YHN 4:22 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=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

OET (OET-RV) You people in Shomron don’t even know who you worship, but we do, because people will be saved by means of us Jews.

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, 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 You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

UST You people here in Samaria worship the God whom you do not know. We Jews worship the God whom we know. This is true because the way to be saved from your sins comes from among the Jews.

BLB You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews.

AICNT You[fn] worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

4:22, you: Plural

OEB You Samaritans do not know what you worship; we know what we worship, for salvation comes from the Jews.

LSB You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

WEBBE You worship that which you don’t know. We worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET You people worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.

LSV you worship what you have not known; we worship what we have known, because salvation is of the Jews;

FBV You really don't know the God[fn] you're worshiping, while we worship the God we know, for salvation comes from the Jews.

4:22 Literally, “what.”

TCNT You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.

T4T You people from Samaria do not know the one you are worshipping. But we (exc) Jews know whom we worship, because it is from us Jews that God has sent the one who will save people from the guilt of their sins.

LEB You worship what you do not know. We worship what we know, because salvation is from the Jews.

BBE You give worship, but without knowledge of what you are worshipping: we give worship to what we have knowledge of: for salvation comes from the Jews.

Moff You are worshipping something you do not know; we are worshipping what we do know — for salvation comes from the Jews.

Wymth You worship One of whom you know nothing. We worship One whom we know; for salvation comes from the Jews.

ASV Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know; for salvation is from the Jews.

DRA You adore that which you know not: we adore that which we know; for salvation is of the Jews.

YLT ye worship what ye have not known; we worship what we have known, because the salvation is of the Jews;

Drby Ye worship ye know not what; we worship what we know, for salvation is of the Jews.

RV Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know: for salvation is from the Jews.
(Ye/You_all worship that which ye/you_all know not: we worship that which we know: for salvation is from the Jews. )

SLT Ye worship what ye know not: we worship what we know: for salvation is of the Jews.

Wbstr Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship, for salvation is from the Jews.

KJB-1769 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
( Ye/You_all worship ye/you_all know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. )

KJB-1611 Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for saluation is of the Iewes.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above)

Bshps Ye worshippe ye wote not what. We knowe what we worshippe: For saluation commeth of the Iewes.
(Ye/You_all worship ye/you_all wote not what. We know what we worshippe: For salvation cometh/comes of the Yews.)

Gnva Ye worship that which ye knowe not: we worship that which we knowe: for saluation is of the Iewes.
(Ye/You_all worship that which ye/you_all know not: we worship that which we know: for salvation is of the Yews. )

Cvdl Ye wote not what ye worshippe, but we knowe what ye worshippe, for Saluacion commeth of the Iewes.
(Ye/You_all wote not what ye/you_all worshippe, but we know what ye/you_all worshippe, for Saluacion cometh/comes of the Yews.)

TNT Ye worshippe ye wot not what: we knowe what we worshippe. For salvacion cometh of the Iewes.
(Ye/You_all worship ye/you_all wot not what: we know what we worshippe. For salvacion cometh/comes of the Yews. )

Wycl Ye worschipen that ye knowen not; we worschipen that that we knowen; for helthe is of the Jewis.
(Ye/You_all worship that ye/you_all known not; we worship that that we known; for health is of the Yews.)

Luth Ihr wisset nicht, was ihr anbetet; wir wissen aber was wir anbeten; denn das Heil kommt von den Juden.
(You(pl) know not, what/which you(pl)/their/her worships; we/us realise but what/which we/us worship; because/than the salvation comes from the Yews.)

ClVg Vos adoratis quod nescitis: nos adoramus quod scimus, quia salus ex Judæis est.
(You(pl) adoratis that you_don't_know: us adoramus that we_know, because health/safety from To_the_Jews it_is. )

UGNT ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε, ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν.
(humeis proskuneite ho ouk oidate, haʸmeis proskunoumen ho oidamen, hoti haʸ sōtaʸria ek tōn Youdaiōn estin.)

