Honorary "are" construct denoting God (“say”)

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Like a number of other East Asian languages, Japanese uses a complex system of honorifics, i.e. a system where a number of different levels of politeness are expressed in language via words, word forms or grammatical constructs. These can range from addressing someone or referring to someone with contempt (very informal) to expressing the highest level of reference (as used in addressing or referring to God) or any number of levels in-between.

One way Japanese shows different degree of politeness is through the usage of an honorific construction where the morpheme are (され) is affixed on the verb as shown here in the widely-used Japanese Shinkaiyaku (新改訳) Bible of 2017. This is particularly done with verbs that have God as the agent to show a deep sense of reverence. Here, iw-are-ru (言われる) or “say” is used.

(Source: S. E. Doi, see also S. E. Doi in Journal of Translation, 18/2022, p. 37ff. )

Translation commentary on John 6:65

And he added is literally “and he was saying.”

This is the very reason (literally “because of this”) evidently refers back to some of you do not believe in verse 64. Jesus’ words here, as in verse 44, affirm that salvation is due to God’s initiative.

Unless the Father makes it possible for him to do so translates a passive construction in Greek, “unless it is granted him by the Father” (Revised Standard Version). Good News Translation makes the agent of the Greek passive verb (“the Father”) the subject of an active verb in English and takes the verb “grant” to have the meaning of makes it possible. Both the meaning and the grammatical construction of this sentence are similar to 3.27. This final part of verse 65 may be rendered in some languages “unless my Father says, ‘You may be a follower of Jesus’ ” or “… unless my Father says that he can be my follower.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .