Jesus is accused of breaking the Sabbath making himself a god by calling God his Father. While presented as a monologue many of these verses seem to be responses to questions that were not recorded. See the Unrecorded Question Theory.
John 5:26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself;
John 5:26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself.
Because the same as the Father has life within himself, so also to the Son he gives life to have within himself.
Life is a force with us that can be given to others.
The "For" that starts this verse makes this seem like an answer to a question. The Unrecorded Question Theory explains this by proposing that these words were spoken as part of a discussion where only Jesus's part of the discussion is captured.
In Greek, the phrase "to have within" has a sense of having power that is lost in translation. The word translated as "have", echo, can mean owning a characteristic as it does in English, but it has many additional meanings, including the idea of having the means to do something. Similarly, the word translated as "in" can mean simply being inside something, but it also carries the meaning of having something in your power. When used together, they carry a very strong sense of pointing to power or ability, as they do here.
The term translated as "life" is rendered here as "existence", since Jesus uses it consistently to mean the life joining "spirit" with a body. In a general sense, we are all given life within ourselves when our "spirit," in Greek literally the "breath of life" is put in our bodies. Jesus clearly means more than that life here, but the power to give life. Notice, however, that Jesus does not have the creation of existence in his own nature. It is a power that it given to him.
- MW - Missing Word -- The word "also" is not shown in the English translation.
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "hath" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
- WT - Wrong Tense - The verb "hath" indicates the past perfect tense, but the tense is something that happens at a specific point in time (past, present, or future).
For --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause."
as -- The Greek word translated as "as" indicates a match with a person or thing, "the very thing, which," "the same as."
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.
hath -- The word translated as "hath" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body etc.), read this article.
in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here.
himself; -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," and so on. "
so -- The word translated in KJV as "so" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner," "so much," or "in this way."
missing "also" -- (MW) The untranslated word "also" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
hath -- (WT) This helping verb "hath" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
given -- The verb translated as "given" means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."
to -- This word "to" comes from the dative case of the following word that requires the addition of a preposition in English. The most common is a "to" for the English indirect object.
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." The phrase "the son of man" is the common way Christ refers to himself. It is discussed in detail in this article. Its sense may be "the child of the man."
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
have-- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body etc.), read this article.
in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here.
himself; -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," and so on. "
For --The word translated as "for" introduces a reason or explanation so "because" and, in questions, "why." However, since this word always appears in the second position, it is more like an aside remark like, "consequently" or "as a cause."
as -- The Greek word translated as "as" indicates a match with a person or thing, "the very thing, which," "the same as."
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.
has -- The word translated as "has" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body etc.), read this article.
in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here.
himself; -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," and so on. "
so -- The word translated in KJV as "so" is in its adverbial form, so it means "in this manner," "so much," or "in this way."
he -- This is from the third-person, singular form of the verb.
has-- (WT) This helping verb "hath" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
granted -- The verb translated as "granted " means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe." It is almost always translated as some form of "give."
the -- The word translated as "the" is the Greek definite article. The Greek article is much closer to our demonstrative pronouns ("this," "that," "these," "those"). See this article for more.
Son -- The word translated as "son" more generally means "child" or "descendant." The phrase "the son of man" is the common way Christ refers to himself. It is discussed in detail in this article. Its sense may be "the child of the man."
also -- The word "also" is used as the conjunction "and," but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
to -- This "to" is added because the infinitive form of the verb requires a "to" in English.
have-- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses.
life -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean the "existence" of physical life, spirit plus body. To learn more read this article on life eternal, For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirit, body etc.), read this article.
in - The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here.
himself; -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," and so on. "
ὥσπερ [13 verses](adv/prep) "As" is hosper, which means "the very man who," "the very thing, which," "the same as," "wherefore," and "although."
γὰρ [205 verses](partic) "For" comes from gar which is the introduction of a clause explaining a reason or explanation: "for," "since," and "as." In an abrupt question, it means "why" and "what."
ὁ [821 verses](article sg masc nom) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
πατὴρ [191 verses](noun sg masc nom) "The Father" is pater, which means "father," "grandfather," "author," "parent," and "forefathers."
ἔχει: [181 verses](3rd sg pres ind act) "He hath" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, "acquire," "get,"
ζωήν,[42 verses] (noun sg fem acc) "Life" is zoe, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death.
ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means, with a dative object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during," and "with." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." Referring to time, it means. "in the course of" or "during." -
ἑαυτῷ [75 verses](adj sg masc dat) "Himself" is heautou, is a reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," "itself" "themselves," and "ourselves." It is not the common pronoun meaning simply "he," "she," "them," etc.
οὕτως [137 verses](adv) "So" is houtos, an adverb that means "in this way," "therefore," "so much," "to such an extent," and "that is why."
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."
τῷ [821 verses](article sg masc dat) "The" is the Greek definite article, hos, ("the").
υἱῷ [158 verses](noun sg masc dat) "The Son" is huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child." It is used generally to refer to any male descendant.
ἔδωκεν [147 verses](3rd sg aor ind act) "Hath he given" is didomi, which means "to give," "to grant," "to hand over," "appoint," "establish," and "to describe."
ζωήν,[42 verses] (noun sg fem acc) "Life" is zoe, which means "living," "substance," "property," "existence," and, incidentally, "the scum on milk." It has the sense of how we say "make a living" to mean property. Homer used it more to mean the opposite of death. -- The word translated as "life" means "living" but it also means "substance," "existence," and "property." Jesus uses it to mean "existence" beyond physical life. For more on how Christ uses this word with other words about human existence (soul, heart, spirits, etc.), read this article.
ἔχειν [181 verses](pres inf act) "To have" is echo, which means "to have," "to hold," "to possess," "to keep," "to have charge of," "to have due to one," "to maintain," "to hold fast," "to bear," "to carry," "to keep close," "to keep safe," and "to have means to do." In aorist, "acquire," "get," -- The word translated as "have" means to "have," "possess," "bear," "keep close," "have means to do," "to have due to one," or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.
ἐν [413 verses](prep) "In" is en, which means, with a dative object, "in," "on," "at," "by," "among," "within," "surrounded by," "in one's hands," "in one's power," "during," and "with." With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." Referring to time, it means. "in the course of" or "during." -- The word translated as "in" means "in," "within," "with" (an instrument), "during" (time), or "among" with a dative object as the one here. With the accusative, it means "into," "on," and "for." When referring to time, it means "during." It can mean "on," "at," or "by" in the sense of "near."
ἑαυτῷ [75 verses](adj sg masc dat) "Himself" is heautou, is a reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," "itself" "themselves," and "ourselves." It is not the common pronoun meaning simply "he," "she," "them," etc. -- "Himself" is a special reflexive pronoun that means "himself," "herself," and so on. " When used in the possessive, it has the sense of "his own."