John / Chapter 2

John 2

25 verses • SBL Greek New Testament

Translator's Introduction

What This Chapter Is About

John 2 presents two dramatically different scenes that together establish Jesus's authority over both celebration and worship. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus performs his first sign — transforming water into wine — revealing his glory and prompting his disciples to believe. In Jerusalem, he enters the temple and drives out the merchants and money changers, provoking the authorities to demand a sign of his authority. Jesus responds with a cryptic prophecy about destroying and raising 'this temple' in three days, which the narrator explains refers to his body and resurrection.

What Makes This Chapter Remarkable

John identifies the Cana miracle as the 'beginning of signs' (archen ton semeion), using his distinctive word semeion ('sign') rather than the Synoptic dynamis ('mighty work'). A sign in John is not merely a display of power but a revelation of identity — each sign points beyond itself to who Jesus is. The six stone water jars 'for Jewish purification rites' symbolically represent the old order that Jesus transforms. The temple action, placed at the beginning of Jesus's ministry rather than at the end as in the Synoptics, signals John's theological rather than chronological arrangement.

Translation Friction

Jesus's address to his mother as 'Woman' (gynai) sounds harsh in English but was a respectful form of address in Greek. His statement 'My hour has not yet come' introduces the 'hour' motif that runs through the Gospel, pointing to his death and glorification. The temple cleansing's placement differs from the Synoptics — scholars debate whether this represents a different event, a theological rearrangement, or a literary convention. We render without harmonizing.

Connections

The wine miracle connects to Old Testament imagery of wine as a sign of the messianic age (Isaiah 25:6, Amos 9:13-14, Joel 3:18). The temple action connects to Psalm 69:9 ('Zeal for your house will consume me'), Malachi 3:1-3 (the Lord suddenly coming to his temple), and the destruction/rebuilding motif that recurs at Jesus's trial (Mark 14:58). The pattern of sign followed by controversy will structure the entire first half of the Gospel.

John 2:1

Καὶ τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ τρίτῃ γάμος ἐγένετο ἐν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας, καὶ ἦν ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκεῖ·

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there.

KJV And the third day there was a marriage in Cana of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The 'third day' continues John's opening day-sequence (1:29, 1:35, 1:43, now 2:1). Some scholars see a symbolic connection to the resurrection 'on the third day.' John never names Jesus's mother — she is always 'the mother of Jesus' or 'woman,' a pattern that may emphasize her role rather than her personal identity.
John 2:2

ἐκλήθη δὲ καὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸν γάμον.

Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding.

KJV And both Jesus was called, and his disciples, to the marriage.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The passive eklethe ('was called, invited') indicates Jesus attended as a guest, not as a host or official. The presence of 'his disciples' shows the group from chapter 1 is already functioning as a recognizable unit.
John 2:3

καὶ ὑστερήσαντος οἴνου λέγει ἡ μήτηρ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ πρὸς αὐτόν· οἶνον οὐκ ἔχουσιν.

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine."

KJV And when they wanted wine, the mother of Jesus saith unto him, They have no wine.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Running out of wine at a wedding was a serious social embarrassment in the ancient Near East, where hospitality obligations were paramount. The mother's statement is not merely informational but implicitly requests action. The Greek hysteresantos oinou ('the wine having failed') uses a genitive absolute construction indicating the wine was completely gone, not merely running low.
John 2:4

καὶ λέγει αὐτῇ ὁ Ἰησοῦς· τί ἐμοὶ καὶ σοί, γύναι; οὔπω ἥκει ἡ ὥρα μου.

Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does that have to do with me? My hour has not yet come."

KJV Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The address gynai ('woman') was a respectful form in Greek, comparable to 'ma'am' — not dismissive as it sounds in English. The idiom ti emoi kai soi ('what to me and to you?') is a Semitic expression creating distance — 'what concern is that of ours?' or 'why involve me?' The 'hour' (hora) is a loaded theological term in John, referring to Jesus's death, resurrection, and glorification (cf. 7:30, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 17:1). Jesus's public ministry operates on a divine timetable.
John 2:5

λέγει ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ τοῖς διακόνοις· ὅ τι ἂν λέγῃ ὑμῖν ποιήσατε.

