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parallelVerse INT GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOS JDG RUTH 1SA 2SA PSA AMOS HOS 1KI 2KI 1CH 2CH PRO ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL JOB YHN MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC GAL 1TH 2TH 1COR 2COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1TIM TIT 1PET 2PET 2TIM HEB YUD 1YHN 2YHN 3YHN REV
Yhn Intro 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 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51 V53
Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed for doing comparisons of different translations. Click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible. Please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.
Text critical issues=minor spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) Yeshua answered, “If you had recognised God’s gift and who it is who’s asking you for a drink, you would have asked me and I would have given you living water to drink.”
OET-LV Yaʸsous answered and said to_her:
If you_had_known the gift of_ the _god, and who is which saying to_you:
Give to_me to_drink, you would requested him, and he_ would _gave to_you living water.
SR-GNT Ἀπεκρίθη ˚Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, “Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ ˚Θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, ‘Δός μοι πεῖν’, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν.” ‡
(Apekrithaʸ ˚Yaʸsous kai eipen autaʸ, “Ei aʸdeis taʸn dōrean tou ˚Theou, kai tis estin ho legōn soi, ‘Dos moi pein’, su an aʸtaʸsas auton, kai edōken an soi hudōr zōn.”)
Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the OET-RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).
ULT Jesus answered and said to her, “If you had known the gift of God and who is the one saying to you, ‘Give me to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
UST Jesus replied to her, “If you had known the gift that God wants to give you, and if you had known who I am who is requesting a drink from you, you would have asked me for a drink, and I would have given you living water.”
BSB § Jesus answered, “If you knew the gift of God and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
BLB Jesus answered and said to her, "If you had known the gift of God and who it is saying to you, 'Give Me to drink,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given to you living water."
AICNT Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
OEB ‘If you knew of the gift of God,’ replied Jesus, ‘and who it is that is saying to you “Give me some water,” you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.’
LSB Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
WEBBE Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
WMBB Yeshua answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
NET Jesus answered her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who said to you, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
LSV Jesus answered and said to her, “If you had known the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to you, Give Me to drink, you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
FBV Jesus answered her, “If you only recognized God's gift, and who is asking you, ‘Please could you give me a drink?’ you would have asked him and he would have given you the water of life.”
TCNT Jesus answered her, “If yoʋ knew the gift of God and who it is that is saying to yoʋ, ‘Give me some water to drink,’ yoʋ would have asked him, and he would have given yoʋ living water.”
T4T Jesus replied to her, “If you (sg) knew what God wanted to give you, and if you knew who I am, the one who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked me, and I would have given you water that gives life.”
LEB Jesus answered and said to her, “If you had known the gift of God and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me water[fn] to drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
4:10 *Here “water” is supplied in the translation as the understood direct object of the verb “give”
BBE In answer Jesus said, If you had knowledge of what God gives freely and who it is who says to you, Give me water, you would make your prayer to him, and he would give you living water.
Moff No Moff YHN (JHN) book available
Wymth "If you had known God's free gift," replied Jesus, "and who it is that said to you, `Give me some water,' you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water."
ASV Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
DRA Jesus answered, and said to her: If thou didst know the gift of God, and who he is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou perhaps wouldst have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
YLT Jesus answered and said to her, 'If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.'
Drby Jesus answered and said to her, If thou knewest the gift of [fn]God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
4.10 Elohim
RV Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
Wbstr Jesus answered and said to her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldst have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.
KJB-1769 Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
(Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou/you knew the gift of God, and who it is that saith/says to thee/you, Give me to drink; thou/you wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee/you living water. )
KJB-1611 Iesus answered, and said vnto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that sayth to thee, Giue me to drinke; thou wouldest haue asked of him, and hee would haue giuen thee liuing water.
(Yesus/Yeshua answered, and said unto her, If thou/you knew the gift of God, and who it is that saith/says to thee/you, Give me to drink; thou/you wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee/you living water.)
Bshps Iesus aunswered, and sayde vnto her: yf thou knewest the gyft of God, & who it is that sayeth to thee geue me drynke, thou wouldest haue asked of hym, and he woulde haue geuen thee water of lyfe.
(Yesus/Yeshua answered, and said unto her: if thou/you knew the gyft of God, and who it is that sayeth to thee/you give me drink, thou/you wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee/you water of life.)
Gnva Iesus answered and saide vnto her, If thou knewest that gift of God, and who it is that saieth to thee, Giue mee drinke, thou wouldest haue asked of him, and hee woulde haue giuen thee, water of life.
(Yesus/Yeshua answered and said unto her, If thou/you knew that gift of God, and who it is that saith/says to thee/you, Give me drink, thou/you wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee/you, water of life. )
Cvdl Iesus answered, and sayde vnto her: Yf thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that sayeth vnto the, geue me drynke, thou woldest axe of him, and he wolde geue the, the water of life.
