John 1:28

1:28 These things happened in Bethany ¹  across the Jordan River ²  where John was baptizing.

John 6:1

The Feeding of the Five Thousand

6:1 After this ³  Jesus went away to the other side of the Sea of Galilee (also called the Sea of Tiberias). ⁴ 

John 6:25

Jesus’ Discourse About the Bread of Life

6:25 When they found him on the other side of the lake, ⁵  they said to him, “Rabbi, when did you get here?” ⁶ 

John 6:17

6:17 got into a boat, and started to cross the lake ⁷  to Capernaum. ⁸  (It had already become dark, and Jesus had not yet come to them.) ⁹ 

John 10:40

10:40 Jesus ¹⁰  went back across the Jordan River ¹¹  again to the place where John ¹²  had been baptizing at an earlier time, ¹³  and he stayed there.

John 3:26

3:26 So they came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, the one who was with you on the other side of the Jordan River, ¹⁴  about whom you testified – see, he is baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him!”

John 18:1

Betrayal and Arrest

18:1 When he had said these things, ¹⁵  Jesus went out with his disciples across the Kidron Valley. ¹⁶  There was an orchard ¹⁷  there, and he and his disciples went into it.

John 6:22

6:22 The next day the crowd that remained on the other side of the lake ¹⁸  realized that only one small boat ¹⁹  had been there, and that Jesus had not boarded ²⁰  it with his disciples, but that his disciples had gone away alone.

[1:28]  ¹ tc Many witnesses ([א²] C² K T Ψ^c 083 Ë^1,13 33 pm sa Or) read Βηθαβαρᾷ (Bhqabara, “Bethabara”) instead of Βηθανίᾳ (Bhqania, “Bethany”). But the reading Βηθανίᾳ is strongly supported by {Ì^66,75 A B C* L W^s Δ Θ Ψ* 565 579 700 1241 1424 pm latt bo as well as several fathers}. Since there is no known Bethany “beyond the Jordan,” it is likely that the name would have been changed to a more etymologically edifying one (Origen mistakenly thought the name Bethabara meant “house of preparation” and for this reason was appropriate in this context; see TCGNT 171 for discussion). On the other hand, both since Origen’s understanding of the Semitic etymology of Bethabara was incorrect, and because Bethany was at least a well-known location in Palestine, mentioned in the Gospels about a dozen times, one has to wonder whether scribes replaced Βηθαβαρᾷ with Βηθανίᾳ. However, if Origen’s understanding of the etymology of the name was representative, scribes may have altered the text in the direction of Bethabara. And even if most scribes were unfamiliar with what the name might signify, that a reading which did not contradict the Gospels’ statements of a Bethany near Jerusalem was already at hand may have been sufficient reason for them to adopt Bethabara. Further, in light of the very strong testimony for Βηθανίᾳ, this reading should be regarded as authentic.

[1:28]  ² tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[6:1]  ³ tn Again, μετὰ ταῦτα (meta tauta) is a vague temporal reference. How Jesus got from Jerusalem to Galilee is not explained, which has led many scholars (e.g., Bernard, Bultmann, and Schnackenburg) to posit either editorial redaction or some sort of rearrangement or dislocation of material (such as reversing the order of chaps. 5 and 6, for example). Such a rearrangement of the material would give a simple and consistent connection of events, but in the absence of all external evidence it does not seem to be supportable. R. E. Brown (John [AB], 1:236) says that such an arrangement is attractive in some ways but not compelling, and that no rearrangement can solve all the geographical and chronological problems in John.

[6:1]  ⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author. Only John in the New Testament refers to the Sea of Galilee by the name Sea of Tiberias (see also John 21:1), but this is correct local usage. In the mid-20’s Herod completed the building of the town of Tiberias on the southwestern shore of the lake; after this time the name came into use for the lake itself.

[6:25]  ⁵ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.

[6:25]  ⁶ sn John 6:25-31. The previous miracle of the multiplication of the bread had taken place near the town of Tiberias (cf. John 6:23). Jesus’ disciples set sail for Capernaum (6:17) and were joined by the Lord in the middle of the sea. The next day boats from Tiberias picked up a few of those who had seen the multiplication (certainly not the whole 5,000) and brought them to Capernaum. It was to this group that Jesus spoke in 6:26-27. But there were also people from Capernaum who had gathered to see Jesus, who had not witnessed the multiplication, and it was this group that asked Jesus for a miraculous sign like the manna (6:30-31). This would have seemed superfluous if it were the same crowd that had already seen the multiplication of the bread. But some from Capernaum had heard about it and wanted to see a similar miracle repeated.

[6:17]  ⁷ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in the previous verse.

[6:17]  ⁸ map For location see Map1 D2; Map2 C3; Map3 B2.

[6:17]  ⁹ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[10:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:40]  ¹⁰ tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[10:40]  ¹¹ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[10:40]  ¹² tn Grk “formerly.”

[3:26]  ¹¹ tn “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[18:1]  ¹³ sn When he had said these things appears to be a natural transition at the end of the Farewell Discourse (the farewell speech of Jesus to his disciples in John 13:31-17:26, including the final prayer in 17:1-26). The author states that Jesus went out with his disciples, a probable reference to their leaving the upper room where the meal and discourse described in chaps. 13-17 took place (although some have seen this only as a reference to their leaving the city, with the understanding that some of the Farewell Discourse, including the concluding prayer, was given en route, cf. 14:31). They crossed the Kidron Valley and came to a garden, or olive orchard, identified in Matt 26:36 and Mark 14:32 as Gethsemane. The name is not given in Luke’s or John’s Gospel, but the garden must have been located somewhere on the lower slopes of the Mount of Olives.

[18:1]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “the wadi of the Kidron,” or “the ravine of the Kidron” (a wadi is a stream that flows only during the rainy season and is dry during the dry season).

[18:1]  ¹⁵ tn Or “a garden.”

[6:22]  ¹⁵ tn Or “sea.” See the note on “lake” in v. 16.

[6:22]  ¹⁶ tc Most witnesses have after “one” the phrase “which his disciples had entered” (ἐκεῖνο εἰς ὃ ἐνέβησαν οἱ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, ekeino ei" }o enebhsan Joi maqhtai autou) although there are several permutations of this clause ([א* D] Θ [˹³ 33] Ï [sa]). The witnesses that lack this expression are, however, significant and diffused (Ì⁷⁵ א² A B L N W Ψ 1 565 579 1241 al lat). The clarifying nature of the longer reading, the multiple variants from it, and the weighty testimony for the shorter reading all argue against the authenticity of the longer text in any of its variations.

[6:22]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “entered.”