His mother said to the servants, "Whatever he tells you, do it."

KJV His mother saith unto the servants, Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. Despite Jesus's apparent reluctance, his mother proceeds with confident expectation. Her instruction to the servants (diakonois, 'attendants, servants') echoes the language of covenant obedience — 'whatever he tells you, do it' resonates with Israel's response at Sinai (Exodus 19:8, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do'). The word diakonos is the root of 'deacon.'
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Exodus 19:8 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
John 2:6

ἦσαν δὲ ἐκεῖ λίθιναι ὑδρίαι ἓξ κατὰ τὸν καθαρισμὸν τῶν Ἰουδαίων κείμεναι, χωροῦσαι ἀνὰ μετρητὰς δύο ἢ τρεῖς.

Now six stone water jars were standing there for the Jewish rites of purification, each holding two or three measures.

KJV And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The detail that the jars were 'for Jewish purification rites' (kata ton katharismon ton Ioudaion) is theologically significant — Jesus transforms the water of ritual cleansing into the wine of celebration. A metretes was approximately 9 gallons (34 liters), making the total volume between 108 and 162 gallons — an extraordinary quantity, signaling the abundance of the messianic age. The number six (one short of seven, the number of completion) may symbolize the incompleteness of the old order that Jesus is about to fulfill.
John 2:7

λέγει αὐτοῖς ὁ Ἰησοῦς· γεμίσατε τὰς ὑδρίας ὕδατος. καὶ ἐγέμισαν αὐτὰς ἕως ἄνω.

Jesus said to them, "Fill the jars with water." And they filled them to the brim.

KJV Jesus saith unto them, Fill the waterpots with water. And they filled them up to the brim.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The servants' immediate obedience follows the mother's instruction in verse 5. The phrase heos ano ('up to the top, to the brim') emphasizes completeness — there is no room for anyone to add wine, eliminating the possibility of fraud. The human action (filling jars) and the divine action (transforming the contents) work together.
John 2:8

καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· ἀντλήσατε νῦν καὶ φέρετε τῷ ἀρχιτρικλίνῳ· οἱ δὲ ἤνεγκαν.

Then he said to them, "Now draw some out and take it to the master of the feast." So they took it.

KJV And he saith unto them, Draw out now, and bear unto the governor of the feast. And they bare it.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The architriklinos ('master of the feast, head steward') was the person responsible for managing the banquet, including tasting and serving the wine. The verb antlesate ('draw out') was used for drawing water from a well — Jesus does not announce a miracle but simply instructs them to serve what they have drawn.
John 2:9

ὡς δὲ ἐγεύσατο ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον γεγενημένον καὶ οὐκ ᾔδει πόθεν ἐστίν, οἱ δὲ διάκονοι ᾔδεισαν οἱ ἠντληκότες τὸ ὕδωρ, φωνεῖ τὸν νυμφίον ὁ ἀρχιτρίκλινος

When the master of the feast tasted the water that had become wine — not knowing where it came from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew — he called the bridegroom

KJV When the ruler of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and knew not whence it was: (but the servants which drew the water knew;) the master of the feast called the bridegroom,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. John creates a layered irony: the master of the feast has no idea what has happened, the servants know the physical fact but perhaps not its significance, and only the disciples will understand the sign. The word pothen ('from where') carries theological weight in John — the question of where Jesus and his gifts come from points to his divine origin (cf. 3:8, 7:27-28, 8:14, 9:29-30, 19:9).
John 2:10

καὶ λέγει αὐτῷ· πᾶς ἄνθρωπος πρῶτον τὸν καλὸν οἶνον τίθησιν καὶ ὅταν μεθυσθῶσιν τὸν ἐλάσσω· σὺ τετήρηκας τὸν καλὸν οἶνον ἕως ἄρτι.

Says to him, Every man at the beginning does set forth good wine. And when men have well drunk, then that which is worse — but you have kept the good wine until now.

