John 4:5

THE MESSAGE

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph.

King James Version (1611)
Then commeth he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, neere to the parcell of ground that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph.

King James Version
Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

English Standard Version
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

New American Standard Bible
So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

New Century Version
In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar, which is near the field Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Amplified Bible
So He arrived at a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the tract of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

New American Standard Bible (1995)
So He came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

Legacy Standard Bible
So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;

Berean Standard Bible
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Contemporary English Version
and on his way he came to the town of Sychar. It was near the field that Jacob had long ago given to his son Joseph.

Complete Jewish Bible
He came to a town in Shomron called Sh'khem, near the field Ya‘akov had given to his son Yosef.

Darby Translation
He comes therefore to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near to the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Easy-to-Read Version
In Samaria Jesus came to the town called Sychar, which is near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Then came hee to a citie of Samaria called Sychar, neere vnto the possession that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph.

George Lamsa Translation
Then he came to a Samaritan city, called Sychar, near the field which Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Good News Translation
In Samaria he came to a town named Sychar, which was not far from the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Lexham English Bible
Now he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

Literal Translation
And He came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the piece of land Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

American Standard Version
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:

Bible in Basic English
So he came to a town of Samaria which was named Sychar, near to the bit of land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph:

Hebrew Names Version
So he came to a city of Shomron, called Shekhem, near the parcel of ground that Ya`akov gave to his son, Yosef.

International Standard Version
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.Genesis 33:19; 48:22; Joshua 24:32;">[xr]

Etheridge Translation
and he came to a city of the Shomroyee which is called Shokar, nigh to the field which Jakub gave unto Jauseph his son.

Murdock Translation
And he came to a city of the Samaritans called Sychar, near the field which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Then came he to a citie of Samaria, which is called Sichar, besydes the possession that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph.

English Revised Version
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:

World English Bible
So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.

Wesley's New Testament (1755)
called Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Weymouth's New Testament
and so He came to Sychar, a town in Samaria near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Therfor Jhesus cam in to a citee of Samarie, that is seid Sicar, bisidis the place, that Jacob yaf to Joseph, his sone.

Update Bible Version
So he comes to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:

Webster's Bible Translation
Then he cometh to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground, that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

New English Translation
Now he came to a Samaritan town called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

New King James Version
So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

New Living Translation
Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

New Life Bible
So He came to a town in Samaria called Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

New Revised Standard
So he came to a Samaritan city called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
He cometh, therefore, unto a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground which Jacob gave unto Joseph his son.

Douay-Rheims Bible
He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Revised Standard Version
So he came to a city of Samar'ia, called Sy'char, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Then came he to a cyte of Samaria called Sichar besydes the possession that Iacob gave to his sonne Ioseph.

Young's Literal Translation
He cometh, therefore, to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the place that Jacob gave to Joseph his son;

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Then came he in to a cite of Samaria, called Sichar, nye vnto ye pece of lode, yt Iacob gaue vnto Ioseph his sonne.

Mace New Testament (1729)
he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.

Simplified Cowboy Version
came to a town called Sychar. It was right by a ranchito that Jacob had given his son Joseph.

Contextual Overview

⁴To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob's well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon. ⁷A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?" (His disciples had gone to the village to buy food for lunch.) ⁹ The Samaritan woman, taken aback, asked, "How come you, a Jew, are asking me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?" (Jews in those days wouldn't be caught dead talking to Samaritans.) ¹⁰ Jesus answered, "If you knew the generosity of God and who I am, you would be asking me for a drink, and I would give you fresh, living water." ¹¹The woman said, "Sir, you don't even have a bucket to draw with, and this well is deep. So how are you going to get this ‘living water'? Are you a better man than our ancestor Jacob, who dug this well and drank from it, he and his sons and livestock, and passed it down to us?" ¹³Jesus said, "Everyone who drinks this water will get thirsty again and again. Anyone who drinks the water I give will never thirst—not ever. The water I give will be an artesian spring within, gushing fountains of endless life." ¹⁵ The woman said, "Sir, give me this water so I won't ever get thirsty, won't ever have to come back to this well again!" ¹⁶ He said, "Go call your husband and then come back." ¹⁷"I have no husband," she said. "That's nicely put: ‘I have no husband.' You've had five husbands, and the man you're living with now isn't even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough." ¹⁹"Oh, so you're a prophet! Well, tell me this: Our ancestors worshiped God at this mountain, but you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place for worship, right?"

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

the parcel: Genesis 33:19, Genesis 48:22, Joshua 24:32

Reciprocal: Genesis 12:6 - Sichem Genesis 33:18 - Shalem 1 Kings 13:32 - in the cities 1 Kings 16:24 - the name of the city Matthew 10:5 - of the Samaritans

Cross-References

Genesis 4:10
God said, "What have you done! The voice of your brother's blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you'll get nothing but curses from this ground; you'll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You'll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You'll be a homeless wanderer on Earth."

