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OET OET-RV OET-LV ULT UST BSB BLB AICNT OEB WEBBE WMBB NET LSV FBV TCNT T4T LEB BBE Moff JPS Wymth ASV DRA YLT Drby RV Wbstr KJB-1769 KJB-1611 Bshps Gnva Cvdl TNT Wyc SR-GNT UHB Related Topics Parallel Interlinear Reference Dictionary Search
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=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance=normal (All still tentative.)
OET (OET-RV) I doubt that you’re greater than our ancestor Yacob who made this well for us and drank this water along with his children and his animals.”
OET-LV You are not greater than the father of_us Yakōb, who gave the well to_us, and drank of it himself, and the sons of_him, and the livestock of_him?
SR-GNT Μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ;” ‡
(Maʸ su meizōn ei tou patros haʸmōn Yakōb, hos edōken haʸmin to frear, kai autos ex autou epien, kai hoi huioi autou, kai ta thremmata autou;”)
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 You are not greater, are you, than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, and his sons and his cattle?”
UST You are surely not greater than our father Jacob. He dug this well and gave it to us. He, his sons, and his livestock drank water from it as well.”
BSB Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?”
BLB Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his livestock?"
AICNT Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us {the}[fn] well and drank from it himself, as well as {his sons and his livestock?”
4:12, the: Some manuscripts read “this.” Latin(a e ff2 )
OEB Surely you are not greater than our ancestor Jacob who gave us the well, and used to drink from it himself, and his sons, and his cattle!’
LSB Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and drank of it himself and his sons and his cattle?”
WEBBE Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?”
WMBB (Same as above)
NET Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.”
LSV Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and himself drank out of it, and his sons, and his livestock?”
FBV “Our father Jacob gave us the well. He drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock. Are you greater than he?”
TCNT Are yoʋ greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and livestock?”
T4T Our ancestor Jacob left us this well. He drank water from it, and there was enough good water so that his sons and his flocks of sheep and goats drank from it also. Do you claim that you are greater than Jacob, and because of that you can give us life-giving water?”
LEB You are not greater than our father Jacob, are you,[fn] who gave us the well and drank from it himself, and his sons and his livestock?”
?:? *The negative construction in Greek anticipates a negative answer here, indicated by the supplied phrase “are you” in the translation
BBE Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the fountain and took the water of it himself, with his children and his cattle?
Moff No Moff YHN (JHN) book available
Wymth Are you greater than our forefather Jacob, who gave us the well, and himself drank from it, as did also his sons and his cattle?"
ASV Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
DRA Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
YLT Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?'
Drby Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
RV Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
Wbstr Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children, and his cattle?
KJB-1769 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
(Art thou/you greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? )
KJB-1611 Art thou greater then our father Iacob, which gaue vs the Well, and dranke thereof himselfe, and his children, and his cattell?
(Art thou/you greater then our father Yacob, which gave us the Well, and dranke thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?)
Bshps Art thou greater then our father Iacob, which gaue vs the well, and he hym selfe dranke therof, and his chyldren, and his cattell?
(Art thou/you greater then our father Yacob, which gave us the well, and he himself dranke therof, and his children, and his cattle?)
Gnva Art thou greater then our father Iacob, which gaue vs the well, and hee himselfe dranke thereof, and his sonnes, and his cattell?
(Art thou/you greater then our father Yacob, which gave us the well, and he himself dranke thereof, and his sons, and his cattle? )
Cvdl Art thou greater then oure father Iacob, which gaue vs this well? And he himself dranke therof, and his children, and his catell.
(Art thou/you greater then our father Yacob, which gave us this well? And he himself dranke therof, and his children, and his cattle.)
TNT Arte thou greater then oure father Iacob which gave vs the well and he him silfe dranke therof and his chyldren and his catell?
(Arte thou/you greater then our father Yacob which gave us the well and he him self dranke therof and his children and his cattle? )
Wyc Whethir thou art grettere than oure fadir Jacob, that yaf to vs the pit? and he drank therof, and hise sones, and hise beestis.
(Whethir thou/you art greater than our father Yacob, that gave to us the pit? and he drank therof, and his sons, and his beasts/animals.)
Luth Bist du mehr denn unser Vater Jakob, der uns diesen Brunnen gegeben hat, und er hat daraus getrunken und seine Kinder und sein Vieh?
(Bist you more because unser father Yakob, the/of_the us/to_us/ourselves this Brunnen given has, and he has daraus getrunken and his children and his Vieh?)
ClVg Numquid tu major es patre nostro Jacob, qui dedit nobis puteum, et ipse ex eo bibit, et filii ejus, et pecora ejus?[fn]
(Numquid you mayor you_are patre nostro Yacob, who he_gave us puteum, and himself from eo bibit, and children his, and pecora his? )
4.12 Nunquid tu. Alienigena Jacob patrem suum vocat, quia ipsa sub lege Moysi vixerat, et prædium quod Jacob filio suo dederat, possidebat. AUG. Vasculum cupiditas, aqua voluptas, reficitur, non exstinguitur. Et ipse ex eo. De puteo bibunt homines et pecora, et similiter de ratione, quasi depravata et obscurata magno labore foditur et exercetur: bibunt autem quidam ut homines qui ea ratione ad bonum utuntur, ut sancti. Quidam ut pecora, qui utuntur ea ad malum ut philosophi.
4.12 Nunquid tu. Alienigena Yacob patrem his_own vocat, because herself under lege of_Moses vixerat, and prædium that Yacob filio his_own dederat, possidebat. AUG. Vasculum cupiditas, water voluptas, reficitur, not/no exstinguitur. And himself from by_him. De puteo bibunt homines and pecora, and likewise about ratione, as_if depravata and obscurata magno labore foditur and exercetur: bibunt however quidam as homines who ea ratione to bonum utuntur, as sancti. Quidam as pecora, who utuntur ea to evil as philosophi.
UGNT μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ?
(maʸ su meizōn ei tou patros haʸmōn Yakōb, hos edōken haʸmin to frear, kai autos ex autou epien, kai hoi huioi autou, kai ta thremmata autou?)
SBL-GNT μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ;
(maʸ su meizōn ei tou patros haʸmōn Yakōb, hos edōken haʸmin to frear kai autos ex autou epien kai hoi huioi autou kai ta thremmata autou;)
TC-GNT Μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιε, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ;
(Maʸ su meizōn ei tou patros haʸmōn Yakōb, hos edōken haʸmin to frear, kai autos ex autou epie, kai hoi huioi autou, kai ta thremmata autou; )
Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).
4:12 our ancestor Jacob: The Samaritan woman appealed with reverence to the sacred traditions attached to the well rather than to the presence of God before her.
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: figures-of-speech / rquestion
μὴ σὺ μείζων εἶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἡμῶν Ἰακώβ, ὃς ἔδωκεν ἡμῖν τὸ φρέαρ, καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν, καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ?
not you greater_‹than› are the father ˱of˲_us Jacob who gave ˱to˲_us the well and himself of it drank and the sons ˱of˲_him and the livestock ˱of˲_him
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: “You are certainly not greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, and his sons and his cattle!”
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔπιεν
of it drank
Here, John records the woman leaving out a word that a clause would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply this word from the context. Alternate translation: “drank water from it”
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / ellipsis
καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ αὐτοῦ, καὶ τὰ θρέμματα αὐτοῦ
and and the sons ˱of˲_him and the livestock ˱of˲_him
Here, John records the woman leaving out some words that a clause would need in many languages to be complete. If it would be helpful in your language, you could supply these words from the previous clause. Alternate translation: “and his sons drank water from it and his cattle drank water from it”
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”).