KJV And saith unto him, Every man at the beginning doth set forth good wine; and when men have well drunk, then that which is worse: but thou hast kept the good wine until now.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The steward's observation follows common banquet logic — after guests have drunk enough to dull their palates, cheaper wine is served. The verb methysthosin ('have drunk freely, become intoxicated') is frank about the level of consumption at such feasts. The theological irony is profound: God has saved the best for last. The old covenant provisions (water for purification) are surpassed by the new (wine of the messianic age).
John 2:11

Ταύτην ἐποίησεν ἀρχὴν τῶν σημείων ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν Κανὰ τῆς Γαλιλαίας καὶ ἐφανέρωσεν τὴν δόξαν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς αὐτὸν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ.

Jesus did this as the first of his signs in Cana of Galilee, and he revealed his glory, and his disciples believed in him.

KJV This beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples believed on him.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

σημεῖον semeion
"sign" — sign, signal, mark, token, miracle as indicator

John's preferred term for Jesus's miraculous works. Unlike 'miracle' (which emphasizes the supernatural) or 'wonder' (which emphasizes the spectacle), 'sign' emphasizes meaning — each miracle points beyond itself to Jesus's identity and mission. John records seven signs in the first half of his Gospel.

Translator Notes

  1. John uses semeion ('sign') rather than the Synoptic dynamis ('mighty work') or teras ('wonder'). A sign in John is not merely a display of power but a pointer — it reveals something about who Jesus is. This first sign reveals his 'glory' (doxa), connecting back to the Prologue's claim that 'we have seen his glory' (1:14). The sequence — sign, glory revealed, faith — establishes the pattern for the entire 'Book of Signs' (chapters 1-12).
John 2:12

Μετὰ τοῦτο κατέβη εἰς Καφαρναοὺμ αὐτὸς καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἐκεῖ ἔμειναν οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας.

After this he went down to Capernaum — he, his mother, his brothers, and his disciples — and they stayed there a few days.

KJV After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his brethren, and his disciples: and they continued there not many days.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb katebe ('went down') is geographically accurate — Cana is in the Galilean hills, while Capernaum sits on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, which is approximately 680 feet below sea level. The mention of 'his brothers' (hoi adelphoi autou) introduces Jesus's biological family, who will later express skepticism about his mission (7:3-5). The brief stay transitions to the Jerusalem scene.
John 2:13

Καὶ ἐγγὺς ἦν τὸ πάσχα τῶν Ἰουδαίων, καὶ ἀνέβη εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα ὁ Ἰησοῦς.

The Passover of the Jewish people was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

KJV And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is the first of three Passovers mentioned in John's Gospel (cf. 6:4, 11:55), which is the basis for estimating Jesus's ministry at approximately three years. The verb anebe ('went up') is the technical term for pilgrimage to Jerusalem, which sits on a hill — one always 'goes up' to Jerusalem regardless of the starting point. 'Passover of the Jewish people' distinguishes the feast for John's mixed audience.
John 2:14

καὶ εὗρεν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ τοὺς πωλοῦντας βόας καὶ πρόβατα καὶ περιστερὰς καὶ τοὺς κερματιστὰς καθημένους,

In the temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables.

KJV And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the changers of money sitting:

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The hieron ('temple') refers to the broader temple complex, specifically the Court of the Gentiles where commercial activity took place. The animals were sold for sacrificial use — pilgrims traveling long distances needed to purchase offerings locally. Money changers exchanged foreign currency for Tyrian shekels, the only coinage accepted for the temple tax. The commerce was technically legitimate but had become exploitative.
John 2:15

καὶ ποιήσας φραγέλλιον ἐκ σχοινίων πάντας ἐξέβαλεν ἐκ τοῦ ἱεροῦ, τά τε πρόβατα καὶ τοὺς βόας, καὶ τῶν κολλυβιστῶν ἐξέχεεν τὰ κέρματα καὶ τὰς τραπέζας ἀνέτρεψεν,

So he made a whip out of cords and drove them all out of the temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables.

