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Who Sinned That This Man Was Born Blind? (Endnotes)

1. Wallace, Daniel B., Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: an Exegetical syntax of the New Testament, (Zondervan, Grand Rapids, MI, 1996), pp. 471 and 472, 476 and 477; see also the definition of hina in BDAG (1 for purpose, and 2.g for command); hina in Thayer’s Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, (1 for purpose, 4.b for command). Hina + subjunctive can also express result, purpose-result, substantival, epexegetical, and complementary clauses, which we will not cover here (See, Wallace, Greek Grammar, p. 471). Close

2. Scripture quotations marked (NASB) are taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission. Scripture quotations marked HCSB are been taken from the Holman Christian Standard Bible, Copyright ©1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Holman Christian Standard Bible, Holman CSB, and HCSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers. Scripture quotations marked (ESV) are taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version™ © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NRSV) are taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright 1989, Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Scripture quotations marked (NET) are taken from the THE NET BIBLE®, NEW ENGLISH TRANSLATION COPYRIGHT © 1996 BY BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. NET Bible® IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK THE NET BIBLE® LOGO, SERVICE MARK COPYRIGHT © 1997 BY BIBLICAL STUDIES PRESS, L.L.C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Scripture quotations marked (NJB) are taken from the The New Jerusalem Bible. Biblical text copyright © 1985 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. Close

3. Actually, it would express both purpose and result, and is what is known as a purpose-result clause. So the meaning would be, “Send them out [with the purpose of and the result that] they lack nothing.” For similar disagreements between translators, see also Mark 10:51 and Revelation 14:13. Close

4. Versions that take this phrase as a purpose clause have to add words to the verse and thus make it an Ellipsis, as there are no corresponding Greek words for “He was born blind” (NRSV), or “this happened so that” (NIV). These phrases are added in the translation to fill in the words supposedly left out by the Ellipsis. If it is a command clause, however, there is no need to supply these words, for it simply reads, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but let the works of God be revealed in him.” Close

5. Gregory Boyd, God at War (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1997), pp. 231-234; Boyd also notes M. Zerwick, Biblical Greek, trans. J. Smith (Rome: Pontificio Instituto Biblico, 1963), pp. 141 and 142; C.F.D. Moule, An Idiom-Book of New Testament Greek, 2nd ed. (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1975), pp. 144 and 145; Nigel Turner, Grammatical Insights into the New Testament (Edinburgh: T & T Clark, 1965), pp. 145ff. Close

6. Boyd, God at War, p. 233. Close

7. For other command clauses see also: Matthew 20:33; Mark 5:23, 10:51, 12:19; 1 Corinthians 7:29, 16:16; 2 Corinthians 8:7; 1 John 3:11 and 23. Close