YHN 4:20 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, 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 RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship.”

UST Our ancestors worshiped God right here on this mountain, but you Jews say that we must worship God at your temple in Jerusalem.”

BSB Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [ Jews ] say that the place where [one] must worship is in Jerusalem.”

MSB Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you [ Jews ] say that the place where [one] must worship is in Jerusalem.”

BLB Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship."

AICNT Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you[fn] say that in Jerusalem is [the place][fn] where people ought to worship.”

4:20, you: Plural

4:20, the place: Absent from ℵ(01).

OEB ‘It was on this mountain that our ancestors worshiped; and yet you Jews say that the proper place for worship is in Jerusalem.’

LSB Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

WEBBE Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.”

WMBB (Same as above)

NET Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”

LSV our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and You say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is required to worship.”

FBV “Tell me this: our ancestors worshiped here on this mountain, but you[fn] say that Jerusalem is where we must worship.”

4:20 As a Jew.

TCNT Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem.”

T4T But let me ask you a different question: Our ancestors worshipped God here on Gerizim Mountain, but you Jews say that Jerusalem is the place where we must worship God. So who is right?”

LEB Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you people[fn] say that in Jerusalem is the place where it is necessary to worship.”

4:20 *Here “people” is supplied in the translation because the Greek pronoun is plural

BBE Our fathers gave worship on this mountain, but you Jews say that the right place for worship is in Jerusalem.

Moff Now our ancestors worshipped on this mountain, whereas you Jews declare the proper place for worship is at Jerusalem."

Wymth Our forefathers worshipped on this mountain, but you Jews say that the place where people must worship is in Jerusalem."

ASV Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

DRA Our fathers adored on this mountain, and you say, that at Jerusalem is the place where men must adore.

YLT our fathers in this mountain did worship, and ye — ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where it behoveth to worship.'

Drby Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.

RV Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
(Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye/you_all say, that in Yerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. )

SLT Our fathers worshipped in this mount; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where they must worship.

Wbstr Our fathers worshiped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

KJB-1769 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
(Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye/you_all say, that in Yerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. )

KJB-1611 Our fathers worshipped in this mountaine, and ye say, that in Hierusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps Our fathers worshipped in this mountayne, and ye say that in Hierusalem is the place, where men ought to worshippe.
(Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye/you_all say that in Yerusalem is the place, where men ought to worshippe.)

Gnva Our fathers worshipped in this mountaine, and ye say, that in Ierusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
(Our fathers worshipped in this mountain, and ye/you_all say, that in Yerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. )

Cvdl Oure fathers worshipped vpon this mountayne, and ye saye, that at Ierusalem is the place, where men ought to worshippe.
(Our fathers worshipped upon this mountain, and ye/you_all say, that at Yerusalem is the place, where men ought to worshippe.)

TNT Oure fathers worshipped in this mountayne: and ye saye that in Hierusalem is the place where men ought to worshippe.
(Our fathers worshipped in this mountain: and ye/you_all say that in Yerusalem is the place where men ought to worshippe. )

Wycl Oure fadris worschipiden in this hil, and ye seien, that at Jerusalem is a place, where it bihoueth to worschipe.
(Our fathers worshipped in this hill, and ye/you_all said, that at Yerusalem is a place, where it behoves to worshipe.)

Luth Unsere Väter haben auf diesem Berge angebetet, und ihr saget, zu Jerusalem sei die Stätte, da man anbeten solle.
(Our fathers have on/in/to this_one mountains/hills worshipped, and you(pl)/their/her says, to/for Yerusalem be the site/place, there man worship should.)

ClVg Patres nostri in monte hoc adoraverunt, et vos dicitis, quia Jerosolymis est locus ubi adorare oportet.[fn]
(Fathers our in/into/on mountain this they_adored/worshipped, and you(pl) you(pl)_say, because Yerosolymis it_is place where to_adore it_is_necessary. )

4.20 Panes nostri, etc. Propheta es tu, et ideo judica de hac contentione, quæ me movet. Judæi se præferebant Samaritanis pro templo quod ædificavit Salomon, in quo adorabant. Econtra Samaritani adversum Judæos pro monte, in quo et non in templo patres adoraverunt, qui Deo placuerunt. Et sic patriarchæ in montibus, Judæi in templo adoraverunt, præfigurantes modum bene orandi.

4.20 Panes our, etc. Propheta you_are you(sg), and therefore/for_that_reason judge from/about this_way contentione, which me movet. Jews himself beforeferebant Samaritanis for temple that he_built Salomon, in/into/on where they_adored/worshipped. Econtra Samaritani against Yudahos for mountain, in/into/on where and not/no in/into/on temple fathers they_adored/worshipped, who/which to_God they_liked. And so patriarchs in/into/on the_mountains, Jews in/into/on temple they_adored/worshipped, beforefigurantes way well orandi.

