Translation commentary on John 4:2

The form of the Greek text seems to indicate a direct contradiction between Jesus was baptizing (1) and Jesus did not baptize anyone (2), but obviously the writer of this Gospel intended no such contradiction. We have already discussed this problem under verse 1 (5th paragraph). For languages which make no clear distinction between a causative and a noncausative, one can often translate in a form similar to that in both the Greek and the English of verse 2. Some further explanation may be given in a marginal note.

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 4:2

4:2

4:2 gives some parenthetical information that corrects a possible misunderstanding of the previous verse. Jesus himself was not baptizing anyone. His disciples were the ones who were baptizing people.

In some languages it may be natural to start a new sentence here. For example:

(Actually Jesus was not baptizing people. His disciples were.) (God’s Word)
-or-
(Actually, Jesus himself did not baptize anyone; only his disciples did.) (Good News Translation)
-or-
But Jesus himself did not baptize the people, rather his disciples baptized them.

although: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as although introduces the correction of a possible misunderstanding. Readers might think that Jesus himself was baptizing people. This was not so. His disciples were the ones doing that. Introduce this correction in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

although in fact (New International Version)
-or-
Actually (God’s Word)
-or-

But the truth was that it was not Jesus who was doing the baptizing, but rather his disciples only.

it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples: This clause explains what actually happened. Place the verb baptized with the subject that is natural in your language. For example:

although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples (New International Version)

but: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but here connects a negative statement (“it was not Jesus himself”) to a positive statement (“his disciples who baptized”). This kind of sentence emphasizes the positive statement. Languages have different ways to indicate this type of emphasis. Here are some ways to show the emphasis:

• Use the conjunction but as in the New Revised Standard Version.

although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples (New International Version)

• Use a conjunction other than but. This is a common way in English to show this type of emphasis. For example:

although it was not Jesus himself who baptized. Instead, his disciples did it

• Do not use a conjunction. For example:

(Actually, Jesus was not baptizing people. His disciples were.) (God’s Word)

• Change the order of the clauses. For example:

though in fact it was his disciples who baptised, not Jesus himself (New Jerusalem Bible)

You should translate this emphasis in the way that is most natural in your language.

His disciples: This phrase identifies who were baptizing people instead of Jesus. In some languages it may be more natural to make it clear whose disciples were baptizing. For example:

Jesus’ disciples

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