SBL-GNT ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε, ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν, ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν·
(humeis proskuneite ho ouk oidate, haʸmeis proskunoumen ho oidamen, hoti haʸ sōtaʸria ek tōn Youdaiōn estin;)

RP-GNT Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε· ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν· ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν.
(Humeis proskuneite ho ouk oidate; haʸmeis proskunoumen ho oidamen; hoti haʸ sōtaʸria ek tōn Youdaiōn estin.)

TC-GNT Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὃ οὐκ οἴδατε· ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὃ οἴδαμεν· ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν.
(Humeis proskuneite ho ouk oidate; haʸmeis proskunoumen ho oidamen; hoti haʸ sōtaʸria ek tōn Youdaiōn estin. )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (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.

4:22a

You worship what you do not know;

You^(plur) worship someone that you^(plur) do not know;
You people of Samaria do not know the God you^(plur) worship.

You worship what you do not know: Jesus was indicating that the Samaritan people did not truly know God. The Samaritans praised and honored God but did not really know or understand him.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

You Samaritans do not really know whom you worship (GNT)

You Samaritans worship something you don’t understand (NCV)

You: This pronoun is plural here and refers to the Samaritans. They were a group of people who were descended from both Jewish people and Gentiles (Assyrians). So they worshiped in a mixed way and the Jews did not like them. In some languages it will help to make explicit that Jesus was speaking about all Samaritans, not just the woman. For example:

You Samaritans (NIV)

You people (NET)

worship: The Greek word the BSB translates as worship means to praise and honor God.

what you do not know: Jesus was referring to God. The Samaritans did not truly know God.

4:22b

we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.

while we^(excl) do know God because God will save the world through the Jews.
However, we^(excl) Jewish people understand who God is, and the way that God will redeem/deliver people will come from us^(excl).

we worship what we do know: Jesus indicated that the Jews’ faith in God was established on a solid basis. That basis consisted of historical facts and God’s revealing himself to the Jews. They truly knew something of the one true God. Translate this in a way that makes a clear contrast with “what you do not know” in 4:22a. For example:

we Jews know whom we worship (GNT)

We understand what we worship. (NCV)

we: This pronoun is exclusive. It refers to Jesus and the Jews, but not to the woman and the Samaritans. It may be necessary to make this more explicit. For example:

we Jews (NLT)

for: The Greek connector that the BSB translates as for means “because.” It introduces the reason why the Jews knew the one they worshiped.

salvation is from the Jews: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as salvation is from the Jews indicates that it is through the Jewish people that God saves the world. God would reveal himself and his salvation to the Jews, and the Savior himself (Jesus) was Jewish. In some languages it may be natural to indicate that Jesus was himself a Jew. For example:

But we Jews do know the God we worship, and by using us, God will save the world. (CEV)

but we Jews know whom we worship, because it is from the Jews that salvation comes (GNT)

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / you

ὑμεῖς & οὐκ οἴδατε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Ὑμεῖς προσκυνεῖτε ὅ οὐκ οἴδατε ἡμεῖς προσκυνοῦμεν ὅ οἴδαμεν ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν)

You is plural here in this verse and refers to the Samaritan people. If it would be helpful in your language, you could state this explicitly. Alternate translation: [you Samaritan people … you all do not know]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / exclusive

ἡμεῖς & οἴδαμεν

we & ˱we˲_˓have˒_known

We here is exclusive. Jesus is only referring to himself and the Jewish people. Your language may require you to mark this form. Alternate translation: [We Jewish people … we all know]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ὅτι ἡ σωτηρία ἐκ τῶν Ἰουδαίων ἐστίν

because ¬the salvation of the Jews is

The phrase from the Jews indicates that the Jewish people were the people group from which salvation came. This is true because the Savior Jesus was from the Jewish people. This phrase does not mean that the Jewish people themselves will save others from their sins. You could include this information if that would be helpful to your readers. Alternate translation: [for salvation comes from among the Jewish people]

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / abstractnouns

ἡ σωτηρία

¬the salvation

If your language does not use an abstract noun for the idea of salvation, you could express the same idea in another way. Alternate translation: [the way to be saved]

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 4:22

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

Paragraph 4:19–26

4:22a

4:22b

Jesus Speaks with a Woman in Samaria