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NASB | John 12:41 These things Isaiah said because he saw His glory, and he spoke of Him. |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 12:41 Isaiah said these things because he saw His glory and spoke about Him. [Is 6:9, 10] |
Subject: Who did Isaiah see in John 12:41 |
Bible Note: Yes, Tim is correct. This is one of the dangers of a 'dynamic equivalence' translation such as the NIV. In such a translation, the translator is seeking to write a thought which conveys the thought which the translator received from the text. He is NOT seeking to translate the words of the original text. However, as Tim suggests, the enthusiasm of the NIV translator is relatively harmless here. The verse is clearly the editorial comment of John upon the prophecy of Isaiah. When John says that Isaiah "said [these things] because he [Isaiah] saw His [Christ's] glory, and he [Isaiah] spoke of Him [Christ]." There is little doubt from the context of John's account that that is exactly what John meant. Now, it is clear that John was not present when Isaiah uttered his quoted prophecy and it is equally clear that John never interrogated Isaiah as to his [Isaiah's] intent. So, you can believe that John either (i) made this up or (ii) was writing what God had inspired him to say. For lots of reasons beyond the scope of your question, I think the latter is true. |