Translation commentary on John 4:12

In Greek this verse is one long interrogative sentence. Good News Translation makes it a statement followed by a question, Moreover, the question whether Jesus is greater that Jacob is retained in Good News Translation until the last part of the verse, since it is the climactic element in what the woman has to say. The other information conveyed in the verse (that Jacob gave the well, and that he, his sons, and his flocks all drank from it) is background information, forming the basis for the question concerning the relation between Jesus and Jacob.

Our ancestor Jacob is literally “our father Jacob,” but in such a context the reference is clearly to an ancestor rather than to a “father.” The statement that Jacob and his family drank from the well indicates that the water was good, and the observation that his flocks also drank from it indicates that the supply of water was plentiful.

There is an interesting problem of inclusive and exclusive first person plural in the phrase our ancestor. If an inclusive form of “our” is used, it means that the woman acknowledged that she, a Samaritan, and Jesus, a Jew, had a common ancestor in Jacob. If an exclusive form is used, it indicates that the woman emphasized that Jacob was the ancestor of the Samaritans and not of the Jews. The translator is thus forced to interpret the woman’s intentions. From a purely historical point of view it would be important to use the inclusive first person plural, but in terms of this particular context and the way the Samaritan woman sets her own tradition against the Jewish tradition, one could argue for the exclusive first person plural. It would appear that translators are divided as to which form to use in this context. This division does not involve any serious theological problem, but it does highlight matters of emphasis.

It may be important to make a distinction between “drank from it” and “drank water that came from it.” In some languages such a statement as “drank from it” would mean that the water was at surface level and that cattle could drink directly from the well, as from a spring or pool. However, it seems clear that in this context the translation should be “drank water that came from the well,” to indicate that even in ancient times the well was deep (verse 11).

You don’t claim to be greater than Jacob, do you? may more literally be rendered “You are not greater than Jacob, are you?” However, it is clear that the woman is implying that Jesus is claiming to be greater than Jacob, and Good News Translation makes this claim explicit (see also New American Bible “Surely you do not pretend to be greater than our ancestor Jacob…?”). In order to indicate clearly that such a claim is possibly being made by Jesus, one may translate “You do not say that you are greater than Jacob, do you?” or “Is it possible that you think you are greater than Jacob was?”

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 4:12

4:12a

Are You greater than our father Jacob: This is the first part of a rhetorical question. It expects a negative answer. It shows surprise and is possibly a rebuke to Jesus. The woman thought that Jesus was not as great as their ancestor Jacob and therefore he could not supply better water.

There are two ways to translate this rhetorical question to express this surprise:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

Are you a greater man than our father Jacob…? (New Jerusalem Bible)
-or-
do you (sing.) think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob…? (New Living Translation (2004))

• Use a statement. For example:

You (sing.) cannot be as great as our (incl.) ancestor Jacob.

Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is the most natural in your language.

greater: In some languages it is not natural to use a comparison. In those languages you will need to imply a comparison in a way that is natural. For example:

Our ancestor Jacob was important/great. You are not important/great.

than our father Jacob: The phrase our father Jacob refers to Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham. He lived about two thousand years before this event. Jacob was an ancestor of both the Jews and the Samaritans.

our: This pronoun is inclusive because both the Jews and the Samaritans descended from Jacob.

4:12b

who gave us this well: Jacob gave the well to the people in the sense that he provided it for them. He either dug it or ordered his servants to dig the well. It may be more natural in your language to start a new sentence here. For example:

Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us. (Contemporary English Version)

4:12c

and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?: This phrase indicates that Jacob and his extended family and livestock all drank water from this well.

Here is another way to translate this phrase:

and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock (English Standard Version)

This phrase implies that Jacob and his family were satisfied with the well, and that its water was good and plentiful. In some languages it may be necessary to make this explicit. For example:

How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed? (New Living Translation (2004))

from it: Jacob and his family drank water from the well, but not directly from the well itself, which was deep. So it may be natural to translate this phrase in a way that makes this clearer. For example:

that is where he and his children ⌊drew water⌋ which they and their livestock drank

his sons: This phrase here refers to Jacob’s family members. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

his family (Contemporary English Version)

his livestock: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as livestock refers to all kinds of tame or farm animals. Here is another way to translate this phrase:

his animals (God’s Word)

General Comment on 4:12a–c

In some languages it may be natural to reorder the information in this verse. For example:

12b Our ancestor Jacob dug this well for us, 12c and his family and animals got water from it. 12a Are you greater than Jacob? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-

12b It was our ancestor Jacob who gave us this well; 12c he and his sons and his flocks all drank from it. 12a You don’t claim to be greater than Jacob, do you? (Good News Translation)

4:13–14

Jesus did not directly answer the woman’s question about who was greater. Instead he implied that his water was better. His water was not like the water that came from the well. People who drank his water would not become thirsty again.

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