YHN 4:14 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). 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 to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) but whoever drinks the water that I give them will find a well springing up inside them—springing into eternal life.”

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT but whoever drinks from the water that I will give him will never thirst into eternity. Instead, the water that I will give him will become a fountain of water in him, springing up to eternal life.”

UST But anyone who drinks the water that I will give him will never become thirsty again. Rather, the water that I will give him will become a spring of water inside him that fills him up and causes him to live forever in heaven.”

BSB But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

BLB but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him will never thirst, to the age. Instead, the water that I will give to him will become in him a spring of water, welling up into eternal life."

AICNT but {the one who}[fn] drinks from the water that I will give him [will never thirst again. The water that I will give him][fn] will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

4:14, the one who: Some manuscripts read “whoever.” ℵ(01) D(05)

4:14, will never thirst again...: Absent from some manuscripts. C(04)

OEB but whoever once drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst any more; but the water that I will give him will become a spring welling up within him – a source of eternal life.’

LSB but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst—ever; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

WEBBE but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET But whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life.”

LSV but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him, may not thirst—throughout the age; and the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water, springing up to continuous life.”

FBV But those who drink the water I give won't ever be thirsty again. The water I give becomes a bubbling spring of water inside them, bringing them eternal life.”

TCNT but whoever drinks the water I give him will certainly never thirst again. On the contrary, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

T4T But those who drink the water that I will give them will never be thirsty again. On the contrary, the water that I give them will become in their inner beings like a spring of water that will enable them to have eternal life.”

LEB But whoever drinks of this water which I will give to him will never be thirsty for eternity, but the water which I will give to him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”

BBE But whoever takes the water I give him will never be in need of drink again; for the water I give him will become in him a fountain of eternal life.

Moff but anyone who drinks the water I shall give him will never thirst any more; the water I shall give him will turn into a spring of water welling up to eternal life."

Wymth but whoever drinks any of the water that I shall give him will never, never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become a fountain within him of water springing up for the Life of the Ages."

ASV but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.

DRA But the water that I will give him, shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into life everlasting.

YLT but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him, may not thirst — to the age; and the water that I will give him shall become in him a well of water, springing up to life age-during.'

Drby but whosoever drinks of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst for ever, but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.

RV but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.
(but whosoever drinketh/drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life. )

SLT But whoever should drink of the water which I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water which I shall give him shall be in him a spring of water springing up to eternal life.

Wbstr But whoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him, shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

KJB-1769 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
( But whosoever drinketh/drinks of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. )

KJB-1611 But whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shal giue him, shall neuer thirst: but the water that I shall giue him, shalbe in him a well of water springing vp into euerlasting life.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps But whosoeuer drynketh of the water that I shall geue hym, shall neuer be more a thyrst: but the water that I shall geue him, shalbe in him a well of water, spryngyng vp into euerlastyng lyfe.
(But whosoever drinketh/drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never be more a thirst: but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life.)

Gnva But whosoeuer drinketh of the water that I shall giue him, shall neuer be more a thirst: but the water that I shall giue him, shalbe in him a well of water, springing vp into euerlasting life.
(But whosoever drinketh/drinks of the water that I shall give him, shall never be more a thirst: but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, springing up into everlasting life. )

Cvdl But whosoeuer shal drynke of the water that I shal geue him, shal neuer be more a thyrst: but the water that I shal geue him, shalbe in him a well of water, which spryngeth vp in to euerlastinge life.
(But whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him, shall never be more a thirst: but the water that I shall give him, shall be in him a well of water, which springeth/springs up in to everlasting life.)

TNT But whosoever shall drinke of the water that I shall geve him shall never be more a thyrst: but the water that I shall geve him shalbe in him a well of water springinge vp in to everlastinge lyfe.
(But whosoever shall drink of the water that I shall give him shall never be more a thirst: but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springinge up in to everlasting life. )

Wycl schal be maad in hym a welle `of watir, spryngynge vp in to euerlastynge lijf.
(shall be made in him a well of water, springing up in to everlasting life.)

Luth wer aber von dem Wasser trinken wird, das ich ihm gebe, den wird ewiglich nicht dürsten, sondern das Wasser, das ich ihm geben werde, das wird in ihm ein Brunn des Wassers werden, das in das ewige Leben quillet.
(who but from to_him water drink(v) becomes, the I him give, the becomes forever not thirst, rather the water, the I him give become, the becomes in him a well(n) the waters become, the in the eternal life quillet.)

ClVg sed aqua quam ego dabo ei, fiet in eo fons aquæ salientis in vitam æternam.[fn]
(but water how I I_will_give to_him, will_be_done in/into/on by_him source/spring water salientis in/into/on life eternal. )

4.14 Aqua. Aqua corporalis deorsum fluit, aqua spiritualis sursum salit et secum eos qui eam bibunt in æternam gloriam subvehit.

4.14 Aqua. Aqua bodilys down flows, water spiritual up/above salit and with_him them who/which her bibunt in/into/on eternal glory subvehit.

UGNT ὃς δ’ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει, εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα; ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος, ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
(hos d’ an piaʸ ek tou hudatos hou egō dōsō autōi, ou maʸ dipsaʸsei, eis ton aiōna; alla to hudōr ho dōsō autōi genaʸsetai en autōi paʸgaʸ hudatos, hallomenou eis zōaʸn aiōnion.)