KJV And when he had made a scourge of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and overthrew the tables;

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The phragellion ('whip') made from schoinion ('cords, rushes') was likely improvised from materials at hand. The Greek syntax of pantas exebalen ('drove them all out') is ambiguous — 'all' could refer to the animals, the sellers, or both. The violent action recalls prophetic symbolic acts (cf. Jeremiah's breaking of the pot, Ezekiel's siege model). Jesus acts with prophetic authority to purify the place of worship.
John 2:16

καὶ τοῖς τὰς περιστερὰς πωλοῦσιν εἶπεν· ἄρατε ταῦτα ἐντεῦθεν, μὴ ποιεῖτε τὸν οἶκον τοῦ πατρός μου οἶκον ἐμπορίου.

To those selling doves he said, "Take these things away from here! Do not make my Father's house a marketplace!"

KJV And said unto them that sold doves, Take these things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The dove sellers are addressed separately, probably because doves could not be driven out but had to be carried in their cages. The phrase 'my Father's house' (ton oikon tou patros mou) is a bold claim to filial relationship with God and echoes the boy Jesus's words in Luke 2:49. The word emporion ('marketplace, trading house') is the root of 'emporium.' John's version differs from the Synoptics' quotation of Isaiah 56:7/Jeremiah 7:11 ('den of robbers').
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Isaiah 56:7. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] Quotes Jeremiah 7:11. The TCR rendering of that OT passage preserves the Hebrew source text and documents the translation decisions behind it.
John 2:17

ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι γεγραμμένον ἐστίν· ὁ ζῆλος τοῦ οἴκου σου καταφάγεταί με.

His disciples remembered that it is written, "Zeal for your house will consume me."

KJV And his disciples remembered that it was written, The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The quotation is from Psalm 69:9. The Septuagint uses the aorist katephagen ('consumed/ate'), but John changes to the future kataphagetai ('will consume'), shifting the reference from David's past experience to Jesus's future suffering. The disciples' 'remembering' (emnesthesan) is a characteristic Johannine device — Scripture is understood retrospectively in light of Jesus's actions (cf. 2:22, 12:16).
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] Draws on Psalms 69:9. Consult the TCR rendering of that passage for the underlying Hebrew and the rationale for key translation choices.
John 2:18

ἀπεκρίθησαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι καὶ εἶπαν αὐτῷ· τί σημεῖον δεικνύεις ἡμῖν, ὅτι ταῦτα ποιεῖς;

The Jewish leaders then responded and said to him, "What sign do you show us as your authority for doing these things?"

KJV Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The demand for a semeion ('sign') is ironic — Jesus has just performed a prophetic sign-act, but the authorities want a legitimizing credential. Their question assumes that only someone with recognized authority (the Messiah, a prophet) could act this way in the temple. The request for signs will become a recurring tension in the Gospel (cf. 4:48, 6:30).
John 2:19

ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς· λύσατε τὸν ναὸν τοῦτον καὶ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερῶ αὐτόν.

Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up."

KJV Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Notes & Key Terms 1 term

Key Terms

ναός naos
"temple" — temple, sanctuary, inner shrine, dwelling place of God

Distinguished from hieron (the entire temple complex). Naos refers to the sacred inner space where God dwells — Jesus uses it deliberately to refer to his body as the new locus of God's presence, though the authorities hear it as a reference to the physical building.

Translator Notes

  1. Jesus uses naos ('temple sanctuary, inner shrine') rather than hieron ('temple complex'), a shift the authorities do not catch. The imperative lysate ('destroy') is not a command but a conditional challenge — 'if you destroy this temple.' The word egerō ('I will raise') is the standard resurrection verb, and Jesus claims the authority to do it himself. This statement will be cited at his trial (Mark 14:58) and mocked at the cross (Mark 15:29).
John 2:20

εἶπαν οὖν οἱ Ἰουδαῖοι· τεσσεράκοντα καὶ ἓξ ἔτεσιν οἰκοδομήθη ὁ ναὸς οὗτος, καὶ σὺ ἐν τρισὶν ἡμέραις ἐγερεῖς αὐτόν;

The Jewish leaders said, "This temple has been under construction for forty-six years, and you will raise it up in three days?"

