4:24

This verse repeats some information from 4:23.

God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as and after God is Spirit introduces a result. God is spirit and so worshipers must worship in spirit and truth. There is a connection between the nature of God and the way we must worship. Here are some other ways to indicate that connection between the two clauses in this verse:

God is spirit. So the people who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth. (English Easy-to-Read Version)
-or-
God is completely inner-being, having no body. Therefore it is necessary to worship him with the inner-being and truth.
-or-
God is spiritual, and he has no body. Therefore, all who worship him must worship him not with the body, but with their whole heart/spirit. Also, their worship of him must be true.

Indicate this connection in a way that is natural in your language.

God is Spirit: This clause indicates that God is not visible. He is real, living, and personal, but he is not physical. He has a spiritual nature. And so people must worship him in a spiritual way.

Some cultures may consider invisible beings to be evil. So make sure that the word you use for Spirit can refer to a great being who is holy and loving. In some languages where spirits are evil it may be necessary to indicate that God is good, even though he is spirit. For example:

⌊Our good⌋ God is spirit.

A few translations use a capital letter S for Spirit. Some of those translations are following interpretation (2) of “spirit” in 4:23b, which we do not recommend, and use a capital letter there as well. Others seem to use a capital letter because God is the one being described as a spirit. But it may be confusing to use a capital letter here because it could imply that God and the Holy Spirit are the same. However, God is more than the Holy Spirit, so we should use a small s to avoid implying that God was only the Holy Spirit.

His worshipers: These are people who worship or honor God. In some languages it may be more natural to use a verbal phrase than a clause. For example:

those who worship him (New Revised Standard Version)

must worship Him in spirit and in truth: This phrase is a statement about something that people need to do. People need to worship God in spirit and truth, not merely with external activities.

in spirit and in truth: This is the same phrase that appeared in 4:23b. See the note there for an explanation. You should translate the phrase the same way here and in 4:23b.

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