Tag Archives: John 14:22-24

Father, Son and Holy Spirit – Part 11

Posted on by

This is a continuation of my intent to become much more familiar with the Greek translation of יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ) and יֱהֹוִה֙ (yᵊhōvâ) in the Septuagint. I’ll begin with part of the Lord’s curse of the serpent to briefly consider another issue:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:15 (Tanakh) Table

Genesis 3:15 (NET)

Genesis 3:15 (NETS) Table

Genesis 3:15 (English Elpenor)
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; they shall bruise (יְשֽׁוּפְךָ֣) thy head, and thou shalt bruise (תְּשׁוּפֶ֥נּוּ) their heel.’ And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; he will strike (šûp̄, ישופך) your head, and you will strike (šûp̄, תשופנו) his heel.” And I will put enmity between you and between the woman and between your offspring and between her offspring; he will watch (τηρήσει) your head, and you will watch (τηρήσεις) his heel.” And I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed, he shall watch against (τηρήσει) thy head, and thou shalt watch against (τηρήσεις) his heel.

An entry titled “Seed of the woman” in Wikipedia online reads:

In Christianity, Genesis 3:15 is known as the protevangelium. This is a compound of two Greek words, protos meaning “first” and evangelion meaning “good news” or “gospel”. Thus, the verse is commonly referred to as the first mention in the Bible of the “good news” of salvation…

Identification of the “seed of the woman” with Jesus goes back at least as far as Irenaeus (180 AD)[12][13]…

I think of the NET as the “honest Bible,” not because it is necessarily the best overall translation, but because of its notes which “open the books” as it were on the scholarly guesswork that goes into Bible translation. An article by the Assistant Editor of the NET, “Consideration of Contexts in the Translation Philosophy of the NET Bible: Discussion and Examples,” reads:

Genesis 3:15 has had a long history of interpretation. At issue presently is whether this text refers to a single entity in conflict with another single entity, or whether groups are in view. The text of the verse in the NET Bible is as follows [not in the version online from which I quote]:

And I will put hostility between you and the woman and between your offspring and her offspring; they will attack your head, but you will attack their heel.

…At this time, the future coming of the Messiah had not been revealed, neither to the initial participants of the narrative nor to the author of the book. Therefore, it would be foreign to the original context to bring that meaning back into the passage in translation.

So the Lord God took this opportunity to address the origin of man’s antipathy for snakes? Whether the man and woman or Moses knew of the “coming of the Messiah” is irrelevant. The Lord God knew. Did He converse with a snake about the destiny of snakes or with the ancient serpent,1 who is the devil and Satan?2

I will utilize the work of scholars shamelessly when it corresponds to what the Lord is teaching me of Himself from his word. When it doesn’t, I remember Paul’s insight into those who would have dragged the Galatians under the law (Galatians 4:17 NET):

They court you eagerly, but for no good purpose; they want to exclude you, so that you would seek them eagerly.

I don’t often encounter aggressive scholars attempting to exclude me from the grace of God. I must decide, however, if I will believe the scholar’s work I am reading at any given moment or the Lord’s leading through his word. It’s really not a difficult decision: The Lord fills me with faith3 in Him and his word. Scholars are powerless to do likewise.

The Wikipedia entry “Seed of the woman” continued:

In Romans 16:20, there is perhaps the clearest reference to the Protoevangelium in the New Testament, “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” Here, the seed of the woman is identified as “the God of peace”, and yet the Church is identified as the feet that will bruise Satan’s head.[18] Martin Luther, in his Lectures on Romans, also identifies the seed of the woman with “the word of God in the church”.[19]

This connection seemed forced until I searched for τηρήσει, translated watch (Septuagint), the word the rabbis chose for יְשֽׁוּפְךָ֣ (šûp̄), translated bruise (Tanakh, KJV) and strike (NET). It only occurs once in the New Testament (John 14:22-24 NET).

“Lord,” Judas (not Judas Iscariot) said, “what has happened that you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?” Jesus replied, “If anyone loves me, he will obey (τηρήσει, a form of τηρέω) my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and take up residence with him [Table]. The person who does not love me does not obey (τηρεῖ, another form of τηρέω) my words. And the word you hear is not mine, but the Father’s who sent me.

Choosing obey for τηρήσει and τηρεῖ highlighted one aspect of τηρέω: “to act and live in conformity to.” But consider another word of the Lord (John 12:31-33 NET):

Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be driven out. And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” (Now he said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die) [Table].

