John 4:21-54

4:21 Jesus said to her, “Believe me, woman, ¹  a time ²  is coming when you will worship ³  the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 4:22 You people ⁴  worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews. ⁵  4:23 But a time ⁶  is coming – and now is here ⁷  – when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks ⁸  such people to be ⁹  his worshipers. ¹⁰  4:24 God is spirit, ¹¹  and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” 4:25 The woman said to him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (the one called Christ); ¹²  “whenever he ¹³  comes, he will tell ¹⁴  us everything.” ¹⁵  4:26 Jesus said to her, “I, the one speaking to you, am he.”

The Disciples Return

4:27 Now at that very moment his disciples came back. ¹⁶  They were shocked ¹⁷  because he was speaking ¹⁸  with a woman. However, no one said, “What do you want?” ¹⁹  or “Why are you speaking with her?” 4:28 Then the woman left her water jar, went off into the town and said to the people, ²⁰  4:29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Surely he can’t be the Messiah, ²¹  can he?” ²²  4:30 So ²³  they left the town and began coming ²⁴  to him.

Workers for the Harvest

4:31 Meanwhile the disciples were urging him, ²⁵  “Rabbi, eat something.” ²⁶  4:32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.” 4:33 So the disciples began to say ²⁷  to one another, “No one brought him anything ²⁸  to eat, did they?” ²⁹  4:34 Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of the one who sent me ³⁰  and to complete ³¹  his work. ³²  4:35 Don’t you say, ³³  ‘There are four more months and then comes the harvest?’ I tell you, look up ³⁴  and see that the fields are already white ³⁵  for harvest! 4:36 The one who reaps receives pay ³⁶  and gathers fruit for eternal life, so that the one who sows and the one who reaps can rejoice together. 4:37 For in this instance the saying is true, ³⁷  ‘One sows and another reaps.’ 4:38 I sent you to reap what you did not work for; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

The Samaritans Respond

4:39 Now many Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the report of the woman who testified, ³⁸  “He told me everything I ever did.” 4:40 So when the Samaritans came to him, they began asking ³⁹  him to stay with them. ⁴⁰  He stayed there two days, 4:41 and because of his word many more ⁴¹  believed. 4:42 They said to the woman, “No longer do we believe because of your words, for we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this one ⁴²  really is the Savior of the world.” ⁴³ 

Onward to Galilee

4:43 After the two days he departed from there to Galilee. 4:44 (For Jesus himself had testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.) ⁴⁴  4:45 So when he came to Galilee, the Galileans welcomed him because they had seen all the things he had done in Jerusalem ⁴⁵  at the feast ⁴⁶  (for they themselves had gone to the feast). ⁴⁷ 

Healing the Royal Official’s Son

4:46 Now he came again to Cana ⁴⁸  in Galilee where he had made the water wine. ⁴⁹  In ⁵⁰  Capernaum ⁵¹  there was a certain royal official ⁵²  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 ⁵³  to come down and heal his son, who was about to die. 4:48 So Jesus said to him, “Unless you people ⁵⁴  see signs and wonders you will never believe!” ⁵⁵  4:49 “Sir,” the official said to him, “come down before my child dies.” 4:50 Jesus told him, “Go home; ⁵⁶  your son will live.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and set off for home. ⁵⁷ 

4:51 While he was on his way down, ⁵⁸  his slaves ⁵⁹  met him and told him that his son was going to live. 4:52 So he asked them the time ⁶⁰  when his condition began to improve, ⁶¹  and ⁶²  they told him, “Yesterday at one o’clock in the afternoon ⁶³  the fever left him.” 4:53 Then the father realized that it was the very time ⁶⁴  Jesus had said to him, “Your son will live,” and he himself believed along with his entire household. 4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign ⁶⁵  when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

[4:21]  ¹ sn Woman was a polite form of address (see BDAG 208-9 s.v. γυνή 1), similar to “Madam” or “Ma’am” used in English in different regions.

[4:21]  ² tn Grk “an hour.”

[4:21]  ³ tn The verb is plural.

