4:5a
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar: Jesus was traveling with his disciples. If a literal translation indicates that he was alone, you may need to explicitly include the disciples. For example:
In Samaria Jesus ⌊with his disciples⌋ came to the town called Sychar.
-or-
So they arrived at a town in Samaria called Sychar.
So: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as So means “therefore.” In some languages it may be natural to leave this word implied. For example:
and on his way came to a Samaritan town called Sychar (Revised English Bible)
a town of Samaria called Sychar: The town of Sychar in Samaria is mentioned only here, so it was probably not large. It may have been only a village or small town. For example:
In Samaria he came to a town named Sychar. (Good News Translation)
4:5b
near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph: Jacob was the son of Isaac, who was the son of Abraham. He was the ancestor of both the Jews and the Samaritans. For more information on this plot of ground, or “field,” see Genesis 33:19 and Joshua 24:32.
Jacob and Joseph lived in the distant past, almost two thousand years before the events in this chapter. In some languages it is more natural to indicate this is some way. For example:
It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph. (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
It was near the field that ⌊our (excl.) ancestor⌋ Jacob ⌊once⌋ gave to his son Joseph.
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