It is not readily apparent how to “act and live in conformity to” this word. It is fairly straightforward how “to guard, keep watch over” it; how “to remain alert in anticipation” of it; how “to watch out for the loss of” it and “to inspect” it “closely”:

What is the judgment of this world? Jesus will draw all to Himself. How will the ruler of this world be driven out? Jesus will draw all to Himself. What did He mean by: I am lifted up from the earth? He said this to indicate clearly what kind of death he was going to die (e.g., crucifixion). The Greek word translated when was ἐὰν, if. In other words, if Jesus is crucified, He will draw all to Himself. To say He will not draw all to Himself is logically equivalent to saying He was not crucified: modus tollens.

Keeping this word makes it much easier to obey another in faith (Matthew 28:18-20 NET):

Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me [Table]. Therefore4 go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit [Table], teaching them to obey (τηρεῖν, another form of τηρέω) everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age” [Table].

The Lord turned to the woman:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:16 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:16 (NET)

Genesis 3:16 (NETS)

Genesis 3:16 (English Elpenor)
Unto the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply thy pain (עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ) and thy travail (וְהֵֽרֹנֵ֔ךְ); in pain (בְּעֶ֖צֶב) thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’ To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your labor (hērāyôn, והרנך ) pains (ʿiṣṣāḇôn, עצבונך); with pain (ʿēṣeḇ, בעצב) you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.” And to the woman he said, “I will increasingly increase your pains (τὰς λύπας σου) and your groaning (καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου); with pains (ἐν λύπαις) you will bring forth children. And your recourse will be to your husband, and he will dominate you.” And to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pains (τὰς λύπας σου) and thy groanings (καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου); in pain (ἐν λύπαις) thou shalt bring forth children, and thy submission shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

In the Septuagint two different Hebrew words, עִצְּבוֹנֵ֣ךְ (ʿiṣṣāḇôn) and בְּעֶ֖צֶב (ʿēṣeḇ), were translated with forms of λύπη: λύπας and λύπαις. Jesus used the analogy of a woman’s reactions to childbirth to forewarn and promise his disciples how they would react to his death and resurrection (John 16:20-22 NET).

I tell you the solemn truth, you will weep and wail, but the world will rejoice; you will be sad (λυπηθήσεσθε, a form of λυπέω), but your sadness (λύπη) will turn into joy. When a woman gives birth, she has distress (λύπην, another form of λύπη) because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer5 remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. So also you have sorrow (λύπην, another form of λύπη) now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you.

The Lord turned to the man.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:17-19 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:17-19 (NET)

Genesis 3:17-19 (NETS)

Genesis 3:17-19 (English Elpenor)
And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil (בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. But to Adam he said, “Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ the ground is cursed because of you; in painful toil (ʿiṣṣāḇôn, בעצבון) you will eat of it all the days of your life. Then to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, of this one alone, not to eat from it, cursed is the earth in your labors; with pains (ἐν λύπαις) you will eat it all the days of your life; And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it only not to eat– of that thou hast eaten, cursed [is] the ground in thy labours, in pain (ἐν λύπαις) shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field. thorns and thistles it shall cause to grow up for you, and you will eat the herbage of the field. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken, for you are earth and to earth you will depart.” In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread until thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken, for earth thou art and to earth thou shalt return.

Here again, בְּעִצָּבוֹן֙ (ʿiṣṣāḇôn)—in toil (Tanakh), in sorrow (KJV), in painful toil (NET)—was translated with a form of λύπη: ἐν λύπαις. Paul alluded to this worldly sadness [that] brings about death (2 Corinthians 7:8-10 NET):

For even if I made you sad (ἐλύπησα, a form of λυπέω) by my letter, I do not regret having written it (even though I did regret it, for I see that my letter made you sad [ἐλύπησεν, another form of λυπέω], though only for a short time). Now I rejoice, not because you were made sad (ἐλυπήθητε, another form of λυπέω), but because you were made sad (ἐλυπήθητε, another form of λυπέω) to the point of repentance. For you were made sad (ἐλυπήθητε, another form of λυπέω) as God intended, so that you were not harmed in any way by us. For sadness (λύπη) as intended by God produces a repentance that leads6 to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness (λύπη) brings about death.

This worldly sadness (λύπη) [that] brings about death7 was the Lord’s word to Adam (e.g., humanity): cursed is the earth in your labors; with pains (ἐν λύπαις) you will eat it all the days of your life8…until you return to the earth from which you were taken, for you are earth and to earth you will depart.9 But sadness (λύπη) as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation.10 In another essay I wrote:

The serpent trusted (Genesis 3:4, 5) his own partially true knowledge rather than God’s command. The woman trusted (Genesis 3:6) the serpent’s knowledge and her own desires rather than God’s command. The man trusted (Genesis 3:6) his wife rather than God’s command.

