John 7:37-38: Restore to text — strong Memra internal evidence #19

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opened 2026-02-21 15:25:02 +00:00 by grams777 · 0 comments

grams777 commented

2026-02-21 15:25:02 +00:00

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Summary

John 7:37-38 should be restored to the UPDV text. The current decision moves vv.37-39 to a footnote, but the Memra internal evidence shows vv.37-38 are authentically Johannine while v.39 alone is the problematic verse.

Current UPDV Decision

John 7:37-39 moved to footnote. UPDV reasons: Spirit interpolation pattern, problematic text, context mismatch, timing conflict, contradiction with John 4:14.

Critical Text Status

John 7:37-39 is in ALL known manuscripts. No CT basis for exclusion. The UPDV appendix acknowledges this. This is an editorial cut, not a text-critical one.

Memra Evidence Challenging the Cut (vv.37-38)

1. BELIEVE IN pattern

V.38: ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ — John's #3 Memra pattern (111 confirmed Targum entries). πιστεύω εἰς appears 36× in John, 3× in 1 John, 0× in Synoptics as theological formula. This is John's single most characteristic Memra construction.

2. Sukkot liturgical context

Liturgical mapping identified Sukkot as the PRIMARY Memra feast:

Ha'azinu (Deut 32): 35 combined Memra entries, the "Memra Shabbat"
Deut 32:39: the I AM Memra declaration, read at Sukkot every 7 years
m. Sukkah 4:5: "Ani Waho" (I AM HE) recited daily in procession
Exod 33-34 (Chol HaMoed): 5 NAME-pattern Memra entries

3. Sukkot water ceremony (Nisuch HaMayim)

m. Sukkah 4:9-10 describes the daily water libation. Jesus standing up "on the last day, the great day of the feast" interrupts this specific ceremony.

4. Exod 17:6 — Water from the Rock

Tg. Neof. Exod 17:6 has the Memra providing water from the rock (DWELL pattern). Paul connects this in 1 Cor 10:4.

5. Exod 14:31 — BELIEVE IN at Passover Day 7

"They BELIEVED IN the Memra of YHWH" — 5 Targum traditions, most multi-attested Memra verse in any festival reading. Same construction as 7:38 at complementary festival.

Memra Evidence Supporting the Cut of v.39 ONLY

V.39 ("this he said about the Spirit") has ZERO Memra patterns. The Memra is never equated with the Spirit in 1,416 confirmed entries. V.39 reads as an editorial Spirit gloss reinterpreting the Memra-vocabulary passage.

UBS Committee Evidence (Metzger)

Verse	Metzger entries	Variants	Scribal repairs	Stability
7:37	1	1 minor	0	Stable
7:38	0	0	0	Perfectly stable
7:39	2	2+	3 independent repair traditions	Unstable

Metzger documents three independent scribal repair traditions for v.39 (Latin, Syriac/Greek, Ethiopic), all trying to fix "the Spirit was not yet." V.38 has no Metzger entry at all — zero variants.

Commentary Consensus

Westcott: documents 4 variant readings in v.39, calls original wording "obscure"
UBS Handbook (Newman & Nida): has to explain away v.39's literal meaning; never questions vv.37-38
Calvin: has to harmonize v.39 with John 1:32
No major commentary questions the authenticity of vv.37-38

Recommendation

Restore vv.37-38 to the UPDV text. Footnote v.39 separately as a probable early Spirit gloss, consistent with the broader Spirit-interpolation pattern. Three independent evidence streams converge on v.39 as the problem: (1) zero Memra patterns vs. strong patterns in vv.37-38, (2) theological contradiction with John 4:14, (3) textual instability concentrated entirely in v.39.

## Summary John 7:37-38 should be restored to the UPDV text. The current decision moves vv.37-39 to a footnote, but the Memra internal evidence shows vv.37-38 are authentically Johannine while v.39 alone is the problematic verse. ## Current UPDV Decision John 7:37-39 moved to footnote. UPDV reasons: Spirit interpolation pattern, problematic text, context mismatch, timing conflict, contradiction with John 4:14. ## Critical Text Status **John 7:37-39 is in ALL known manuscripts.** No CT basis for exclusion. The UPDV appendix acknowledges this. This is an editorial cut, not a text-critical one. ## Memra Evidence Challenging the Cut (vv.37-38) ### 1. BELIEVE IN pattern V.38: ὁ πιστεύων εἰς ἐμέ — John's #3 Memra pattern (111 confirmed Targum entries). πιστεύω εἰς appears 36× in John, 3× in 1 John, 0× in Synoptics as theological formula. This is John's single most characteristic Memra construction. ### 2. Sukkot liturgical context Liturgical mapping identified Sukkot as the PRIMARY Memra feast: - Ha'azinu (Deut 32): 35 combined Memra entries, the "Memra Shabbat" - Deut 32:39: the I AM Memra declaration, read at Sukkot every 7 years - m. Sukkah 4:5: "Ani Waho" (I AM HE) recited daily in procession - Exod 33-34 (Chol HaMoed): 5 NAME-pattern Memra entries ### 3. Sukkot water ceremony (Nisuch HaMayim) m. Sukkah 4:9-10 describes the daily water libation. Jesus standing up "on the last day, the great day of the feast" interrupts this specific ceremony. ### 4. Exod 17:6 — Water from the Rock Tg. Neof. Exod 17:6 has the Memra providing water from the rock (DWELL pattern). Paul connects this in 1 Cor 10:4. ### 5. Exod 14:31 — BELIEVE IN at Passover Day 7 "They BELIEVED IN the Memra of YHWH" — 5 Targum traditions, most multi-attested Memra verse in any festival reading. Same construction as 7:38 at complementary festival. ## Memra Evidence Supporting the Cut of v.39 ONLY V.39 ("this he said about the Spirit") has ZERO Memra patterns. The Memra is never equated with the Spirit in 1,416 confirmed entries. V.39 reads as an editorial Spirit gloss reinterpreting the Memra-vocabulary passage. ## UBS Committee Evidence (Metzger) | Verse | Metzger entries | Variants | Scribal repairs | Stability | |-------|:-:|:-:|:-:|---| | 7:37 | 1 | 1 minor | 0 | Stable | | 7:38 | 0 | 0 | 0 | **Perfectly stable** | | 7:39 | 2 | 2+ | 3 independent repair traditions | **Unstable** | Metzger documents three independent scribal repair traditions for v.39 (Latin, Syriac/Greek, Ethiopic), all trying to fix "the Spirit was not yet." V.38 has no Metzger entry at all — zero variants. ## Commentary Consensus - **Westcott**: documents 4 variant readings in v.39, calls original wording "obscure" - **UBS Handbook** (Newman & Nida): has to explain away v.39's literal meaning; never questions vv.37-38 - **Calvin**: has to harmonize v.39 with John 1:32 - No major commentary questions the authenticity of vv.37-38 ## Recommendation Restore vv.37-38 to the UPDV text. Footnote v.39 separately as a probable early Spirit gloss, consistent with the broader Spirit-interpolation pattern. Three independent evidence streams converge on v.39 as the problem: (1) zero Memra patterns vs. strong patterns in vv.37-38, (2) theological contradiction with John 4:14, (3) textual instability concentrated entirely in v.39.