Verses 43-46 are transitional, referring again to the journey interrupted in verse 3. After spending two days there, Jesus left and went to Galilee is literally “But after the two days, he went from there into Galilee.”

In some languages it is essential that verbs of movement indicate clearly whether one is going to a new place or returning to where he was before. In such languages Jesus … went to Galilee must be translated “and he went back to Galilee.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .