John 4:30

4:30 So ¹  they left the town and began coming ²  to him.

Matthew 9:37-38

9:37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. 9:38 Therefore ask the Lord of the harvest ³  to send out ⁴  workers into his harvest.”

Luke 10:3

10:3 Go! I ⁵  am sending you out like lambs ⁶  surrounded by wolves. ⁷ 

¹ tn “So” is supplied for transitional smoothness in English.

² sn The imperfect tense is here rendered began coming for the author is not finished with this part of the story yet; these same Samaritans will appear again in v. 35.

³ sn The phrase Lord of the harvest recognizes God’s sovereignty over the harvest process.

⁴ tn Grk “to thrust out.”

⁵ tn Grk “Behold I.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).

⁶ sn On the imagery of lambs see Isa 40:11, Ezek 34:11-31, and John 10:1-18.

⁷ sn This imagery of wolves is found in intertestamental Judaism as well; see Pss. Sol. 8:23.