John 14:9 Have I been so long time with you,

Spoken to
an individual

At the Last Supper, Jesus describes the ways to see the Father. And Phillip says "Show us the Father and we are good."

KJV

John 14:9 Have I been so long time with you, and yet have you not known me, Philip? he that has seen me has seen the Father; and how say you [then], Show us the Father?

NIV

John 14:9 Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

LISTENERS HEARD

So much time I am among you, and haven't y'all recognized me, Philip? The one having looked at me has looked at the Father. How do you yourself say 'Show us the Father?'

 

MY TAKE

You can watch something without recognizing it. Or wanting to admit it.

LOST IN TRANSLATION

After the previous verse where Jesus has said that recognizing him, Jesus, means "having seen" the Father.  Phillip was playing with this idea, asking to be shown the Father. This seems like the light-hearted banter of feigned ignorance regarding Jesus's claim. Jesus teases Phillip back, again playing with the ideas of "recognizing" and being "looked at."

 

 

 

# KJV TRANSLATION ISSUES
8
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is the present tense.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "yet" doesn't exist in the source.
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "that" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "seen" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "see" is not an active verb but a participle, "looking."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "seen" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
  • OS -- Outdated Source -- The Greek word translated as "and" existed in the KJV Greek source but not the source we use today.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourself" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
# NIV TRANSLATION ISSUES
11
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The English verb "know" is the present tense, but Greek is in the past perfect, a completed action, "have known."
  • WW - Wrong Word -- The word translated as "even" should be something more like "and."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "after" doesn't exist in the source.
  • WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "have" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is the present.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "anyone" is not the common word usually translated as "anyone."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "who" doesn't exist in the source.
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "seen" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
  • WF - Wrong Form -  The "see" is not an active verb but a participle, "looking."
  • CW - Confusing Word -- The "seen" is not one of the common words usually translated as "see."
  • IW - Inserted Word -- The word "can" doesn't exist in the source.
  • MW - Missing Word -- The word "yourself" is not shown in the English translation, but it is needed to capture the pronoun as well as the form of the verb.
EACH WORD of KJV

have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

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

been - The verb "been" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

so long -- "So long " is a compound adjective that means literally "that which (or who) has to such an degree."

time - The word translated as "time" means "time," "period," "date," "lifetime," "age," "season," "delay," and "tense." Jesus often uses in the general sense of "interval."

with   -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of." It also refers to "after" or "behind" when referring to a place, time, or pursuit.

you, -- The word translated as "you" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.

and  -- The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

yet -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "yet" in the Greek source.

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

you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

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. 

known -- "Be known" is a verb that means "to know," "to recognize," "make known," "to know carnally," and "to learn. Since the verb meaning "have seen" is also used to say "know," translating this one as "learn" makes more sense.

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

Philip? - -   "Philip" is the Greek name from the father of Alexander the Great.

He  -- The word translated as "he" 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.

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

seen "-- (CW, WF) "Seen" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It has the sense sighting something. Jesus uses this word often to mean "watch out" or "look out" as a warning but another verb is better translated as "watch" so "look" works more consistently. The form is a participle, not an active verb.

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

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

seen -- (CW) "Seen" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It has the sense sighting something. Jesus uses this word often to mean "watch out" or "look out" as a warning but another verb is better translated as "watch" so "look" works more consistently.

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 more. 

Father; -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

and -- (OS) There is nothing in the Greek that can be translated as "and" in the source we use today but it does exist in the source that the KJV translators used.

how -- "How" is the adverb that means "how," "by any means," and "I suppose." This is a common interrogatory pronoun used by Jesus.

say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," "to tell," and "to speak,"  but when used with an objective noun or pronoun, the sense is "say of" or "speak of." 

you -- The  "you" here in the second-person pronoun in form of a singular subject. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use repeats the idea of who is speaking, "you." Saying "you yourself" captures this feeling in English.

missing "yourself" -- (MW)  The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "you yourself."

then, -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "then" in the Greek source.

Show - "Shew" is an uncommon verb that means "show", "point out", "make known", "display", "exhibit", and "offer."

us  - "Us" is the first person plural pronoun, "we," "us" as an indirect object.

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 more. 

Father; -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

EACH WORD of NIV

Do- -- This English helping verb is used to create questions, commands, negative statements, and smooth word flow in translation from Greek

n’t -- 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. 

you -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.

know -- (WT) "Know" is a verb that means "to know," "to recognize," "make known," "to know carnally," and "to learn. Since the verb meaning "have seen" is also used to say "know," translating this one as "learn" makes more sense. It is not the present tense, but the past perfect.

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

Philip? - -   "Philip" is the Greek name from the father of Alexander the Great.

even -- (WW)  The Greek word translated as "even" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also"). In a series, it is can be translated as "not only...but also." After words implying sameness "as."

after  -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "after" in the Greek source.

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

have -- (WT) This helping verb "have" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.

been - The verb "been" here is the common form of "to be" in Greek. It means to have a certain characteristic or remain in a certain condition. It also equates terms or assigns characteristics.

with   -- "With" is the Greek word that usually means "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of." It also refers to "after" or "behind" when referring to a place, time, or pursuit.

you, -- The word translated as "you" is a plural, second-person pronoun in the genitive case. Here, it is the object of the previous preposition. As an object of a preposition, the genitive indicates movement away or a position away from something.

 such a long -- "Such a long" is a compound adjective that means literally "that which (or who) has to such an degree."

time - The word translated as "time" means "time," "period," "date," "lifetime," "age," "season," "delay," and "tense." Jesus often uses in the general sense of "interval.

Anyone -- (CW) The word translated as "anyone" 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. This is not the common word usually translated as "anyone."

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

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

seen "-- (CW, WF) "Seen" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It has the sense sighting something. Jesus uses this word often to mean "watch out" or "look out" as a warning but another verb is better translated as "watch" so "look" works more consistently. The form is a participle, not an active verb.

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

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

seen -- (CW) "Seen" is from a Greek verb, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," and "to observe." It has the sense sighting something. Jesus uses this word often to mean "watch out" or "look out" as a warning but another verb is better translated as "watch" so "look" works more consistently.

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 more. 

Father; -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

How -- "How" is the adverb that means "how," "by any means," and "I suppose." This is a common interrogatory pronoun used by Jesus.

can -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "can" in the Greek source.

you -- The  "you" here in the second-person pronoun in form of a singular subject. Since, as the subject of the sentence, it is part of the verb, its explicit use repeats the idea of who is speaking, "you." Saying "you yourself" captures this feeling in English.

missing "yourself" -- (MW)  The subjective pronoun repeats the information in the verb so it should be repeated in English like "you yourself."

say -- The word translated as "say" is the most common word that means "to say," "to tell," and "to speak,"  but when used with an objective noun or pronoun, the sense is "say of" or "speak of."

Show - "Shew" is an uncommon verb that means "show", "point out", "make known", "display", "exhibit", and "offer."

us  - "Us" is the first person plural pronoun, "we," "us" as an indirect object.

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 more. 

Father; -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

COMPARISON: GREEK to KJV

Τοσοῦτον [4 verses](adj sg masc acc) "So long" is tosoutos, which means "so much", "thus much", "so far", "so large", and "so tall".

χρόνον [9 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Time" is chronos, which means "time," "a definite period of time," "period," "date," "term," "lifetime," "age," "season," "delay," and "tense." 

μεθ᾽ [103 verses](prep) "With" is meta, which means "with," "in the midst of," "among," "between," "in common," "along with," "by the aid of," "in one's dealings with," "into the middle of," "coming into," "in pursuit of," "after," "behind," "according to,"  "after," "behind,"  and "next afterward." With genitive,  it means generally, "with," "together with," "in the midst of," "among," "between." "in common," "along with," "by the aid of," and "in conjunction with." With dative, "between," "among," "in company with," with a number "complete," and "over and above." With accusative, generally, "among" and "between" as with dative, of motion, "into the middle of," "coming into or among," "in pursuit or quest of," of place, "after," "behind," of time, "after," "next to,"  of worth/rank, "next after," of ideas, "after," "according to."

ὑμῶν [168 verses](pron 2nd pl gen) "You" is humon, the plural possessive form of su the pronoun of the second person, "you." It is either a possessive pronoun or the object of a preposition.

εἰμὶ [614 verses](verb 1st sg pres ind act) "Have I been" is eimi, which means "to be," "to exist," "to be the case," of circumstance and events "to happen,"  and "is possible."

καὶ [1089 verses](conj/adv) "And" is kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "also." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even," "also," and "just."

οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou , the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences.  The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.

ἔγνωκάς [62 verses] (verb 2nd sg perf ind act) "Known," is ginosko which means "to learn to know," "to know by reflection or observation," and "to perceive."

με, [49 verses](pron 1st sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which is the objective first-person, objective, singular pronoun that means  "me."

Φίλιππε; [2 verse](adj sg masc voc)   "Philip" is from the Greek word Philippos, which is the Greek name from the father of Alexander the Great. 

[821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "He" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

ἑωρακὼς [20 verses](part sg perf act masc nom) "Have seen" is from horao, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," "to observe," "see," "aim," "have sight," "behold," "keep in sight," and as a metaphor of mental sight, "discern," and "perceive." Jesus often uses it as a warning as we would use "watch out" or "look out.

ἐμὲ [49 verses](pron 1st sg masc acc) "Me" is eme, which is the objective first-person, objective, singular pronoun that means  "me."

ἑωρακεν [20 verses](verb 3rd sg perf ind act) "Has seen" is from horao, which means "to see with the eyes," "to look," "to observe," "see," "aim," "have sight," "behold," "keep in sight," and as a metaphor of mental sight, "discern," and "perceive." Jesus often uses it as a warning as we would use "watch out" or "look out."

τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc acc)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the"). 

πατέρα: [191 verses](noun sg masc acc) "Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."

πῶς [36 verses](pron indecl) "How" is pos, which means "how," "how in the world," "how then," "in any way," "at all," "by any mean," "in a certain way," and "I suppose."

σὺ  [36  verses](pron 2nd sg nom) "Thee/you" is su , which means "you" in the second-person pronoun in form of a singular subject.

λέγεις [264 verses](verb 2nd sg pres ind act) "Sayest" is lego, which means "to recount," "to tell over," "to say," "to speak," "to teach," "to mean," "boast of," "tell of," "recite," nominate," and "command." When used with an object is has the sense of "call by name."  It has a secondary meaning "pick out," "choose for oneself," "pick up," "gather," "count," and "recount." A less common word that is spelled the same means "to lay," "to lay asleep" and "to lull asleep." Since this is the most common such word Jesus uses, perhaps translating it consistently as "say" works best. 

Δεῖξον [6 verses](verb 2nd sg aor imperat act) "Show" is from deiknyo, which means "show", "point out", "make known", "display", "exibit", and "offer." 

ὑμῖν [15 verses](pron 1st pl masc/fem dat) "Us" is from hemin, which is the first person plural dative pronoun, "to us."

τὸν [821 verses](article sg masc nom)  "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("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 more. 

πατέρα: [191 verses](noun sg masc nom) "The Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers." -- "Father" is the Greek noun that means "father" or any male ancestor so "forefathers." It is the word that Christ uses to address his own Father.

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