While there was no way to undo what had been done, this analysis points the way to a repentance that leads to salvation; namely, to trust God’s word over that of all others. The narrative continued:

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:20 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:20 (NET)

Genesis 3:20 (NETS)

Genesis 3:20 (English Elpenor)
And the man called his wife’s name Eve (חַוָּ֑ה); because she was the mother of all living (חָֽי). The man named his wife Eve (ḥaûâ, חוה), because she was the mother of all the living (ḥay, חי). And Adam called the name of his wife Life (Ζωή), because she is the mother of all the living (τῶν ζώντων). And Adam called the name of his wife Life (Ζωή), because she was the mother of all living (τῶν ζώντων).

Though this is an interesting choice of names, I find it difficult to glean whether Adam had repented or continued to trust in his wife. Nevertheless, the Lord God made clothes for both of them, to cover their newly perceived nakedness.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:21 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:21 (NET)

Genesis 3:21 (NETS)

Genesis 3:21 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֨ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֜ים) made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. The Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) made leather tunics for Adam and for his wife and clothed them. And the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.

Here the narrator called God יְהֹוָ֨ה (Yᵊhōvâ), which was corroborated by Κύριος in the Septuagint. If Adam or Eve had any lingering uncertainty about death, the corpses of the animals the Lord skinned to clothe them was a vivid education.

Masoretic Text

Septuagint

Genesis 3:22-24 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:22-24 (NET)

Genesis 3:22-24 (NETS)

Genesis 3:22-24 (English Elpenor)
And HaShem (יְהֹוָ֣ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֗ים) said: ‘Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever’ [Table]. And the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” Then God (ὁ θεός) said, “See, Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now perhaps he might reach out his hand and take of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” [Table]. And God (ὁ Θεός) said, Behold, Adam is become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now lest at any time he stretch forth his hand, and take of the tree of life and eat, and [so] he shall live forever–
Therefore HaShem (יְהֹוָ֥ה) G-d (אֱלֹהִ֖ים) sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken [Table]. So the Lord (Yᵊhōvâ, יהוה) God (‘ĕlōhîm, אלהים) expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. And the Lord (κύριος) God (ὁ θεὸς) sent him forth from the orchard of delight to till the earth from which he was taken [Table]. So the Lord (Κύριος) God (ὁ Θεὸς) sent him forth out of the garden of Delight to cultivate the ground out of which he was taken.
So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep (לִשְׁמֹ֕ר) the way to the tree of life. When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard (šāmar, לשמר) the way to the tree of life. And he drove Adam out and caused him to dwell opposite the orchard of delight, and he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turns, to guard (φυλάσσειν) the way to the tree of life. And he cast out Adam and caused him to dwell over against the garden of Delight, and stationed the cherubs and the fiery sword that turns about to keep (φυλάσσειν) the way of the tree of life.

The Lord God’s word is true: He did what He said and made it so. They will surely die. I’ll pick this up in another essay.

According to a note (72) in the NET Jesus alluded to Isaiah 66:14. A table comparing the Greek of John 16:22b with that of Isaiah 66:14 in the Septuagint follows:

Isaiah 66:14 (NET Parallel Greek)

Isaiah 66:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 66:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
πάλιν δὲ ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς, καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία, καὶ τὴν χαρὰν ὑμῶν οὐδεὶς |αἴρει| ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν καὶ ὄψεσθε καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν ὡς βοτάνη ἀνατελεῖ καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ κυρίου τοῖς σεβομένοις αὐτόν καὶ ἀπειλήσει τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν καὶ ὄψεσθε, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν ὡς βοτάνη ἀνατελεῖ καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπειλήσει τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν

Isaiah 66:14 (NET)

Isaiah 66:14 (NETS)

Isaiah 66:14 (English Elpenor)
but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy away from you. You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall grow like grass, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to those who worship him, and he shall threaten those who disobey him. And ye shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall thrive like grass: and the hand of the Lord shall be known to them that fear him, and he shall threaten the disobedient.

Tables comparing Genesis 3:16; 3:17; 3:18; 3:19; 3:20; 3:21; 3:24 and Isaiah 66:14 in the Tanakh, KJV and NET; and tables comparing Genesis 3:16; 3:17; 3:18; 3:19; 3:20; 3:21; 3:24 and Isaiah 66:14 in the BLB and Elpenor versions of the Septuagint with the English translations from Hebrew and Greek, and tables comparing the Greek of Revelation 20:2, John 16:21 and 2 Corinthians 7:10 in the NET and KJV follow.

Genesis 3:16 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:16 (KJV)

Genesis 3:16 (NET)
Unto the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy travail; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.’ Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. To the woman he said, “I will greatly increase your labor pains; with pain you will give birth to children. You will want to control your husband, but he will dominate you.”

