| The Miracle at Cana |
In The Bible Reader is a footnote for John2: 1-11, which is quoted here. This version was edited by four scholars: one Roman Catholic,one Jew, one Protestant, and one Christian journalist.
"The miracle at Cana is the first of seven signs by which Jesus shows forththe divinity, and the Church uses the account for the same purpose on the second Sunday afterEpiphany. Roman Catholic and Orthodox Catholic writers have also appealed to the account toprove the power of Mary by virtue of her position as Mother of God. These writers, and manyothers who do not share this view of Mary, explain that Jesus was not rebuking his mother orbeing unkind to her in what he says in verse 4. They agree generally, that the Greek wordtranslated "woman" here (gune) was a respectful term (as if Jesus said, 'My lady,' whethersolemnly or teasingly); but interpretations of the rest of the sentence vary considerably. TheGreek says simply: 'What to me and to you, woman?'"
| Versions Compared |
| Other Versions Used |
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| John2: 4 |
| ANT | "What do you want with me, madam?" Jesus said to her. "My time has not yetcome." |
| CJB | Yeshua replied, "Mother, why should that concern me? -- or you? My time hasn't come yet." |
| CNT | "Good woman," was Jesus' reply, "how can you and I have a common concern about this? Thehour appointed for me has not yet arrived." |
| EVD | Jesus answered, "Dear woman, you should not tell me what to do. My time has not yet come." |
| HBME | Jesus, in reply to her, said: "What is that to you and Me, mother? My time has not yet come." |
| IV | Jesus said unto her, Woman, what wilt thou have me to do for thee? that I will do; formine hour is not yet come. |
| KJV | Jesus saith unto her, Woman, what have I to do with thee? mine hour is not yet come. |
| KLNT | Jesus replied: "Leave that to me, mother! My time has not yet come!" |
| KTC | Jesus answered her, Nay, woman, why dost thou trouble my with that? My time has not comeyet. |
| LB | I can't help you now," he said. "It isn't my time for miracles." |
| MSNT | "Leave the matter in my hands, " he replied; "the time for me to act has not yet come." |
| NCV | Jesus answered, "Dear woman, why come to me? My time has not yet come." |
| NEB | He answered, "Your concern, mother, is not mine. My hour has not yet come." |
| NET | Jesus answered her, "What do we have in common, woman? My time has not yet come." |
| NIV | "Dear woman, why do you involve me?" Jesus replied. "My time has not yet come." |
| NJB | Jesus said, "Woman, what do you want from me? My hour has not come yet." |
| REB | He answered, "That is no concern of mine. My hour has not yet come." |
| RNT | Jesus said to her, "What have you to do with my work, woman? My hour has not yet come." |
| SGAT | Jesus said to her, "Do not try to direct me. It is not yet time for me to act." |
| TM | Jesus said, "Is that any of our business, Mother -- yours or mine? This isn't my time.Don't push me." |
| Footnotes |
| CEV | My time has not yet come!: The time when the true glory would be seen,and he would be recognized as God's Son. See 12: 23. |
| EBR | The mother being already there (verse 1), probably as relative or near friend, hadnaturally accepted a measure of providing care. If so, Jesus hereby merely excuses himselffrom being yoked in as her helper, and yet may and must have declined her guidance withrespectful tenderness. |
| NAB | This verse may seem to show that Jesus did not work miracles to help his family andfriends, as in the apocryphal gospels. Woman: a normal, polite form of address, but unattested in reference to one's mother. How does your concern affect me?: literally, "What is this to me and to you?" -- aHebrew expression of either hostility or denial of common interest. My hour has not come: The "hour" is that of Jesus' passion, death, resurrection, andascension. |
| NBV | As a form of address "Woman" was a title of respect in that day. Jesus spoke the same wordto His mother at the cross, John 19: 26. |
| SV | My time. Jesus' time (Greek, hora, kairos) is the moment when he will beglorified (12: 23, 27-28), elevated (3: 14), and hence when he will return to the Father (13:1, 17: 1). When that time comes, Jesus will speak plainly (16: 25) and his disciples will bescattered (16: 32); then the true worshipers will worship the Father as he truly is, withoutregard to place (4: 21, 23). Certain events cannot transpire because Jesus' time has not yet arrived (2: 4; 7: 6, 8, 30; 8:20). Jesus' time is contrasted with the time of the world: "It's always your time," becausethe world is evil and prefers darkness to light (7: 7; 3: 19-21). The Fellows [the translators of this version] concluded that the words ascribed to Jesus inthis narrative were the creation of the storyteller or were derived from common lore. |
| WAS | What is it to Me and to you?: We are guests, and guests are not expected tosupply the things needed at a feast. |
| Commentary |
There appears to have been a problem for translators in translating thispassage accurately. Questions remain as to its proper interpretation.
Was Jesus rebuking Mary? Although many scholars think not, some of theversions definitely imply that He was. What was His time that has not yet come? Many implythat it means His earthly mission. Others imply that it means when He would come to His gloryat the end of His ministry? Did Mary have authority over Jesus? Although He seemed to opposedoing what she wanted, she did not heed Him, and He performed the miracle anyway.
Most of the versions lend credence to the belief that Mary had power overJesus. However, was that Mary as earthly mother or heavenly mother? If the former, it can beunderstood why a son would help his mother. If the latter, we become involved in a doctrinalchange where a human woman is elevated to a higher level than the human manifestation ofYahweh.
As the reader answers the above questions to his own satisfaction, he shouldbe aware of the implications of those answers. Since there is no autograph for the writingsof John, it is not possible to determine what the original write really stated. The use of oneversion will give the reader one interpretation. The use of several versions will not, in thiscase, determine the actual meaning. This passage is a good example of what can happen over thecenturies to portions of the Bible.