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Name of God’s Son

Quotes in John

John quotes from the Old Testament 11 times. Of those, 1 better matches the Septuagint, and 3 better match the Hebrew Masoretic text. The reason for the 3 that don’t match the Septuagint seem to all be translator choices and mistakes.

John 1:23 quoting Isaiah 40:3

John 1:23

‘I’m just ‘the voice of someone who’s calling out in the desert,’ as the Prophet IsaiAh said; I’ve come ‘to straighten the way’ for the Lord.’

Isaiah 40:3

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘Then I heard a voice that was calling from the desert. It said:

‘Prepare the way for the Lord…
Straighten the roads for our God!’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘Hark! one calleth:
‘Clear ye in the wilderness the way of the LORD,
Make plain in the desert
A highway for our God.
Every valley shall be lifted up,
And every mountain and hill shall be made low;
And the rugged shall be made level,
And the rough places a plain;
And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed,
And all flesh shall see it together;
For the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘The voice of one who calls out, ‘Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! And make a level highway in the desert for our God.’’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

‘…Yahweh… Make a level… valley shall be exalted…‘ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah B

❓ Unknown

‘…a level highway… for our God. Every valley…‘ — Scroll 4Q56 Isaiah B

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

John’s quote in 1:23 ‘the voice of someone who’s calling out in the desert,’ as the Prophet IsaiAh said; ‘I’ve come to straighten the way for the Lord’ is a clear paraphrase of Isaiah 40:3.

While not a direct word-for-word match with any of the Old Testament sources, the core message and imagery of a voice crying in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord are consistently present across all sources.

The Septuagint and Masoretic Text both contain the essence of the quote, and the surviving Dead Sea Scroll 1Q Isaiah A also aligns with the main theme of preparing the way. The differences are minor translational variations and shortening for directness, rather than a change in meaning.

John 2:17 quoting Psalm 69:9

John 2:17

‘Zeal for Your House will consume me.’

Psalm 69:9

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘For, zeal for Your house has consumed me, […]‘

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘Because zeal for Thy house hath eaten me up, […]‘

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘For the zeal of… consumes me.’ — Scroll 4Q83 Psalms A

✅ Matches

Our comments:

The quote matches all available sources well, with only minor translational differences in the surrounding context. The Dead Sea Scroll fragment, despite being incomplete, also aligns with the core phrase ‘For the zeal of… consumes me.’

John 10:34 quoting Psalm 82:6

John 10:34

‘I say that you are gods?’

Psalm 82:6

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘I said to them: ‘You are gods […]’’

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘I said: Ye are godlike beings [literally, elohim, ‘gods’], […]‘

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘I said, ‘You are gods, […]‘ — Scroll: Masada Psalms A

✅ Matches

Our comments:

The quote matches all available sources well.

John 12:15 quoting Zechariah 9:9

John 12:15

‘Don’t be afraid, O daughter of Zion;
For look… Your king has arrived
Sitting upon the colt of a burro.’

Zechariah 9:9

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘[…], O daughter of Zion; […]
Look! Your King is coming to you. […]
And upon a young colt.’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘[…], O daughter of Zion, […]
Behold, thy king cometh unto thee; […]
Even upon a colt the foal of a she-ass.’’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

(None of the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls contain this verse.)

Our comments:

John 12:15, ‘Don’t be afraid, O daughter of Zion; For look… Your king has arrived Sitting upon the colt of a burro.’ is a paraphrase of Zechariah 9:9. Both the Greek Septuagint and the Hebrew Masoretic Text capture the core message of the king arriving meekly on a donkey, despite the New Testament quote starting with ‘Don’t be afraid’ instead of ‘Rejoice’ or ‘Shout aloud’.

John 12:38 quoting Isaiah 53:1

John 12:38

‘O Lord,
Who has believed in the things that we’ve heard,
And who’s shown us the arm of [Jehovah]?’

Isaiah 53:1

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘O Lord,
Who has trusted the Lord’s report?
And to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?’

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘Who would have believed our report?
And to whom hath the arm of the LORD been revealed?’’

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

✅ Matches

‘Who has believed our message? To whom has the arm of Yahweh been revealed?’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah B

✅ Matches

‘…our message…‘ — Scroll 4Q57 Isaiah C

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

John 12:38 aligns very well with the phrasing in both the Greek Septuagint and the Hebrew Masoretic Text of Isaiah 53:1. The slight variations are minor and do not change the fundamental meaning.

John 12:40 quoting Isaiah 6:10 (LXX)

John 12:40

‘For the hearts of these people have hardened,
So that with their ears,
They now listen slowly,
And all their eyelids are closed;

‘Thus, they’ll not hear with their ears,
Nor will they see with their eyes,
And their hearts just won’t comprehend
To make them turn back so I’d heal them.’

Isaiah 6:10

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘For the hearts of these people have hardened,
So that with their ears,
They now listen slowly,
And all their eyelids are closed;

‘Thus, they’ll not hear with their ears,
Nor will they see with their eyes,
And their hearts just won’t comprehend
To make them turn back so I’d heal them.’