Genesis 3:16 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:16 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ εἶπεν πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ εἶπε· πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου· ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου, καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει

Genesis 3:16 (NETS)

Genesis 3:16 (English Elpenor)
And to the woman he said, “I will increasingly increase your pains and your groaning; with pains you will bring forth children. And your recourse will be to your husband, and he will dominate you.” And to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pains and thy groanings; in pain thou shalt bring forth children, and thy submission shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Genesis 3:17 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:17 (KJV)

Genesis 3:17 (NET)
And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; But to Adam he said, “Because you obeyed your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ the ground is cursed because of you; in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:17 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:17 (Septuagint Elpenor)
τῷ δὲ Αδαμ εἶπεν ὅτι ἤκουσας τῆς φωνῆς τῆς γυναικός σου καὶ ἔφαγες ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν ἀπ᾽ αὐτοῦ ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου ἐν λύπαις φάγῃ αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου τῷ δὲ ᾿Αδὰμ εἶπεν· ὅτι ἤκουσας τῆς φωνῆς τῆς γυναικός σου καὶ ἔφαγες ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν, ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες, ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου· ἐν λύπαις φαγῇ αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου

Genesis 3:17 (NETS)

Genesis 3:17 (English Elpenor)
Then to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, of this one alone, not to eat from it, cursed is the earth in your labors; with pains you will eat it all the days of your life; And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree concerning which I charged thee of it only not to eat– of that thou hast eaten, cursed [is] the ground in thy labours, in pain shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life.

Genesis 3:18 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:18 (KJV)

Genesis 3:18 (NET)
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; It will produce thorns and thistles for you, but you will eat the grain of the field.

Genesis 3:18 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:18 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι καὶ φάγῃ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι, καὶ φαγῇ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ

Genesis 3:18 (NETS)

Genesis 3:18 (English Elpenor)
thorns and thistles it shall cause to grow up for you, and you will eat the herbage of the field. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

Genesis 3:19 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:19 (KJV)

Genesis 3:19 (NET)
In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. By the sweat of your brow you will eat food until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”

Genesis 3:19 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:19 (Septuagint Elpenor)
ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φάγῃ τὸν ἄρτον σου ἕως τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήμφθης ὅτι γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῇ τὸν ἄρτον σου, ἕως τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι σε εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἐξ ἧς ἐλήφθης, ὅτι γῆ εἶ καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ

Genesis 3:19 (NETS)

Genesis 3:19 (English Elpenor)
By the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the earth from which you were taken, for you are earth and to earth you will depart.” In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat thy bread until thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken, for earth thou art and to earth thou shalt return.

Genesis 3:20 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:20 (KJV)

Genesis 3:20 (NET)
And the man called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living. The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living.

Genesis 3:20 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:20 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Αδαμ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Ζωή ὅτι αὕτη μήτηρ πάντων τῶν ζώντων καὶ ἐκάλεσεν ᾿Αδὰμ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Ζωή, ὅτι αὕτη μήτηρ πάντων τῶν ζώντων

Genesis 3:20 (NETS)

Genesis 3:20 (English Elpenor)
And Adam called the name of his wife Life, because she is the mother of all the living. And Adam called the name of his wife Life, because she was the mother of all living.

Genesis 3:21 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:21 (KJV)

Genesis 3:21 (NET)
And HaShem G-d made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins, and clothed them. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. The Lord God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:21 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐποίησεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ Αδαμ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ χιτῶνας δερματίνους καὶ ἐνέδυσεν αὐτούς Καὶ ἐποίησε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ χιτῶνας δερματίνους καὶ ἐνέδυσεν αὐτούς

Genesis 3:21 (NETS)

Genesis 3:21 (English Elpenor)
And the Lord God made leather tunics for Adam and for his wife and clothed them. And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.

Genesis 3:24 (Tanakh)

Genesis 3:24 (KJV)

Genesis 3:24 (NET)
So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3:24 (Septuagint BLB)

Genesis 3:24 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ἐξέβαλεν τὸν Αδαμ καὶ κατῴκισεν αὐτὸν ἀπέναντι τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἔταξεν τὰ χερουβιμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ ἐξέβαλε τὸν ᾿Αδὰμ καὶ κατῴκισεν αὐτὸν ἀπέναντι τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς καὶ ἔταξε τὰ Χερουβὶμ καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ρομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς

Genesis 3:24 (NETS)

Genesis 3:24 (English Elpenor)
And he drove Adam out and caused him to dwell opposite the orchard of delight, and he stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword that turns, to guard the way to the tree of life. And he cast out Adam and caused him to dwell over against the garden of Delight, and stationed the cherubs and the fiery sword that turns about to keep the way of the tree of life.