[4:22]  ⁴ tn The word “people” is not in the Greek text, but is supplied to indicate that the Greek verb translated “worship” is second person plural and thus refers to more than the woman alone.

[4:22]  ⁵ tn Or “from the Judeans.” See the note on “Jew” in v. 9.

[4:23]  ⁶ tn Grk “an hour.”

[4:23]  ⁷ tn “Here” is not in the Greek text but is supplied to conform to contemporary English idiom.

[4:23]  ⁸ sn See also John 4:27.

[4:23]  ⁹ tn Or “as.” The object-complement construction implies either “as” or “to be.”

[4:23]  ¹⁰ tn This is a double accusative construction of object and complement with τοιούτους (toioutous) as the object and the participle προσκυνοῦντας (proskunounta") as the complement.

[4:24]  ¹¹ tn Here πνεῦμα (pneuma) is understood as a qualitative predicate nominative while the articular θεός (qeos) is the subject.

[4:25]  ¹² tn Both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “the one who has been anointed.”

[4:25]  ¹³ tn Grk “that one.”

[4:25]  ¹⁴ tn Or “he will announce to us.”

[4:25]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “all things.”

[4:27]  ¹⁶ tn Or “his disciples returned”; Grk “came” (“back” is supplied in keeping with English usage). Because of the length of the Greek sentence it is better to divide here and begin a new English sentence, leaving the καί (kai) before ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) untranslated.

[4:27]  ¹⁷ tn BDAG 444 s.v. θαυμάζω 1.a.γ has “be surprised that” followed by indirect discourse. The context calls for a slightly stronger wording.

[4:27]  ¹⁸ tn The ὅτι (Joti) could also be translated as declarative (“that he had been speaking with a woman”) but since this would probably require translating the imperfect verb as a past perfect (which is normal after a declarative ὅτι), it is preferable to take this ὅτι as causal.

[4:27]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “seek.” See John 4:23.

[4:28]  ²⁰ tn The term ἄνθρωποι (anqrwpoi) used here can mean either “people” (when used generically) or “men” (though there is a more specific term in Greek for adult males, ανήρ [anhr]). Thus the woman could have been speaking either (1) to all the people or (2) to the male leaders of the city as their representatives. However, most recent English translations regard the former as more likely and render the word “people” here.

[4:29]  ²¹ tn Grk “the Christ” (both Greek “Christ” and Hebrew and Aramaic “Messiah” mean “one who has been anointed”). Although the Greek text reads χριστός (cristos) here, it is more consistent based on 4:25 (where Μεσσίας [Messias] is the lead term and is qualified by χριστός) to translate χριστός as “Messiah” here.

[4:29]  ²² tn The use of μήτι (mhti) normally presupposes a negative answer. This should not be taken as an indication that the woman did not believe, however. It may well be an example of “reverse psychology,” designed to gain a hearing for her testimony among those whose doubts about her background would obviate her claims.

[4:30]  ²³ tn “So” is supplied for transitional smoothness in English.

[4:30]  ²⁴ 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.

[4:31]  ²⁵ tn Grk “were asking him, saying.”

[4:31]  ²⁶ tn The direct object of φάγε (fage) in Greek is understood; “something” is supplied in English.

[4:33]  ²⁷ tn An ingressive imperfect conveys the idea that Jesus’ reply provoked the disciples’ response.

[4:33]  ²⁸ tn The direct object of ἤνεγκεν (hnenken) in Greek is understood; “anything” is supplied in English.

[4:33]  ²⁹ tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end in English (here it is “did they?”).

[4:34]  ³⁰ sn The one who sent me refers to the Father.

[4:34]  ³¹ tn Or “to accomplish.”

[4:34]  ³² tn The substantival ἵνα (Jina) clause has been translated as an English infinitive clause.

[4:35]  ³³ tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after λέγετε (legete) has not been translated.

[4:35]  ³⁴ tn Grk “lift up your eyes” (an idiom). BDAG 357 s.v. ἐπαίρω 1 has “look up” here.

[4:35]  ³⁵ tn That is, “ripe.”

[4:36]  ³⁶ tn Or “a reward”; see L&N 38.14 and 57.173. This is something of a wordplay.