(Yesus/Yeshua answered, and said unto her: If thou/you knew the gift of God, and who it is that sayeth unto them, give me drink, thou/you would axe of him, and he would give them, the water of life.)
TNT Iesus answered and sayde vnto hir: yf thou knewest the gyfte of God and who it is that sayeth to the geve me drynke thou woldest have axed of him and he wolde have geven the water of lyfe.
(Yesus/Yeshua answered and said unto hir: if thou/you knew the gyfte of God and who it is that sayeth to the give me drink thou/you would have asked of him and he would have given the water of life. )
Wyc Jhesus answerde, and seide to hir, If thou wistist the yifte of God, and who `he is, that seith to thee, Yyue me drynk, thou perauenture woldist haue axid of hym, and he schulde haue youun to thee quyk watir.
(Yhesus answered, and said to her, If thou/you wistist the yifte of God, and who `he is, that saith/says to thee/you, Yyue me drink, thou/you peradventure/perhaps would have axid of him, and he should have given to thee/you quyk water.)
Luth JEsus antwortete und sprach zu ihr: Wenn du erkennetest die Gabe Gottes, und wer der ist, der zu dir sagt: Gib mir zu trinken, du bätest ihn, und er gäbe dir lebendiges Wasser.
(Yesus replied and spoke to ihr: When you erkennetest the Gabe God’s, and who the/of_the is, the/of_the to you/to_you says: Give to_me to drink, you bätest him/it, and he gäbe you/to_you lifediges water.)
ClVg Respondit Jesus, et dixit ei: Si scires donum Dei, et quis est qui dicit tibi: Da mihi bibere, tu forsitan petisses ab eo, et dedisset tibi aquam vivam.[fn]
(Respondit Yesus, and he_said ei: When/But_if scires donum of_God, and who/any it_is who dicit tibi: Da to_me bibere, you forsitan petisses away eo, and dedisset to_you waterm vivam. )
4.10 Respondit Jesus. Pedetentim et simplicibus verbis instruit, ut tandem donum Dei, id est spiritum possit accipere.
4.10 Respondit Yesus. Pedetentim and simplicibus verbis instruit, as tandem donum of_God, id it_is spiritum possit accipere.
UGNT ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, δός μοι πεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν.
(apekrithaʸ Yaʸsous kai eipen autaʸ, ei aʸdeis taʸn dōrean tou Theou, kai tis estin ho legōn soi, dos moi pein, su an aʸtaʸsas auton, kai edōken an soi hudōr zōn.)
SBL-GNT ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ· Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι· Δός μοι πεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν.
(apekrithaʸ Yaʸsous kai eipen autaʸ; Ei aʸdeis taʸn dōrean tou theou kai tis estin ho legōn soi; Dos moi pein, su an aʸtaʸsas auton kai edōken an soi hudōr zōn.)
TC-GNT Ἀπεκρίθη Ἰησοῦς καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῇ, Εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι, Δός μοι [fn]πιεῖν, σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτόν, καὶ ἔδωκεν ἄν σοι ὕδωρ ζῶν.
(Apekrithaʸ Yaʸsous kai eipen autaʸ, Ei aʸdeis taʸn dōrean tou Theou, kai tis estin ho legōn soi, Dos moi piein, su an aʸtaʸsas auton, kai edōken an soi hudōr zōn. )
4:10 πιειν ¦ πειν CT
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
4:10 Shechem had no rivers and thus no living water (see “Living Water” Theme Note). However, Jesus was speaking symbolically: This gift from God was the Holy Spirit (7:37-39).
Living Water
In Israel, a land that frequently experienced drought, people were keenly aware of water sources and water quality. Springs and rivers that ran all year were few, so the people relied on cisterns to catch and store the winter rains and wells to tap underground water tables. In Jewish culture, “dead water” referred to standing or stored water. “Living water” referred to moving water, as in rivers, springs, and rainfall. Such water was precious because it was fresh. And because it came directly from God, it was used for ritual washings (see Lev 14:5-6, 50-51; 15:13; Num 19:17-19).
The distinction between “dead” and “living” water helps explain why the woman of Samaria was so perplexed when Jesus offered her living water (John 4:12). Samaria has no permanent river. If Jacob had to dig a well there, how could Jesus offer superior water?
Jesus mentioned living water again in Jerusalem at the autumn Festival of Shelters (7:37-39). This festival, which fell during a dry time of year, included an emphasis on water. In this setting, Jesus stepped forward and made an extravagant claim: Anyone looking for living water should come to him and drink. Jesus is the source of living water; he came directly from God and brought divine renewal through the Spirit.