KJV Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The forty-six years of construction dates from Herod the Great's temple renovation, which began approximately 20-19 BC, placing this exchange around AD 27-28. The temple was not actually completed until AD 63, only seven years before its destruction. The authorities take Jesus's statement at face value — they assume he is making an absurd claim about the physical building.
John 2:21

ἐκεῖνος δὲ ἔλεγεν περὶ τοῦ ναοῦ τοῦ σώματος αὐτοῦ.

But he was speaking about the temple of his body.

KJV But he spake of the temple of his body.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is the narrator's interpretive aside, a characteristic feature of John's Gospel (cf. 7:39, 11:51-52, 12:33). The identification of Jesus's body as the naos ('sanctuary') makes an extraordinary theological claim: the physical temple where God's presence dwelt is being replaced by the incarnate body of Christ. After the resurrection, God's dwelling place among humanity is no longer a building but a person.
John 2:22

ὅτε οὖν ἠγέρθη ἐκ νεκρῶν, ἐμνήσθησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ ὅτι τοῦτο ἔλεγεν, καὶ ἐπίστευσαν τῇ γραφῇ καὶ τῷ λόγῳ ὃν εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς.

So when he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken.

KJV When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they believed the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is the second post-Easter retrospective in the chapter (cf. v. 17). The passive egerthe ('was raised') could be divine passive (God raised him) or middle voice (he rose). The pairing of 'the Scripture' (te graphe) and 'the word that Jesus spoke' (to logo) places Jesus's own words on par with sacred Scripture — a remarkable claim about his authority.
John 2:23

Ὡς δὲ ἦν ἐν τοῖς Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐν τῷ πάσχα ἐν τῇ ἑορτῇ, πολλοὶ ἐπίστευσαν εἰς τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ θεωροῦντες αὐτοῦ τὰ σημεῖα ἃ ἐποίει·

Now while he was in Jerusalem during the Passover festival, many believed in his name when they saw the signs he was performing.

KJV Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover, in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the miracles which he did.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This is the first mention of signs (semeia, plural) performed in Jerusalem — John does not describe them individually, focusing instead on the response they provoked. The belief described here is sign-based faith, which the next verses will show to be inadequate. The imperfect epoiei ('was performing') suggests multiple signs over a period of time.
John 2:24

αὐτὸς δὲ Ἰησοῦς οὐκ ἐπίστευεν αὐτὸν αὐτοῖς διὰ τὸ αὐτὸν γινώσκειν πάντας

But Jesus himself did not entrust himself to them, because he knew all people

KJV But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men,

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. The verb episteuen ('entrust') is the same word as 'believe' (pisteuo) in verse 23 — creating a deliberate wordplay. They 'believed' in him, but he did not 'believe in/entrust himself to' them. Their faith was based on signs alone; his knowledge of them was deeper than their knowledge of him. The imperfect tense suggests an ongoing posture of reserve.
John 2:25

καὶ ὅτι οὐ χρείαν εἶχεν ἵνα τις μαρτυρήσῃ περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγίνωσκεν τί ἦν ἐν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ.

Needed not that any should testify of man — since he recognized what was in man.

KJV And needed not that any should testify of man: for he knew what was in man.

Notes & Key Terms

Translator Notes

  1. This verse attributes to Jesus a divine prerogative — knowing the human heart (cf. 1 Samuel 16:7, Jeremiah 17:10). The phrase ti en to anthropo ('what was in a person') is deliberately general — it applies to all humanity, not just the Jerusalem crowds. This divine knowledge of human interiority prepares for the Nicodemus encounter that follows immediately in chapter 3.
  2. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes 1 Samuel 16:7 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
  3. [TCR Cross-Reference] This verse quotes Jeremiah 17:10 — see the TCR rendering of that passage for the Hebrew source text and translation decisions.
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