UGNT οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσεκύνησαν, καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος ὅπου προσκυνεῖν δεῖ.
(hoi pateres haʸmōn en tōi orei toutōi prosekunaʸsan, kai humeis legete hoti en Hierosolumois estin ho topos hopou proskunein dei.)

SBL-GNT οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσεκύνησαν· καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος ὅπου ⸂προσκυνεῖν δεῖ⸃.
(hoi pateres haʸmōn en tōi orei toutōi prosekunaʸsan; kai humeis legete hoti en Hierosolumois estin ho topos hopou ⸂proskunein dei⸃.)

RP-GNT Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσεκύνησαν· καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος ὅπου δεῖ προσκυνεῖν.
(Hoi pateres haʸmōn en tōi orei toutōi prosekunaʸsan; kai humeis legete hoti en Hierosolumois estin ho topos hopou dei proskunein.)

TC-GNT Οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν ἐν [fn]τῷ ὄρει τούτῳ προσεκύνησαν· καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε ὅτι ἐν Ἱεροσολύμοις ἐστὶν ὁ τόπος ὅπου [fn]δεῖ προσκυνεῖν.
(Hoi pateres haʸmōn en tōi orei toutōi prosekunaʸsan; kai humeis legete hoti en Hierosolumois estin ho topos hopou dei proskunein. )

4:20 τω ορει τουτω ¦ τουτω τω ορει TR

4:20 δει προσκυνειν ¦ προσκυνειν δει 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 4:19–26

The woman next asked Jesus about where people should worship God. The Samaritans said it was right to worship on Mount Gerizim, but the Jews worshiped in Jerusalem. Jesus said that where people worship is not important. It is how they worship that is important.

Jesus also said that the Samaritans really did not know whom they worshiped. The Jewish people knew whom they worshiped, and it was through them that all people will be saved. The woman mentioned the Messiah or Chosen Savior who was coming. Jesus told her that he was the Messiah. This is a very important part of the story.

4:20a

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain,

Our^(excl) ancestors worshiped God on this mountain.
Now, Mount Gerizim is where our^(excl) Samaritan ancestors worshiped God.

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain: The woman was referring to an old argument the Jews had with the Samaritans. The Samaritans did not worship God at the temple in Jerusalem. Instead, they worshiped God on Mount Gerizim in Samaria. They had worshiped there for hundreds of years, even after their temple was destroyed in 128 B.C.

Our: The pronoun Our is exclusive. The woman was distinguishing between the ancestors of the Samaritans and their customs and those of the Jews. If your language does not have inclusive and exclusive pronouns, you may want to indicate that the woman was only talking about Samaritans. For example:

My ancestors (CEV)

fathers: The Greek word that the BSB translates literally as fathers refers to both male and female ancestors.

worshiped: The word worshiped leaves implicit that it was God whom they worshiped. It may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

worshiped God

on this mountain: The phrase this mountain refers to Mount Gerizim. The well where the woman and Jesus were talking was very near the mountain.

4:20b

but you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem.”

But you^(plur) insist/declare that the place where we^(incl) must worship is in Jerusalem.”
But you Jews state that the Jerusalem temple is where people/everyone should worship God. Which/Who is right?”

but: The Greek word that the BSB translates as but here introduces a contrast. The contrast is between where the Samaritans worshiped and where the Jews said that people must worship..

you Jews say that the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem: The Jews said that the Samaritans were wrong to worship on Mount Gerizim. They said that people should only worship God in Jerusalem.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

you^(plur) insist that people need to worship in Jerusalem

you Jews say that Jerusalem is the right place to worship

you Jews say: The pronoun you is plural and includes Jesus and the Jews as a group. The woman did not believe that what they were saying was true. Here is one way to indicate this unbelief:

you Jews believe

the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as the place where one must worship is in Jerusalem means “It is in Jerusalem that God requires people to worship him.” In other words, God does not allow worship anywhere else. For example:

we are required to worship in Jerusalem

Jerusalem is the place where we should worship God (GNT)

In some languages it may be necessary to supply the word “only” to make the meaning clear. For example:

Jerusalem is the only place to worship (CEV)

in Jerusalem: This phrase refers to the temple in the city of Jerusalem. In some languages it may be necessary to mention the temple. For example:

at the temple in Jerusalem

General Comment on 4:20a–b

This sentence is in the form of a statement, but a question is implied. The woman was asking Jesus about the ancient disagreement between the Jews and Samaritans. She wanted to know what he thought. So in some languages it is more natural to translate this as a question. For example:

So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped? (NLT)

BMM BibleMapper.com Maps:

Map

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 4:20

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

Paragraph 4:19–26

4:20a

4:20b

General Comment on 4:20a–b

Jesus Speaks with a Woman in Samaria