Isaiah 66:14 (Tanakh)

Isaiah 66:14 (KJV)

Isaiah 66:14 (NET)
And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. And when ye see this, your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall flourish like an herb: and the hand of the LORD shall be known toward his servants, and his indignation toward his enemies. When you see this, you will be happy, and you will be revived. The Lord will reveal his power to his servants and his anger to his enemies.

Isaiah 66:14 (Septuagint BLB)

Isaiah 66:14 (Septuagint Elpenor)
καὶ ὄψεσθε καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν ὡς βοτάνη ἀνατελεῖ καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ κυρίου τοῖς σεβομένοις αὐτόν καὶ ἀπειλήσει τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν καὶ ὄψεσθε, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν, καὶ τὰ ὀστᾶ ὑμῶν ὡς βοτάνη ἀνατελεῖ· καὶ γνωσθήσεται ἡ χεὶρ Κυρίου τοῖς φοβουμένοις αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπειλήσει τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν

Isaiah 66:14 (NETS)

Isaiah 66:14 (English Elpenor)
You shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall grow like grass, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to those who worship him, and he shall threaten those who disobey him. And ye shall see, and your heart shall rejoice, and your bones shall thrive like grass: and the hand of the Lord shall be known to them that fear him, and he shall threaten the disobedient.

Revelation 20:2 (NET)

Revelation 20:2 (KJV)
He seized the dragon—the ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan—and tied him up for a thousand years. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,

Revelation 20:2 (NET Parallel Greek)

Revelation 20:2 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

Revelation 20:2 (Byzantine Majority Text)
καὶ ἐκράτησεν τὸν δράκοντα, ὁ ὄφις ὁ ἀρχαῖος, ὅς ἐστιν Διάβολος καὶ ὁ Σατανᾶς, καὶ ἔδησεν αὐτὸν χίλια ἔτη και εκρατησεν τον δρακοντα τον οφιν τον αρχαιον ος εστιν διαβολος και σατανας και εδησεν αυτον χιλια ετη και εκρατησεν τον δρακοντα τον οφιν τον αρχαιον ος εστιν διαβολος και ο σατανας ο πλανων την οικουμενην ολην και εδησεν αυτον χιλια ετη

John 16:21 (NET)

John 16:21 (KJV)
When a woman gives birth, she has distress because her time has come, but when her child is born, she no longer remembers the suffering because of her joy that a human being has been born into the world. A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

John 16:21 (NET Parallel Greek)

John 16:21 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

John 16:21 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἡ γυνὴ ὅταν τίκτῃ λύπην ἔχει, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα αὐτῆς· ὅταν δὲ γεννήσῃ τὸ παιδίον, οὐκέτι μνημονεύει τῆς θλίψεως διὰ τὴν χαρὰν ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν κόσμον η γυνη οταν τικτη λυπην εχει οτι ηλθεν η ωρα αυτης οταν δε γεννηση το παιδιον ουκ ετι μνημονευει της θλιψεως δια την χαραν οτι εγεννηθη ανθρωπος εις τον κοσμον η γυνη οταν τικτη λυπην εχει οτι ηλθεν η ωρα αυτης οταν δε γεννηση το παιδιον ουκετι μνημονευει της θλιψεως δια την χαραν οτι εγεννηθη ανθρωπος εις τον κοσμον

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NET)

2 Corinthians 7:10 (KJV)
For sadness as intended by God produces a repentance that leads to salvation, leaving no regret, but worldly sadness brings about death. For godly sorrow worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of: but the sorrow of the world worketh death.

2 Corinthians 7:10 (NET Parallel Greek)

2 Corinthians 7:10 (Stephanus Textus Receptus)

2 Corinthians 7:10 (Byzantine Majority Text)
ἡ γὰρ κατὰ θεὸν λύπη μετάνοιαν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἀμεταμέλητον ἐργάζεται· ἡ δὲ τοῦ κόσμου λύπη θάνατον κατεργάζεται η γαρ κατα θεον λυπη μετανοιαν εις σωτηριαν αμεταμελητον κατεργαζεται η δε του κοσμου λυπη θανατον κατεργαζεται η γαρ κατα θεον λυπη μετανοιαν εις σωτηριαν αμεταμελητον κατεργαζεται η δε του κοσμου λυπη θανατον κατεργαζεται

2 Revelation 20:2 (NET) The NET parallel Greek text and NA28 had the article ὁ preceding Satan. The Stephanus Textus Receptus and Byzantine Majority Text did not.

3 The Greek word translated faithfulness in Paul’s description of the fruit of the Spirit is πίστις: live by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16 NET).