Numbers 16:15
Moses' temper blazed white-hot. He said to God , "Don't accept their Grain-Offering. I haven't taken so much as a single donkey from them; I haven't hurt a single hair of their heads."

Hebrews 11:4
By an act of faith, Abel brought a better sacrifice to God than Cain. It was what he believed, not what he brought, that made the difference. That's what God noticed and approved as righteous. After all these centuries, that belief continues to catch our notice.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,.... Now called Neapolis d; the same with "Sichem", or "Shechem", as appears from its situation,

near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; see

Genesis 33:18; and is either the same, only its termination is changed from "em" into "ar", as Achan into Achar, 1 Chronicles 2:7. Or it is a new name that was given it, and by which it went in the time of Christ; and might be so called, either from

סוכר, "Socher", which signifies a grave; because here, Joseph and the rest of the patriarchs were buried, Joshua 24:32. Or rather, it was a name of reproach, and so called, from שכר, "drunken"; since the Ephraimites, the posterity of Joseph, which dwelt in these parts, were infamous for the sin of drunkenness; see

Isaiah 28:1. Hence "Sychar Sichem", is "drunken Sichem"; mention is made in the Talmud e, of a place called סיכרא, "Sichra". The "parcel of ground", or of a "field", as in Genesis 33:19, is in the Persic version, called "a vineyard"; and so Nonnus renders it, "a field planted with vines"; and which may serve to confirm the above conjecture, concerning "Sychar" being a nickname.

d Hieron. Epitaph. Paulae, Tom. I. fol. 59. & R. Benjamin Itin. p. 38. e T. Bab. Bava Metzia, foi. 42. 1. & 83. 1. & Cholin, fol. 94.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Sychar - This city stood about eight miles southeast of the city called Samaria, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It was one of the oldest cities of Palestine, and was formerly known by the name of “Shechem,” or Sichem, Genesis 33:18; Genesis 12:6. The city was in the tribe of Ephraim, Joshua 21:21. It was at this place that Joshua assembled the people before his death, and here they renewed their covenant with the Lord, Joshua 24:0. After the death of Gideon it became a place of idolatrous worship, the people worshipping Baal-berith, Judges 9:46. It was destroyed by Abimelech, who beat down the city and sowed it with salt, Judges 9:45. It was afterward rebuilt, and became the residence of Jeroboam, the King of Israel, 1 Kings 12:25. It was called by the Romans “Flavia Neapolis,” and this has been corrupted by the Arabs into “Nablus,” its present name. It is still a considerable place, and its site is remarkably pleasant and productive.

The parcel of ground - The piece of ground; or the land, etc.

That Jacob gave ... - Jacob bought one piece of ground near to Shalem, a city of Shechem, of the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver, Genesis 33:19. In this place the bones of Joseph were buried when they were brought up from Egypt, Joshua 24:32. He also gave to Joseph an additional piece of ground which he took from the hand of the Amorite by his own valor, “with his sword and his bow,” as a portion above that which was given to his brethren, Genesis 48:22. Possibly these pieces of ground lay near together, and were a part of the homestead of Jacob. The well was near to this. There is now, E. Smith mentioned to me in conversation, a place near this well called Shalem.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 4:5. A city - called Sychar — This city was anciently called Shechem. It seems to have been situated at the foot of Mount Gerizim, in the province of Samaria, on which the temple of the Samaritans was built. After the ruin of Samaria by Salmanezer, Sychar, or Shechem, became the capital of the Samaritans; and it continued so, according to Josephus, Ant. l. xi. c. 8, in the time of Alexander the Great. It was about ten miles from Shiloh, forty from Jerusalem, and fifty-two from Jericho. It probably got the name of Sychar, which signifies drunken, from the drunkenness of its inhabitants. With this crime the Prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 28:1, Isaiah 28:3, Isaiah 28:7-8) solemnly charges the Ephraimites, within whose limits the city stood. This place is remarkable in the Scriptures:

1. As being that where Abram first stopped on his coming from Haran to Canaan.

2. Where God first appeared to that patriarch, and promised to give the land to his seed.

3. The place where Abram first built an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name, Genesis 12:7.

The present name of this city is Neapolis, or Naplouse. See Calmet.

That Jacob gave to his son Joseph. — Jacob had bought this field from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, or lambs, Genesis 33:19; and in it he built an altar, which he dedicated to El Elohey Yishrael, the strong God, the covenant God of Israel, Genesis 33:20. This, Jacob left as a private or overplus inheritance to Joseph and his children. See Genesis 48:21-22, and Joshua 24:32.