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
-or-
The conversation at the well

Paragraph 4:1–3

These verses tell the background to the story of Jesus’ conversation with a woman at a well. The Pharisees knew that Jesus’ disciples were baptizing more people than John, and they were jealous because he was popular. So Jesus decided to leave Judea and travel north through Samaria back to Galilee.

See the General Comment at the end of verse 3 for other ways to order these verses.

4:1

When Jesus realized that the Pharisees were aware: The Pharisees heard some news, and then Jesus learned that they had heard it. What the Pharisees heard and what Jesus learned were both correct.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

when Jesus knew that the Pharisees had heard (NET Bible)
-or-
Jesus found out that the Pharisees had learned

This is a complicated idea and it may be necessary to break it up into two sentences. For example:

Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard some news. They had heard that…

Jesus realized: There is a textual issue in this verse:

(1) Some Greek manuscripts say Jesus realized. For example:

Jesus heard (New Jerusalem Bible)

(Berean Standard Bible, New Jerusalem Bible, English Standard Version, New Revised Standard Version, Contemporary English Version, God’s Word, NET Bible, New Living Translation (2004), Good News Translation, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, New International Version (2011))

(2) Some Greek manuscripts say the Lord realized. For example:

the Lord (Revised Standard Version)

(King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, New International Version (1984))

The UBS Handbook Greek NT has “Jesus,” giving it a C rating, which indicates a high degree of doubt. It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), but either option is acceptable. Both options refer to the Lord Jesus. You may want to follow the national or major translation used in your area.

Pharisees: The Pharisees were a Jewish religious group or party. It was very important to them to obey all of the Jewish religious laws carefully and exactly. See the note at 1:24 for examples of how to translate the word. Also see how you translated the word there and in 3:1.

He was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John: This quotation indicates that more people were beginning to follow Jesus than were beginning to follow John. It is a comparison. Consider how it is a natural to make such a comparison in your language.

Here are other ways to translate this quotation:

Jesus gathered more learners/disciples and he baptized more of them than John did
-or-
There were now many people following Jesus. However, not as many people followed John. And many people were receiving baptism from Jesus. Not as many people were receiving baptism from John.

He: The pronoun here refers to Jesus. In some languages it may be natural to use “Jesus” here. The subject is the same as in the first clause in 4:1. For example:

he (Contemporary English Version)

gaining and baptizing more disciples: The direct object disciples belongs with both verbs, gaining and baptizing. Jesus was gaining…disciples, that is, persuading people to follow him. People wanted to follow him when they heard him teach and saw him do miracles. Jesus did not force them to become his disciples. These people who wanted to become his disciples were then baptized.

baptizing: The verb “baptize” means to use water in a special ceremony to show that God makes his people pure. In this context the ritual represented purification from sin. It did not mean that the person was cleaned to remove dirt. Baptism was a ceremony that marked the beginning of a person’s life as one of God’s pure people.

See the note at 1:25a for more explanation and ways to translate the word “baptize.” See also how you translated the word there. See baptize, baptism A.2 in Key Biblical Terms.

more disciples than John: This is a short way of saying “more disciples than John was gaining and baptizing.”

disciples: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as disciples refers to someone who has committed himself to a teacher. He does that in order to learn from him and follow his teaching and example. In the New Testament a disciple referred specifically to a person who was learning from a religious teacher. A disciple often lived with his teacher and followed him wherever he went.

See the note at 1:35 for ways to translate the word disciples. See also how you translated this word in 1:35 and 2:2.

John: This refers to John the Baptist. He is first mentioned in 1:6.

General Comment on 4:1

The Berean Standard Bible has translated 4:1 as indirect speech. It is also possible to translate it as direct speech. For example:

Now when Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard, “Jesus is making and baptizing more disciples than John” (New Revised Standard Version)

General Comment on 4:1

There are three main events described here. These are the events in chronological order (the order in which they happened):

(1) Jesus’ disciples baptized more disciples than John the Baptist did.

(2) The Pharisees heard about this.

(3) Jesus learned that the Pharisees knew about this.

In some languages it may be natural to translate 4:1 in a more chronological order. For example:

1a The Pharisees heard 1b that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John…. 1a When the Lord learned of this,… (New International Version)

In order to translate in a natural order, it may be necessary to combine 4:1–3. See the General Comment on 4:1–3 at the end of 4:3.

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