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.

(1587 Geneva Bible) I must worke the workes of him that sent me, while it is day: the night commeth when no man can worke.

(1526 Tyndale) I must worke the workes of him that sent me whyll it is daye. The nyght cometh when no man can worke.

 

Counterfeit Versions

(CSB) We must do the works of him who sent me while it is day. Night is coming when no one can work.
(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 - Traditional Text

eme dei ergazesqai ta erga tou pemyantoV me ewV hmera estin ercetai nux ote oudeiV dunatai ergazesqai

 

Hort Westcott - Critical Text

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 - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (original)
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century

05 D - Cambridge: Bezae Cantabrigiensis

019 L - Eighth century

032 W - Fourth/fifth century

 

Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse

Byzantine Text (450-1450 A.D.)

Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (corrected)
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century

K 017 - Ninth century

Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century

Delta 037 - Ninth century

Theta 038 - Ninth century

1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century

13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century

33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century

 

Published Critical Greek Texts with Corruptions

Reads “we” instead of “I”

Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869

Tregelles, Samuel - 1857

Westcott and Hort - 1881

Weiss, Bernhard - 1894

Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941

Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition

Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition

United Bible Societies - 1983 - Fourth Edition

Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902

 

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 the Wycliffe Bible. If you notice, it too states 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.

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