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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Yhn C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21
Yhn 4 V1 V3 V5 V7 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51 V53
OET (OET-LV) Therefore the the from_Samareia/(Shomrōn) woman is_saying to_him:
How you being a_Youdaios, are_requesting to_drink from me of_a_woman being from_Samareia/(Shomrōn)?
For/Because Youdaiōns are_ not _having_association_with with_Samareitaʸs/(Shomrōn).
OET (OET-RV) The woman said to him, “You’re a Jew. How come you’re asking me for a drink when I’m from Shomron?” (Jews don’t normally associate with anyone from Shomron.)
In this section Jesus spoke to a Samaritan woman who had come to get water from a well. Jesus asked her for a drink of water. The woman was surprised that he spoke to her. Jesus was a Jew, and most Jewish people hated the Samaritans. But Jesus stayed and talked with the woman.
Jesus told the woman that he could give her living water, and he told her that he was the Messiah. The women went back to her town and brought many of the other Samaritan people to Jesus.
It is good to translate the section before giving it a title. Here are some other possible headings for this section:
Jesus brought good news to the hated Samaritan people
The conversation at the well
A Samaritan woman came to the well where Jesus was resting. Jesus asked her for water to drink, and then he offered her living water that would lead to eternal life.
“You are a Jew,” said the woman.
The woman from Samaria asked him, “You(sing) are a Jew
Then the woman of Samaria said to him, “I am surprised that you as a Jewish man
“You are a Jew,” said the woman: It may be more natural in some languages to indicate that the woman was responding to Jesus’ request in 4:7b or that she was asking a rhetorical question. For example:
“You are a Jew,” she replied, “and I am a Samaritan woman….” (CEV)
The Samaritan woman asked him (GW)
You: This pronoun refers to Jesus.
“How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?”
and I am a woman from Samaria. So why are you asking me for a drink of water?”
should ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water!”
How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise that Jesus had asked the Samaritan woman for a drink. Most Jewish people hated and avoided the Samaritans. The woman was telling Jesus that she was surprised at his request. Here are some ways to translate this rhetorical question:
Use a rhetorical question. For example:
How can a Jewish man like you ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink of water? (GW)
Why are you, a Jew, asking a Samaritan woman like me for a drink?
Use a statement. For example:
I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman. (NCV)
It is very strange that a Jew like you is asking a Samaritan woman for water.
Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language for expressing surprise. You may want to use two or three sentences. For example:
What! You, a Jew, ask for a drink from a Samaritan woman? (REB)
You are a Jew…and I am a Samaritan woman! How can you ask me for a drink of water…? (CEV)
You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink? (NJB)
You: This pronoun is singular and refers to Jesus.
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
(For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) (RSV)
The reason she was surprised was that the Jews did not do anything with the people of Samaria.
(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.): This clause tells the reason why the woman was surprised and asked the question in 4:9b. This reason is a comment by John the author, It is not part of the conversation or the story line. The BSB shows this by putting the comment in parentheses. The NJB separates this sentence with a dash.
Use whatever way is natural in your language to indicate that this is the author’s comment that gives a reason.
For: In Greek, this sentence begins with a conjunction that the BSB translates as For. Some English versions do not translate this word, but leave it implicit. This word introduces the reason that the woman was surprised.
Here is another way to translate this conjunction:
She said this because
Jews do not associate with Samaritans: This clause explains why the woman was surprised at Jesus’ request. There are two ways to understand this comment:
It means that the Jewish people avoided even talking with the Samaritans. For example:
For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. (NIV) (BSB, NIV, KJV, NASB, RSV, ESV, NLT, CEV, NCV)
It means that the Jews did not eat from the same dishes as the Samaritans. They considered the Samaritans to be ritually unclean. For example:
Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use. (GNT) (GNT, REB, NET, probably NRSV)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This has a broad meaning and can include refusing to share dishes and utensils. The RSV is therefore used in the Display.
Samaritans: The word Samaritans refers to people from the district of Samaria. The Samaritans were the descendants of Jews who had married foreigners. They did not worship God in Jerusalem as the Jews did, and the Jews considered the Samaritans to be foreigners.
You may want to supply a footnote saying that the Jews hated the Samaritans and did not believe that they were God’s people.
In some languages it is more natural to reorder this information and put the explanation first: For example:
The woman was surprised, 9dfor Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. 9aShe said to Jesus, 9b“You are a Jew, 9cand I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” (NLT)
In some languages it is more natural to both reorder this quote and express it as indirect speech. For example:
9dBecause Jews do not normally have anything to do with Samaritans, the woman was surprised. 9aShe asked Jesus 9bwhy he, a Jew, 9casked her, a Samaritan, for a drink.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / pastforfuture
λέγει
˓is˒_saying
Here John uses the present tense in past narration in order to call attention to a development in the story.
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / rquestion
πῶς σὺ Ἰουδαῖος ὢν, παρ’ ἐμοῦ πεῖν αἰτεῖς γυναικὸς Σαμαρείτιδος οὔσης?
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: λέγει Οὖν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις Πῶς σύ Ἰουδαῖος ὤν πάρʼ ἐμοῦ πεῖν αἰτεῖς γυναικός Σαμαρείτιδος οὔσης οὒ Γάρ συγχρῶνται Ἰουδαῖοι Σαμαρείταις)
The woman is using the question form for emphasis. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate her words as a statement or an exclamation and communicate the emphasis in another way. Alternate translation: [I cannot believe that you, being a Jew, are asking a Samaritan woman for a drink!]
οὐ & συνχρῶνται
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: λέγει Οὖν αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή ἡ Σαμαρεῖτις Πῶς σύ Ἰουδαῖος ὤν πάρʼ ἐμοῦ πεῖν αἰτεῖς γυναικός Σαμαρείτιδος οὔσης οὒ Γάρ συγχρῶνται Ἰουδαῖοι Σαμαρείταις)
Alternate translation: [do not associate with] or [have nothing to do with]
OET (OET-LV) Therefore the the from_Samareia/(Shomrōn) woman is_saying to_him:
How you being a_Youdaios, are_requesting to_drink from me of_a_woman being from_Samareia/(Shomrōn)?
For/Because Youdaiōns are_ not _having_association_with with_Samareitaʸs/(Shomrōn).
OET (OET-RV) The woman said to him, “You’re a Jew. How come you’re asking me for a drink when I’m from Shomron?” (Jews don’t normally associate with anyone from Shomron.)
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.
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