John 2:6

2:6 Now there were six stone water jars there for Jewish ceremonial washing, ¹  each holding twenty or thirty gallons. ² 

John 3:1

Conversation with Nicodemus

3:1 Now a certain man, a Pharisee ³  named Nicodemus, who was a member of the Jewish ruling council, ⁴ 

[2:6]  ¹ tn Grk “for the purification of the Jews.”

[2:6]  ² tn Grk “holding two or three metretes” (about 75 to 115 liters). Each of the pots held 2 or 3 μετρηταί (metrhtai). A μετρητῆς (metrhths) was about 9 gallons (40 liters); thus each jar held 18-27 gallons (80-120 liters) and the total volume of liquid involved was 108-162 gallons (480-720 liters).

[3:1]  ³ sn See the note on Pharisees in 1:24.

[3:1]  ⁴ tn Grk “a ruler of the Jews” (denoting a member of the Sanhedrin, the highest legal, legislative, and judicial body among the Jews).