making him happy.

The Greek word translated as "came down" is not either of the two words translated as "come" in the previous verse. The word here means literally "step down," the same as he used in John 6:33. However, Jesus changes the preposition here. Previously he said "step down out of the sky" and here he says "stepped down from the sky."

Similarly, Christ uses a different Greek word here to describe being sent than he usually uses to describe himself being sent. A different verb was used in John 6:29 and that word is used as the basis for our word "apostle."

WT - Wrong Tense - The English verb "came" is the past tense, but Greek is in the past perfect, a completed action, "have come."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "to" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
WF - Wrong Form - The "do" is not an infinitive but an active verb, "I do" or "I perform."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "mine" is not shown in the English translation.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "own" doesn't exist in the source.
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "will" is not shown in the English translation.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "him" is not the common word usually translated as "him."
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."

MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "heaven" is not shown in the English translation.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "to" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
WF - Wrong Form - The "do" is not an infinitive but an active verb, "I do" or "I perform."
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "my" is not shown in the English translation.
MW - Missing Word -- The word "the" before "will" is not shown in the English translation.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "but" does not capture the specific meaning of the word.
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "to do" doesn't exist in the source.
CW - Confusing Word -- The "him" is not the common word usually translated as "him."
IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
WF - Wrong Form - The "sent" is not an active verb but a participle, "sending."

EACH WORD of KJV

For -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

came -- (WT) The verb translated as "came down" means "go down" as we say in English that rain "comes down" not "goes down." This is not the past tense, but the past perfect tense, so "have come." However, the Greek actually says, "have stepped down," which seems more visual.

down - This is from the prefix of the verb that means "down."

from -- The word translated as "from" means "from" in both locations and when referring to a source or a cause. It also means the instrument "by" which a thing is done and "away from." This is a change from John 6:33 where a different preposition, one meaning "out of" was used.

missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

heaven, -- The word translated as "heaven" means sky, the climate, and the universe. It also meant the home of the gods in a physical sense: the sun, moon, and planets were named for the gods. More about the word in this article.

not -- The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no," "not," or"no truly." It makes a negative statement of fact. Adding "really" to the sentence captures the same idea. When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words.

to -- (CW) The word translated as "to" is an adverb "in that place," "there," "where," "when," or as a conjunction that starts a subordinate clause "that," "when," "in order that" or "because." It is the same word that begins the verse and was translated as "for."

do -- (WF) The Greek word translated as "to do" has the primary meaning of "making" or producing" something or "causing" or "performing" as service. It describes a productive action. The form is not an infinitive but an active verb, "I do."

missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

mine -- "Mine" is the regular first-person adjective in Greek indicating possession, so "mine," "of me," "my," "relating to me," and "against me." It follows the noun "will," and is preceded by an article, "this one of mine."

own -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "own" in the Greek source. Both the "mine" and the "will" are emphasized by their own definite articles that are untranslated here.

missing "the" -- (MW) The untranslated word is the Greek definite article, which usually precedes a noun and, without a noun, takes the meaning of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.

will, -- The word translated as "will" means what someone wants or desires as well as the "will" of character. It mostly means what one wishes or has determined shall be done. It also means a desire or a choice. When applied to people, "desires" works, but when applied to God, the concept "intent" seems closer to the concept.

but -- (CW) The Greek word translated as "but" denotes an exception or simple opposition. It is used to emphasize the contrast between things like we use "instead," "but instead,"or "rather." It is not the common word usually translated as "but." It is the Greek word "other" like we use "otherwise." Jesus often uses this conjunction to connect a negative phrases and clauses, not doing something, with a positive one, "instead do this."

the - The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for mor

will -- The word translated as "will" means what someone wants or desires as well as the "will" of character. It mostly means what one wishes or has determined shall be done. It also means a desire or a choice. When applied to people, "desires" works, but when applied to God, the concept "intent" seems closer to the concept.

of -- This word "of" comes from the genitive case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is the "of" of possession.

him -- (CW) The word translated as "him" is the Greek definite article, without a noun, it has the sense of "the one." The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those") than the English "the." See this article for more.

that -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "that" in the Greek source. It was added because the next verb was translated as active rather than as a participle.

sent -- (WF) "Sent" is from a Greek verb that means "send," "send forth," "send away," "conduct," and "escort." This is not an active verb but a participle with a definite article before it, "the one sending."

me. -- "Me" is the regular first-person pronoun in Greek as the object of the verb or preposition.

EACH WORD of NIV

For -- The word translated as "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what," "because," "since," and "wherefore."

I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.

have -- This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past.

come -- The verb translated as "come down" means "go down" as we say in English that rain "comes down" not "goes down." However, the Greek actually says, "stepped down," which seems more visual.