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

Make the heart of this people fat,
And make their ears heavy,
And shut their eyes;
Lest they seeing with their eyes, and hearing with their ears,
And understanding with their heart, return, and be healed.’’

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘Make the heart of this people fat. Make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again, and be healed.’ — Scroll 1Q Isaiah A

✅ Matches as a paraphrase

‘[…], and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and turn again[…]‘ — Scroll 4Q60 Isaiah F

✅ Matches

Our comments:

The wording most closely aligns with the Greek Septuagint, particularly in describing the result of the people’s hardened hearts and closed eyes, rather than the command to harden them as seen in the Hebrew Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scroll 1Q Isaiah A.

Despite these differences in phrasing, the core message — that the people will not understand, see, or hear, preventing them from turning and being healed — is consistent across all sources.

The Dead Sea Scroll 4Q60 Isaiah F fragment also clearly matches the latter part of the quote.

John 13:18 quoting Psalm 41:9

John 13:18

‘The one who used to chew on my bread
Has lifted his heel against me.’

Psalm 41:9

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘[…] (One upon whom I had trusted and who used to eat my bread)
Has now greatly lifted his heel against me.’

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘[…] in whom I trusted, who did eat of my bread,
Hath lifted up his heel against me.’

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

(None of the surviving Dead Sea Scrolls contain this verse.)

Our comments:

John 13:18 closely matches both sources.

John 15:25 quoting Psalm 69:4 (MT and DSS)

John 15:25

‘They disliked me for no reason.’

Psalm 69:4

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘[…] Yes, there are many who oppress me for no reason; […]‘

❌ Differs

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘They that hate me without a cause […]‘

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘Those who hate me without a cause […]‘ — Scroll 4Q83 Psalms A

✅ Matches

Our comments:

John 15:25, ‘They disliked me for no reason.’, aligns more closely with the Hebrew Masoretic Text and Dead Sea Scrolls, which use the phrase ‘hate me without a cause’. The Greek Septuagint uses ‘oppress me for no reason’, which is a paraphrase as ‘oppress’ implies a stronger action than ‘dislike’ or ‘hate’. The New Testament quote’s emphasis on ‘disliked’ makes the Hebrew and Dead Sea Scroll versions a more precise match in meaning.

John 19:24 quoting Psalm 22:18

John 19:24

‘They’ve divided my garments among them
And thrown dice for the clothes that I wear.’

Psalm 22:18

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘They’ve divided my garments among them,
And thrown dice for the clothes that I wear.’

✅ Matches

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘They part my garments among them,
And for my vesture do they cast lots.’

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…among them. They cast lost for my clothig.’ — Scroll: Nahal Hever Psalms

✅ Matches

Our comments:

Matches well with all sources.

John 19:36 quoting Psalm 34:20 (MT)

John 19:36

‘Not a bone of his will be crushed.’

Psalm 34:20 (33:21 in the LXX numbering)

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘[…] their bones, And not a single one of them will be crushed.’

❌ Differs

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘[…] his bones; Not one of them is broken.’

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘…is broken.’ — Scroll 4Q83 Psalms A

❓ Unknown

Our comments:

John 19:36, ‘Not a bone of his will be crushed.’, matches the Hebrew Masoretic Text best, as it specifically refers to ‘his bones’ in the singular, mirroring the New Testament quote. The Greek Septuagint, conversely, uses ‘their bones’ and ‘them’ in the plural, which is a notable difference.

The Dead Sea Scroll fragment is too brief to confirm a match.

John 19:37 quoting Zechariah 12:10 (MT and DSS)

John 19:37

‘They’ll look to the one whom they pierced.’

Zechariah 12:10

Greek Septuagint (our translation):

‘So they’ll look upon me, Because of whom they mocked [or ‘pierced’ in the Hebrew Text]. […]‘

❌ Differs due to mistranslation

Hebrew Masoretic Text (JPS):

‘And they shall look unto Me because they have thrust him through; […]‘

✅ Matches

Dead Sea Scrolls (WEB):

‘[…] they have pierced; […]‘ — Scroll 4Q80 Minor Prophets E

✅ Matches

Our comments:

John 19:37, ‘They’ll look to the one whom they pierced.’, aligns more closely with the Hebrew Masoretic Text and the Dead Sea Scrolls fragment. The Hebrew uses ‘thrust him through’ and the DSS uses ‘they have pierced’, both directly matching John’s wording.

Why does the Greek Septuagint say ‘mocked’ instead of ‘pierced’?

It seems the Greek translator didn’t understand the prophecy, and took the expression ‘pierced’ to mean an emotional jabbing, or mocking! So in Greek, it instead uses a word that literally means to dance in triumph over a defeated enemy. The translator obviously had no way of knowing that he was mangling a prophecy about the Messiah!

Quotes Index

Or return to the introduction to this series.