7 2 Corinthians 7:10b (NET)

8 Genesis 3:17b (NETS)

9 Genesis 3:19b (NETS)

10 2 Corinthians 7:10a (NET)

My Deeds, Part 1

Posted on by

In another essay I contrasted 1 Corinthians 5:9-13 and Revelation 2:26-29.  I’ve wanted to return to the latter for a while.  Here is a table representing my unstudied view of the relationship of its clauses in English.

Revelation 2:26-29 (NET)
And to the one who conquers and who continues in my deeds until the end,

I will give him authority over the nations –
he will rule them with an iron rod and like clay jars he will break them to pieces,
just as I have received the right to rule from my Father – and I will give him the morning star.

The one who has an ear had better hear what the Spirit says to the churches.

To begin I’ll consider who continues in my deeds until the end, because it tugs the hardest at me to return to my own works.  As the title of this essay suggests my goal is to understand what Jesus meant by τὰ ἔργα μου, translated my deeds.  But first I’ll look into τηρῶν (a form of τηρέω), translated who continues.

The most basic understanding of τηρῶν is: Blessed is the one who stays alert and does not lose (τηρῶν, a form of τηρέω) his clothes so that he will not have to walk around naked and his shameful condition be seen.[1]  It means to keep, not to lose or discard.  He who has My commandments and keeps (τηρῶν, a form of τηρέω) them, Jesus said, is the one who loves Me.[2]

In another essay I described shacking-up “with my girlfriend du jour” as a time when “I began to walk in the grace of Christ’s salvation.”  Of course, I shacked up with my girlfriend because I was trying to believe that Christ put an “end” to the law and all things were “lawful” for me.  In other words, I was attempting to lose or discard Jesus’ commandments (ignoring for the moment that the main “commandment” at issue in my mind was the suspect “sin of premarital sex”).

Jesus wasn’t perplexed by my conundrum.  Suddenly I was filled with desire to write a rock opera about Him.  I became immersed in the words of the four Gospel narratives.  Among those words was: He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me.  Though I read the word keeps, I heard the word obeys.  I thought keeps meant obeys at that time: The person who has my commandments and obeys (τηρῶν, a form of τηρέω) them is the one who loves me.[3]

So when I married my roommate, though I had certainly fallen away from grace since I was trying to be declared righteous by the law,[4] I was done for the moment with my attempt to lose or discard Jesus’ commandments.  I can’t say I was obeying them.  Obedience apart from grace is hypocrisy, an actor playing at righteousness.

The Circle in the movie of the same name is a religious cult/high-tech company.  There are many spoilers here.  During a weekly worship service called Dream Friday tech evangelist Eamon Bailey (Tom Hanks), one of the founders, introduces a new low-cost, wireless, internet-enabled camera to the faithful, called Circlers.  These cameras, connected to The Circle, are being placed all over the world.  “There needs to be accountability,” Eamon preaches.  “Tyrants and terrorists can no longer hide.  We will see them.  We will hear them.  We will hear and see everything.  If it happens, we’ll know.  We’re calling it SeeChange.”

A new employee Mae Holland (Emma Watson) sits in the congregation drinking the Kool-Aid (as she admits to another Circler later in the film).  “We will see it all because knowing is good,” Eamon proclaims, “but knowing everything is better.”

“We need accountability.  We need openness,” Tom Stenton (Patton Oswalt), COO of The Circle, concurs as he introduces Congresswoman Olivia Santos (Judy Reyes) at another worship service.  “I intend to show exactly how democracy can and should be,” Congresswoman Santos thrills Tom’s congregation.  “Starting today, my every meeting, my every phone call and email will be accessible to my constituents and to the world in real time.”

“Hello, democracy!  Open and accountable!” Tom seals the deal.

One night SeaChange cameras and monitoring help save Mae’s life after a misguided kayaking accident.  Tom and Eamon counsel her after the incident.  “I am a believer in the perfectibility of human beings,” Eamon admits.  “When we are our best selves, the possibilities are endless.  There isn’t a problem that we cannot solve.  We can cure any disease, and we can end hunger.”  Mae is a repentant convert.  “Without secrets,” Eamon concludes, “without the hoarding of knowledge and information, we can finally realize our potential.”

“I committed a crime” Mae confesses before the Circlers.  “I borrowed a kayak without the owner’s knowledge, paddled out to the middle of the bay and I wasn’t wearing a life jacket.”

“So, Mae,” Eamon asks, “do you think you behave better or worse when you are being watched?”

“Better.  Without a doubt.”

“What happens when you’re alone and unobserved?”