Passages for Further Study
Lev 14:5-6, 50-51; 15:13; Num 19:17-19; Song 4:15; Jer 2:13; 17:13; John 4:10-14; 7:38-39; Jas 3:11-12
Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-condition-contrary
εἰ ᾔδεις τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι & σὺ ἂν ᾔτησας αὐτὸν
if ˱you˲_/had/_known the gift ¬the ˱of˲_God and who is ¬which saying ˱to˲_you & you would requested him
Jesus is making a conditional statement that sounds hypothetical, but he knows that the condition is not true. He knows that the woman does not know the gift of God or who he is. Use a natural form in your language for introducing a condition that the speaker believes is not true. Alternate translation: “You surely do not know the gift of God and who it is who is saying to you … Otherwise, you would have asked him”
τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ
the gift ¬the ˱of˲_God
Here, the gift of God refers to the “living water” that Jesus mentions at the end of the verse. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: “God’s gift of living water”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / possession
τὴν δωρεὰν τοῦ Θεοῦ
the gift ¬the ˱of˲_God
Jesus uses of to describe a gift that comes from God. If it would be helpful in your language, you could express the meaning explicitly. Alternate translation: “the gift from God”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / 123person
τίς ἐστιν ὁ λέγων σοι & ᾔτησας αὐτὸν, καὶ ἔδωκεν
who is ¬which saying ˱to˲_you & requested him and ˱he˲_gave
Jesus is referring to himself in the third person. If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this in the first person. Alternate translation: “who I am who is saying to you … would have asked me, and I would have given”
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / quotesinquotes
ὁ λέγων σοι, δός μοι πεῖν,
¬which saying ˱to˲_you give ˱to˲_me /to/_drink
If it would be helpful in your language, you could translate this so that there is not a quotation within a quotation. Alternate translation: “who is asking you to give him a drink”
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / extrainfo
ὕδωρ ζῶν
water living
The phrase living water usually refers to moving or flowing water. However, Jesus uses living water here to refer to the Holy Spirit who works in a person to save and transform them. However, the woman does not understand this and Jesus does not explain the metaphor to her in this verse. Therefore, you do not need to explain its meaning further here.
John 4
As the story of Jesus’ encounter with a Samaritan woman demonstrates, even simple geography–the divine arrangement of places where God leads us in life–can position us for fruitful ministry if we are willing to reach out to those along our journey. This episode in Jesus’ ministry occurred immediately after Jesus had cleared the Temple in Jerusalem and was gaining even more followers than John the Baptist (John 2:13-25; 4:1-3). Likely wanting to avoid a direct clash with Jewish leadership so early in his ministry, Jesus chose instead to return to Galilee. The most direct route from Jerusalem to Galilee passed through Samaria, and, as the Jewish historian Josephus notes, this was the route normally chosen by most Jews at the time (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XX:6). The city of Samaria (renamed Sebaste by Jesus’ time) was originally the capital of the northern kingdom of Israel, but in 722 B.C. the Assyrians exiled many Israelites to other parts of their empire and relocated other foreign peoples in Israel (2 Kings 15:29; 17:1-24; 1 Chronicles 5:26; also see “Israelites Are Exiled to Assyria”). This diverse population then developed a new religion that mixed elements of Israelite worship with pagan worship (2 Kings 17:24-41), and centuries later they set up their own temple on Mount Gerizim. Because of their mixed ancestry and religion, Samaritans were often detested by many Jews (John 4:9), and hostilities periodically erupted between Jews and Samaritans. Jesus himself would later be refused entry into Samaria while traveling from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 9:52-56; also see “Jesus’ Final Journey to Jerusalem”), and Josephus notes that about 20 years after this time a number of Galileans were killed by Samaritans as they attempted to make their way to Jerusalem through the village of Ginae. Probably because of these hostilities, some Jews preferred to take alternate routes that bypassed Samaria. Still other Jews chose these routes to avoid even associating with Samaritans. Jesus, however, appears to have chosen the more direct route through Samaria, which led him to the village of Sychar–right next to the ancient site of Shechem and Mount Gerizim. There he met a Samaritan woman by a well and spoke to her about God’s gift of living water for her soul. He also revealed supernatural knowledge about her, so she asked him whether Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem was the proper place to worship. Jesus gently rebuked her belief in Samaritan worship practices, but he also assured her that one day the physical location of worshipers will no longer matter. Instead, all true believers will worship God in spirit and truth. When Jesus revealed to the woman that he was the Messiah, she left her water jar and told the townspeople about Jesus. Meanwhile, Jesus’ disciples returned, and Jesus urged them to recognize that the fields were ripe for harvesting, presumably meaning that many Samaritans were ready to believe in him. Because of the Samaritan woman’s testimony, many of the townspeople believed in Jesus and persuaded him to stay there two more days before returning to Galilee. Years later the apostle Philip found fruitful ministry among the Samaritans as well, and many came to faith in Jesus (Acts 8:5-13; also see “The Ministries of Philip and Peter”).