4:46 Now he came again to Cana 3 in Galilee where he had made the water wine. 4 In 5 Capernaum 6 there was a certain royal official 7 whose son was sick. 4:47 When he heard that Jesus had come back from Judea to Galilee, he went to him and begged him 8 to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people 9 see signs and wonders you will never believe!” 10 4:49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.”
1 tn Grk “And he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Grk “But answering, the centurion replied.” The participle ἀποκριθείς (apokriqeis) is redundant and has not been translated.
3 map For location see Map1-C3; Map2-D2; Map3-C5.
4 sn See John 2:1-11.
5 tn Grk “And in.”
6 sn Capernaum was a town on the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee, 680 ft (204 m) below sea level. It was a major trade and economic center in the North Galilean region.
7 tn Although βασιλικός (basiliko") has often been translated “nobleman” it is almost certainly refers here to a servant of Herod, tetrarch of Galilee (who in the NT is called a king, Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29). Capernaum was a border town, so doubtless there were many administrative officials in residence there.
8 tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
9 tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the verb is second person plural (referring to more than the royal official alone).
10 tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.
11 tn Grk “Then Martha.” Here οὖν (oun) has not been translated for stylistic reasons.
12 sn Lydda was a city northwest of Jerusalem on the way to Joppa.
13 tn Grk “Do not delay to come to us.” It is somewhat smoother to say in English, “Come to us without delay.”