“Well, for starters, I steal kayaks.  Seriously, I do things I don’t wanna do.  I lie…secrets are lies.  Secrets are what make crimes possible.  We behave worse when we’re not accountable.  I was my worst self because I didn’t think anyone was watching.  I thought that I was alone…Knowledge is a basic human right.  Access to all possible human experience is a basic human right…From now on I’ll be wearing a modified SeeChange camera at all times.  I’m going fully transparent.”

My personal logline for The Circle is “Cyber-bullying with a great warm smile.”  But the attempt to drive a preachy plot with a series of worship services didn’t fare any better for a mainstream movie than it does for a Christian film.  And when Tom and Eamon bully Mae in front of the congregation into becoming complicit in her friend’s accidental death, she doesn’t rise up and race against the clock and certain death to consume The Circle in slow-motion fireballs.  The Circle is not presented as evil through Mae’s eyes but as a necessary good.

From the beginning she believed that the needs of society and the needs of the individual are the same.  “When someone dies in a plane crash,” she explains to her disbelieving parents, clinging desperately to their sick old ideas of personal privacy, “you don’t abandon planes.  You make them safer.”  And with the self-assurance that “I’m the only one who can do this,” Mae flips the script on Eamon and Tom, becomes high priestess of the cult and leads the Circlers into the light.

Still, I enjoyed the film’s depiction of the religious mind in a non-theistic context.  And it was a welcome reminder that forced righteousness under an ever-watchful eye is not the righteousness of God through the faithfulness of Jesus Christ for all who believe.[5]  The table below contrasts the NASB and NET translations of John 14:21.

NASB

NET
He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him. The person who has my commandments and obeys them is the one who loves me.  The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and will reveal myself to him.

Though keeps may be a lower standard than obeys, the flow here is still fairly clear and appears that there is something one must do before Jesus will disclose or will reveal Himself to that person, not to mention love.  I looked into ἐμφανίσω (a form of ἐμφανίζω) the Greek word translated will disclose and will reveal.  It only occurred this once, so I made a table of all the forms of ἐμφανίζω.

Form of ἐμφανίζω Reference KJV

NET
ἐμφανίσατε Acts 23:15 …ye with the council signify to the chief captain… …you and the council request the commanding officer…
ἐμφανίσω John 14:21 …I will love him, and will manifest myself to him… …I will love him and will reveal myself to him.
ἐμφανισθῆναι Hebrews 9:24 …to appear in the presence of God for us… …and he appears now in God’s presence for us.
ἐμφανίζειν John 14:22 …thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? …you are going to reveal yourself to us and not to the world?
ἐμφανίζουσιν Hebrews 11:14 …they that say such things declare plainly… …those who speak in such a way make it clear…
ἐνεφάνισαν Acts 24:1 …who informed the governor against Paul. …they brought formal charges against Paul to the governor.
Acts 25:2 Then the high priest and the chief of the Jews informed him against Paul, and besought him… So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him.
Acts 25:15 …the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me… …the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him…
ἐνεφάνισας Acts 23:22 See thou tell no man that thou hast showed these things to me. Tell no one that you have reported these things to me.
ἐνεφανίσθησαν Matthew 27:53 …and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. …and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

The most basic meaning is to appear in person (Hebrews 9:24; Matthew 27:53).  And that sense was certainly true in John 14:21 and 22:  After his resurrection Jesus appeared (ἐφανερώθη, a form of φανερόω) in a different form to two of them while they were on their way to the country.[6]  Then he appeared (ἐφανερώθη, a form of φανερόω) to the eleven themselves, while they were eating…[7]  After this Jesus revealed (ἐφανέρωσεν, another form of φανερόω) himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias.[8]  This was now the third time Jesus was revealed (ἐφανερώθη, a form of φανερόω) to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.[9]  But not once did He reveal Himself in person to Ananias, Caiaphas, the Pharisees (other than Saul) or the experts in the law after his resurrection.

“Lord, what then has happened” Judas (not Iscariot) asked, “that You are going to disclose (ἐμφανίζειν, another form of ἐμφανίζω) Yourself to us and not to the world?”  Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me [e.g., if anyone has My commandments and keeps them], he will keep (τηρήσει, another form of τηρέω) My word (λόγον, a form of λόγος); and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our abode with him.  He who does not love Me [e.g., does not have or keep My commandments] does not keep (τηρεῖ, another form of τηρέω) My words (λόγους, another form of λόγος); and the word (λόγος) which you hear is not Mine, but the Father’s who sent Me.[10]

I know that you are Abraham’s descendants, Jesus said.  But you want to kill me, because my teaching (λόγος) makes no progress among you[11] (NASB: My word has no place in you).  And, Having no regard for the command of God, you hold fast to human tradition…Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down.[12]  In other words, they did not keep his word or his commandments and He did not disclose or reveal Himself to them by a personal appearance after his resurrection.