SBL-GNT ὃς δʼ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ ⸀διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
(hos dʼ an piaʸ ek tou hudatos hou egō dōsō autōi, ou maʸ ⸀dipsaʸsei eis ton aiōna, alla to hudōr ho dōsō autōi genaʸsetai en autōi paʸgaʸ hudatos hallomenou eis zōaʸn aiōnion.)

RP-GNT ὃς δ' ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
(hos d' an piaʸ ek tou hudatos hou egō dōsō autōi, ou maʸ dipsaʸsaʸ eis ton aiōna; alla to hudōr ho dōsō autōi genaʸsetai en autōi paʸgaʸ hudatos hallomenou eis zōaʸn aiōnion.)

TC-GNT ὃς δ᾽ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ [fn]διψήσῃ εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.
(hos d an piaʸ ek tou hudatos hou egō dōsō autōi, ou maʸ dipsaʸsaʸ eis ton aiōna; alla to hudōr ho dōsō autōi genaʸsetai en autōi paʸgaʸ hudatos hallomenou eis zōaʸn aiōnion. )

4:14 διψηση ¦ διψησει CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 4:1–42: Jesus spoke with a woman from Samaria

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

Paragraph 4:7–15

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.

4:14a

But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst.

But whoever drinks the water I give him will never be thirsty again.
However, everyone who drinks the water that I supply will never need to drink it again.

But: The Greek word that the BSB translates as But indicates contrast between the results of two different actions. The two actions are drinking the well’s water and drinking the water that Jesus will give. Those who drink the well’s water will get thirsty again. Those who drink Jesus’ water will never be thirsty again and will have eternal life. The contrast shows that Jesus’ water was better than the well water.

whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst: This clause does not mean that those people would never want to drink water again, although that is what the woman thought. Jesus was talking about a spiritual thirst or desire. When people receive living water (spiritual life) from Jesus, it will satisfy them. They may thirst for more of God, but they know that he has already given them what they really thirst for. The Greek word that the BSB translates as never is a strong negative word that emphasizes what Jesus said. In some languages it may be more natural to say:

But the water I give them takes away thirst altogether. (NLT)

But no one who drinks the water that I give will ever be thirsty again. (CEV)

4:14b–c

Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life: Jesus continued to use a metaphor to describe what would happen to those who drink his water that gives life. (See the note at 4:10d for more information on “living water.”) In this sentence he said that the water would keep coming forever like a spring that never stops. That shows that this water gives eternal life. If this metaphor is difficult to understand in your language, you may need to use a simile instead. For example:

The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life. (CEV)

Because the water that I give, it will become like a spring in his body which never becomes dry which gives him life that lasts forever.

4:14b

Indeed, the water I give him will become

That is because the water that I give him will become
In fact, the water that I supply them will be like
But the water that I give to them will be like

Indeed: The Greek text includes a conjunction that is usually translated as “but,” but the BSB translates emphatically as Indeed. Here, the Greek conjunction connects a negative statement (“those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty”) to a positive statement (“The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life”). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:

Use the conjunction “but.”
…whoever drinks some of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again, but the water that I will give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up to eternal life (NET)
Use a conjunction other than “but.” This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:
…those who drink the water that I will give them will never become thirsty again. In fact, the water I will give them will become in them a spring that gushes up to eternal life. (GW)
Do not use a conjunction as in the NRSV. For example:
…no one who drinks the water I give will ever be thirsty again. The water I give is like a flowing fountain that gives eternal life. (CEV)
Change the order of the clauses. For example:
Those who drink the water that I will give, it will become like a spring in his body that always flows and gives forever life. He will never be thirsty again.

You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.

the water I give him will become: The Greek text emphasizes the word I. Jesus was contrasting himself and the water that he will give with Jacob and the water that he gave.

In some languages it may be natural to say to whom Jesus will give this water. For example:

the water I will give them will become (GW)

4:14c

in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”

a spring of water that gushes/rises up inside him to eternal life.”
an inner spring of fresh water. It will bring them spiritual life that never ends.”
a flowing fountain inside them that will cause them to live forever with God.”

in him: This phrase refers to the spirits or souls of the people who drink or receive the water Jesus offers. Their bodies would die, but their souls/spirits would live forever. If it is not natural to say in him, use an expression that indicates that this water will affect these people. For example:

for them

a fount of water springing up: This phrase refers to fresh (not salty) water that jumps or rises up (gushes) out of the ground. Here are other ways to translate this phrase:

a spring of water welling up (NIV)

a fresh, bubbling spring (NLT)

to eternal life: This phrase indicates that this water brings eternal life. The phrase eternal life refers to the new spiritual life that God gives us when we believe in Jesus. It is life that never ends. See the note at 3:15 and how you translated the phrase there. Here are some other ways to translate this phrase:

forever life from God

spiritual life that never ends

living forever with God

General Comment on 4:14a–c

In some languages it may be natural to follow the Greek and translate 4:14a using a singular subject meaning “whoever.” For example:

but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life. (NIV)

but anyone who drinks the water I give will never be thirsty again. For it will jump up like a fountain inside that person and bring eternal life.

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

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Jesus Speaks with a Woman in Samaria

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”).

Parallel YHN 4:14