[4:37]  ³⁷ tn The recitative ὅτι (Joti) after ἀληθινός (alhqino") has not been translated.

[4:39]  ³⁸ tn Grk “when she testified.”

[4:40]  ³⁹ tn Following the arrival of the Samaritans, the imperfect verb has been translated as ingressive.

[4:40]  ⁴⁰ tn Because of the length of the Greek sentence and the sequencing with the following verse, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun.

[4:41]  ⁴¹ tn Or “and they believed much more.”

[4:42]  ⁴² tn Or “this.” The Greek pronoun can mean either “this one” or “this” (BDAG 740 s.v. οὗτος 1).

[4:42]  ⁴³ sn There is irony in the Samaritans’ declaration that Jesus was really the Savior of the world, an irony foreshadowed in the prologue to the Fourth Gospel (1:11): “He came to his own, and his own did not receive him.” Yet the Samaritans welcomed Jesus and proclaimed him to be not the Jewish Messiah only, but the Savior of the world.

[4:44]  ⁴⁴ sn This is a parenthetical note by the author.

[4:45]  ⁴⁵ sn All the things he had done in Jerusalem probably refers to the signs mentioned in John 2:23.

[4:45]  ⁴⁶ sn See John 2:23-25.

[4:45]  ⁴⁷ sn John 4:44-45. The last part of v. 45 is a parenthetical note by the author. The major problem in these verses concerns the contradiction between the proverb stated by Jesus in v. 44 and the reception of the Galileans in v. 45. Origen solved the problem by referring his own country to Judea (which Jesus had just left) and not Galilee. But this runs counter to the thrust of John’s Gospel, which takes pains to identify Jesus with Galilee (cf. 1:46) and does not even mention his Judean birth. R. E. Brown typifies the contemporary approach: He regards v. 44 as an addition by a later redactor who wanted to emphasize Jesus’ unsatisfactory reception in Galilee. Neither expedient is necessary, though, if honor is understood in its sense of attributing true worth to someone. The Galileans did welcome him, but their welcome was to prove a superficial response based on what they had seen him do at the feast. There is no indication that the signs they saw brought them to place their faith in Jesus any more than Nicodemus did on the basis of the signs. But a superficial welcome based on enthusiasm for miracles is no real honor at all.

[4:46]  ⁴⁸ map For location see Map1 C3; Map2 D2; Map3 C5.

[4:46]  ⁴⁹ sn See John 2:1-11.

[4:46]  ⁵⁰ tn Grk “And in.”

[4:46]  ⁵¹ 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.

[4:46]  ⁵² 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.

[4:47]  ⁵³ tn The direct object of ἠρώτα (hrwta) is supplied from context. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[4:48]  ⁵⁴ 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).

[4:48]  ⁵⁵ tn Or “you never believe.” The verb πιστεύσητε (pisteushte) is aorist subjunctive and may have either nuance.

[4:50]  ⁵⁶ tn Grk “Go”; the word “home” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[4:50]  ⁵⁷ tn Grk “and left.” The words “for home” are implied by the following verse.

[4:51]  ⁵⁸ sn While he was on his way down. Going to Capernaum from Cana, one must go east across the Galilean hills and then descend to the Sea of Galilee. The 20 mi (33 km) journey could not be made in a single day. The use of the description on his way down shows the author was familiar with Palestinian geography.

[4:51]  ⁵⁹ tn Traditionally, “servants.” Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v.). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος), in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.

[4:52]  ⁶⁰ tn Grk “the hour.”

[4:52]  ⁶¹ tn BDAG 558 s.v. κομψότερον translates the idiom κομψότερον ἔχειν (komyoteron ecein) as “begin to improve.”

[4:52]  ⁶² tn The second οὖν (oun) in 4:52 has been translated as “and” to improve English style by avoiding redundancy.

[4:52]  ⁶³ tn Grk “at the seventh hour.”

[4:53]  ⁶⁴ tn Grk “at that hour.”

[4:54]  ⁶⁵ tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. 2:11 where the same construction occurs.