Translation commentary on John 4:11

The word translated Sir in Good News Translation (as in most modern English translations) may simply indicate polite address, or it may have the specialized Christian meaning of “Lord.” It is used again by the woman to address Jesus in verses 15 and 19. Though it is possible that the term translated in Good News Translation as Sir could have the meaning of “Lord,” this meaning would seem to be particularly inappropriate in verse 19, where the Samaritan woman acknowledges Jesus to be a prophet; it would be strange for her to acknowledge him as a prophet if she had already recognized him as “Lord.” The context would certainly seem to indicate that such a meaning as “Sir” is required. However, in some languages this type of formal address is not employed and the terms should simply be omitted in translation.

The reply of the woman to Jesus in this verse and in verse 12 reflects her misunderstanding—a technique John uses to further the discourse. In this verse the Greek word for well is different from the one used in verse 6. The word used in verse 6 (pēgē) technically means “spring” or “fountain,” and it is used again in verse 14 (Good News Translation spring). The Greek word used in verse 11 (phrear) comes closer to the meaning of “cistern” or “well.” On the basis of this distinction, some scholars conclude that in the discussion of natural water Jacob’s well is spoken of as a “spring” (verse 6), while in this verse, where the reference is to spiritual water, Jacob’s well is referred to as merely a “cistern” or a “well.” However, most translators and commentators do not make this distinction. Moffatt is one of the few who consistently maintain the etymological distinction; in verse 6 he has “spring” and here he has “well.” New English Bible refers in verse 6 to “the spring called Jacob’s well,” and then states that Jesus “sat down on the well.” Most other translations render both words as well, here and in verse 6, while giving the meaning of spring in verse 14.

In some languages the reference to a bucket implies “a bucket and a rope,” that is, a bucket typically used at the end of a rope to draw water from a deep well. It is also possible to use a general descriptive statement, for example, “You do not have anything with which you can draw water from the well.”

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 4:11

4:11a

“Sir,” the woman replied: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Sir is a polite form of address. Use whatever term is natural in your language for showing respect to a religious teacher.

4:11b–c

You have nothing to draw with: This clause indicates that Jesus did not have a container to use to get water out of the well. He probably did not have a rope to pull it up with either.

Here are other ways to translate this clause:

you don’t have anything to use to get water (God’s Word)
-or-
you have nothing to dip with

the well is deep: Apparently this well did not have a way to walk or climb down to the water. It was a straight hole. People who needed water lowered a container into the well on a rope.

4:11d

Where then will You get this living water?: This is a real question. Even though the woman did not understand how Jesus could give her water, she really wanted some.

General Comment on 4:11a–d

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in this verse. You may want to place the quote introducer in the middle of the woman’s speech. For example:

“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?” (New International Version)
-or-
“But sir, you don’t have a rope or a bucket,” she said, “and this well is very deep. Where would you get this living water?” (New Living Translation (2004))
-or-
“But sir, because you don’t have a bucket ⌊to get the water⌋ and the well is very deep, how will you get this water?” the woman asked him.

© 2020 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.