There are five other occurrences (Acts 23:15, 22; 24:1; 25:2, 15) of forms of ἐμφανίζω which included personal appearance but the communication of certain information was also of key importance.  I’ll highlight two of them because they remind me of my own experience studying the Bible.

The chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges (ἐνεφάνισαν, another form of ἐμφανίζω) against Paul to[13] Festus, the Roman governor.  Describing those charges Festus said (Acts 25:15-19 NET):

When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed (ἐνεφάνισαν, another form of ἐμφανίζω) me about [Paul], asking for a sentence of condemnation against him.  I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met his accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation.  So after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought.  When his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the evil deeds (πονηρῶν, a form of πονηρός) I had suspected.  Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion (δεισιδαιμονίας, a form of δεισιδαιμονία) and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive.

In Jerusalem the information Festus received from the chief priests and the elders of the Jews formed an image in his mind based largely on his own knowledge and experience—the evil deeds I had suspected.  On further examination at trial in Caesarea Festus’ erroneous ideas were corrected—they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive.  Though Festus received more information and even some more clarity about Paul’s situation, he acknowledged: I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters…[14]  My point here is that the information, and understanding the information presented, had taken precedence over the personal appearance aspects of ἐμφανίζω.

Finally, one occurrence of a form of ἐμφανίζω referenced people of the past, known only through Scripture: These all died in faith without receiving the things promised, but they saw them in the distance and welcomed them and acknowledged that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth.  For those who speak [e.g., through words recorded in the Bible] in such a way make it clear (ἐμφανίζουσιν, another form of ἐμφανίζω) that they are seeking a homeland.[15]  And it is in this way that I think Jesus’ words have meaning for me here and now.  He will disclose or will reveal Himself to me through Scripture if I love Him, which means if I have his commandments and keep them.

So why was I filled with desire to write a rock opera about Jesus even as I attempted to lose or discard his commandments?  Why wasn’t I filled with desire to write a rock opera about Aleister Crowley?  I certainly knew of him.  No one gets very deep into rock music without hearing about its patron saint. “Harm None, Do as You Will” was much closer to my mantra at that moment than anything Jesus had said.

Before Jesus said—He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me—He said—If you love Me, you will keep (τηρήσετε, another form of τηρέω) My commandments.[16]  Then[17] he introduced the Holy Spirit (John 14:16, 17 NASB).

I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you.

If I remember that the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control,[18] then what Jesus said logically was:

  1. If you love Me, you will keep My commandments.
  2. You will love Me (e.g., the fruit of the Spirit).
  3. Therefore, you will keep My commandments.

The simple answer to my question then is that I was filled with desire to write a rock opera about Jesus because his Holy Spirit is alive and well.  Aleister Crowley is dead.  (I’ll ignore for the moment that spirits which may or may not have influenced him are alive still.  They obviously had little or no influence on me.)  But what do I make of Jesus’ other statement?  He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him.

The implication here is that if I do not have and keep his commandments He will not disclose Himself to me.  But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, He also said, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.[19]  How do I reconcile these two?

Do not extinguish the Spirit,[20] Paul wrote the Thessalonians without any explanation.  I think I’ve found here one way to extinguish the Spirit (in me, not in anyone else); namely, to lose or discard Jesus’ commandments, whether deliberately by conscious rejection or holding fast instead to the traditions of human religion so that his teaching (λόγος) makes no progress in me.  But if I were to teach others the traditions of human religion that nullify the word of God, though my power would be less than absolute, I might become instrumental in extinguishing the Spirit in them as well. 

I’ll pick this up in another essay.

[1] Revelation 16:15b (NET)

[2] John 14:21a (NASB)

[3] John 14:21a (NET)

[4] Galatians 5:4 (NET) Table

[5] Romans 3:22a (NET)

[6] Mark 16:12 (NET)

[7] Mark 16:14 (NET)

[8] John 21:1a (NET)

[9] John 21:14 (NET)

[10] John 14:22-24 (NASB)

[11] John 8:37 (NET)

[12] Mark 7:8, 13a (NET)

[13] Acts 25:2 (NET)

[14] Acts 25:20a (NET)

[15] Hebrews 11:13, 14 (NET)

[16] John 14:15 (NASB)

[17] By adding then to the text the NET translators have made it seem as if Jesus said, If you love me and you keep my commandments then I will ask the Father…   This then however does not make the second clause logically dependent on the first two.  It is simply an irregular translation of (καγὼ, a form of κἀγώ) and means no more than Jesus said this then He said that as they acknowledge in a footnote 36.

[18] Galatians 5:23, 24a (NET)

[19] John 14:26 (NASB)

[20] 1 Thessalonians 5:19 (NET)