Translation commentary on John 4:9

The woman answered is literally “therefore the Samaritan woman says to him.” Here again John uses his favorite particle (oun see the comments on oun on page 68), represented in the literal rendering by “therefore.”

Revised Standard Version represents a fairly literal translation of the next part of this verse. “How is it that you, a Jew, ask a drink of me, a woman of Samaria?” For the sake of emphasizing the contrast between Jews and Samaritans, Good News Translation introduces this information first in the woman’s statement, you are a Jew and I am a Samaritan, The reader thus knows immediately that there is some significant difference between Jews and Samaritans, and so the woman’s question is readily understood.

If translated literally, how can you ask me for a drink? may suggest the wrong meaning in some receptor languages; for the source of the woman’s surprise is not the ability of Jesus to ask her for a drink, but the high improbability that he would do so. In some languages this question may be translated “How is it possible that you would ask me for a drink?” or “I cannot imagine your asking me for a drink” or “Isn’t it very strange indeed that you ask me to give you water to drink?”

Will not use the same dishes (New English Bible “do not use vessels in common”) is taken by most translators in the sense of “do not associate with” or “have nothing to do with” (New American Bible). The more recent commentaries on the Gospel of John seem to prefer the meaning Good News Translation gives this verb. If this is the true meaning, the account reflects a Jewish religious regulation in force around A.D. 65. According to this regulation, Samaritan women were in a state of perpetual ritual impurity from the time of their birth, and anyone who had contact with them would share this ritual impurity. The regulation adds that for this reason “the Jews do not use dishes in common with the Samaritans.” The more recent commentaries favor this interpretation, while the majority of translations follow the other one. No dogmatic conclusion is possible. Whether the reference was to using dishes in common with Samaritans or merely associating with them, Jesus ignored the custom.

Since there are two distinct interpretations of the Greek text, translators should indicate this fact by putting one interpretation in the text and the other in a marginal note. The interpretation followed by Good News Translation may be rendered “Jews do not eat or drink from the same dishes or cups that the Samaritans do” or “When Jews eat and drink, they do not use the same dishes that Samaritans use.” If, however, an interpretation relating to complete avoidance is employed, it is always possible to say, “The Jews will have no dealings whatsoever with the Samaritans.” It may be expressed idiomatically in some languages as “The Jews never join with the Samaritans” or “The Jews and the Samaritans never use anything together” or “There is nothing which Samaritans use which Jews would also use.”

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 4:9

4:9a

“You are a Jew,” said the woman: It may be more natural in some languages to indicate that the woman was responding to Jesus’ request in 4:7b or that she was asking a rhetorical question. For example:

“You are a Jew,” she replied, “and I am a Samaritan woman….” (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
The Samaritan woman asked him (God’s Word)

You: This pronoun refers to Jesus.

4:9b

How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?: This is a rhetorical question. It expresses surprise that Jesus had asked the Samaritan woman for a drink. Most Jewish people hated and avoided the Samaritans. The woman was telling Jesus that she was surprised at his request. Here are some ways to translate this rhetorical question:

• Use a rhetorical question. For example:

How can a Jewish man like you ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink of water? (God’s Word)
-or-
Why are you, a Jew, asking a Samaritan woman like me for a drink?

• Use a statement. For example:

I am surprised that you ask me for a drink, since you are a Jewish man and I am a Samaritan woman. (New Century Version)
-or-
It is very strange that a Jew like you is asking a Samaritan woman for water.

Translate this rhetorical question in a way that is natural in your language for expressing surprise. You may want to use two or three sentences. For example:

What! You, a Jew, ask for a drink from a Samaritan woman? (Revised English Bible)
-or-
You are a Jew…and I am a Samaritan woman! How can you ask me for a drink of water…? (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
You are a Jew. How is it that you ask me, a Samaritan, for something to drink? (New Jerusalem Bible)

You: This pronoun is singular and refers to Jesus.

4:9c

(For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.): This clause tells the reason why the woman was surprised and asked the question in 4:9b. This reason is a comment by John the author, It is not part of the conversation or the story line. The Berean Standard Bible shows this by putting the comment in parentheses. The New Jerusalem Bible separates this sentence with a dash.

Use whatever way is natural in your language to indicate that this is the author’s comment that gives a reason.

For: In Greek, this sentence begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as For. Some English versions do not translate this word, but leave it implicit. This word introduces the reason that the woman was surprised.

Here is another way to translate this conjunction:

⌊She said this⌋ because

Jews do not associate with Samaritans: This clause explains why the woman was surprised at Jesus’ request. There are two ways to understand this comment:

(1) It means that the Jewish people avoided even talking with the Samaritans. For example:

For Jews do not associate with Samaritans. (New International Version)

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, King James Version, New American Standard Bible, Revised Standard Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, New Century Version)

(2) It means that the Jews did not eat from the same dishes as the Samaritans. They considered the Samaritans to be ritually unclean. For example:

Jews will not use the same cups and bowls that Samaritans use. (Good News Translation)

(Good News Translation, Revised English Bible, NET Bible, probably New Revised Standard Version)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). This has a broad meaning and can include refusing to share dishes and utensils. The Revised Standard Version is therefore used in the Display.

Samaritans: The word Samaritans refers to people from the district of Samaria. The Samaritans were the descendants of Jews who had married foreigners. They did not worship God in Jerusalem as the Jews did, and the Jews considered the Samaritans to be foreigners.

You may want to supply a footnote saying that the Jews hated the Samaritans and did not believe that they were God’s people.

General Comment on 4:9a–d

In some languages it is more natural to reorder this information and put the explanation first: For example:

The woman was surprised, 9d for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. 9a She said to Jesus, 9b “You are a Jew, 9c and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?” (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages it is more natural to both reorder this quote and express it as indirect speech. For example:

9d Because Jews do not normally have anything to do with Samaritans, ⌊the woman was surprised⌋ . 9a She asked Jesus 9b why he, a Jew, 9c asked her, a Samaritan, for a drink.

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