- John 9:4
John 9:4
(KJV) I must work the works of him that
sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
(1611 KJV) I must worke the workes of him that sent
me, while it is day: the night commeth when no man can worke.
(NIV) As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me.
Night is coming, when no one can work.
(NASB) "We must work the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day;
night is coming when no one can work.
(THE MESSAGE) We need to be energetically at work for the One who sent
me here, working while the sun shines. When night falls, the workday is
over.
(NLT) All of us must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one
who sent me, because there is little time left before the night falls
and all work comes to an end.
(ESV) We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night
is coming, when no one can work.
(CEV) As long as it is day, we must do what the one who sent me wants me
to do. When night comes, no one can work.
(1901 ASV) We must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day:
the night cometh, when no man can work.
(NLV) We must keep on doing the work of Him Who sent Me while it is day.
Night is coming when no man can work.
(HCSB) We must do the works of Him who sent Me while it is day. Night is
coming when no one can work.
(TNIV) As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me.
Night is coming, when no one can work.
(NCV) While it is daytime, we must continue doing the work of the One
who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.
(RSV) We must work the works of him who sent me, while it is day; night
comes, when no one can work.
(NAB-Roman Catholic) We have to do the works of the one who sent me
while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.
(NWT-Jehovah’s Witnesses) We must work the works of him that sent me
while it is day; the night is coming when no man can work.
Textus Receptus
eme dei ergazesqai ta erga tou
pemyantoV me ewV hmera estin ercetai nux ote oudeiV dunatai ergazesqai
Hort Westcott
hmaV dei ergazesqai ta erga tou pemyantoV me
ewV hmera estin ercetai nux ote oudeiV dunatai ergazesqai
Corrupted Manuscripts
This verse is corrupted in the following manuscripts:
P 66 - About 200 AD
P 75 - Early third century
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Fourth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
05 D - Cambridge: Bezae Cantabrigiensis
019 L - Eighth century
032 W - Fourth/fifth century
Affected Teaching
The word “I” in John 9:4 has been changed in the modern versions to
“we.” They have taken a singular word and exchanged it for a plural one.
In John 9:4, the Lord was in the middle of a discourse with his
disciples. He was about to open the eyes of a blind man and He made the
statement that “I must work the works of him that sent me…” The opening
of the blinded eyes was symbolic for a person becoming saved, having
their spiritual eyes opened. Blind eyes cannot let in the light, only
eyes which work.
If we follow the leading of the modern versions, then it was not only
the Lord Jesus Christ who opened the eyes of the blind man but the
disciples did it too. Now this is an important replacement because it is
basically telling us that man has a part in his salvation, and this is
incorrect. Man can do nothing to procure salvation. It is all of the
Lord. (John 5:21 KJV) For as the
Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son
quickeneth whom he will. Does it say that the
Lord and the disciples will quicken or just the Lord will quicken? It is
true that the Lord will eventually hand over all evangelism to His
followers but here in this verse He is telling us that it is He that
opens the eyes of the blind, in other words, it is He that does the
saving. Further in John 9, when the man is examined by the religious
rulers, he does not claim that the disciples had anything to do with his
healing only the Lord. So the testimony of the singular word pointing to
the Lord Jesus alone follows the true context of this narrative.
The singular “I” is found back in the oldest versions of the Bible in
the line of the King James. It actually antedates the corrupted
Alexandrian Manuscripts. It is found in the pre-Gothic manuscripts of
350 AD and before. Here is the verse written in both the Wycliffe Bible
and the Tyndale Bible. If you notice that both of them state that it is
Jesus doing the works.
Wycliffe Bible of 1382-89 - It
bihoueth me to worche the werkis of hym that sente me, as longe as the
dai is; the nyyt schal come, whanne no man may worche.
Tyndale Bible of 1526-34 - I must
worke the workes of him that sent me whyll it is daye. The nyght cometh
when no man can worke.
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