John 4:5
Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) John 4:5 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.
- 1 hapax legomenon — only here in the Greek New Testament
- 1 first appearance in the Greek New Testament
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.
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King James Version Public Domain
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.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Then he comes to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 19 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
So he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son, Joseph.
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
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King James Version Public Domain
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.
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
Then came hee to a citie of Samaria called Sychar, neere vnto the possession that Iacob gaue to his sonne Ioseph.
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria, which is called Sichar, near the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
He cometh, therefore, to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the place that Jacob gave to Joseph his son;
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
He comes, therefore, to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the place that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
So he came to a town of Samaria, called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
Then he comes to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the piece of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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Darby Bible Public Domain
He comes therefore to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near to the land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
So he came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
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.
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
So he came to the Samaritan city of Sychar, near to the field that Jacob had given his son Joseph.
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
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:
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Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of land that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
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Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
Then came he to a cyte of Samaria called Sichar besydes the possession that Iacob gave to his sonne Ioseph.
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
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- Appears 1× in the Greek New Testament
- First appears here
- Part of Speech
- Noun · Proper, indeclinable
Full Thayer's Definition
- ἔρχεται érchomai G2064 “to come” Verb, Present, Middle or Passive deponent, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular
- οὖν oûn G3767 “therefore” Conjunction
- εἰς eis G1519 “into” Preposition
- πόλιν pólis G4172 “city” Noun, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- τῆς ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- Σαμαρίας Samáreia G4540 “Samaria” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- λεγομένην légō G3004 “to say” Verb, Present, Passive, Participle, Accusative, Singular, Feminine
- Συχάρ Sychár G4965 “Sychar” Noun, Proper, indeclinable
- πλησίον plēsíon G4139 “neighbor” Adverb
- τοῦ ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Neuter
- χωρίου chōríon G5564 “field” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Neuter
- ὃ hós G3739 “who” Relative pronoun, Accusative, Singular, Neuter
- ἔδωκεν dídōmi G1325 “to give” Verb, Aorist, Active, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular
- Ἰακὼβ Iakṓb G2384 “Jacob” Noun, Proper, indeclinable
- Ἰωσὴφ Iōsḗph G2501 “Joseph” Noun, Proper, indeclinable
- τῷ ho G3588 “the” Article, Dative, Singular, Masculine
- υἱῷ huiós G5207 “son” Noun, Dative, Singular, Masculine
- αὐτοῦ autós G846 “he” Personal pronoun, Genitive, Singular, Masculine
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 18
- words
- 16
- distinct lemmas
- Gospels
- section
Notable vocabulary
1 hapax legomenon — a word that appears only here in the entire Greek New Testament:
- Συχάρ Sychar G4965
First appearance in Scripture
This word makes its first canonical appearance in the Greek New Testament here:
- Συχάρ Sychar G4965
Shared distinctive vocabulary
χωρίου field G5564 occurs in 9 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:
Repetition
A word recurs within this verse:
- τῆς the G3588 ×3
Cross-references
4Topical passages linked to John 4:5 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- Joshua 24:32 The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt, buried they in Shechem, in the parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for a hundred pieces of money: and they became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
- Genesis 33:19 He bought the parcel of ground, where he had spread his tent, at the hand of the children of Hamor, Shechem's father, for one hundred pieces of money.
- Genesis 48:22 Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow."
- John 4:12 Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, as did his children, and his cattle?"
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
John, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 18 words (16 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is Sychár (“Sychar”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- How does “Sychar” (Sychár) shape what this verse is saying?
- This verse holds 1 word here found nowhere else in the Greek New Testament. What might the rare word draw attention to?
- The word “Sychar” first appears here in Scripture. What is being introduced at this debut?
- Matthew 26:36 shares the word «field» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
- “the” occurs 3× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
- These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
- Reading how Bengel's Gnomon and Expositor's Greek Testament read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?
Things to notice
- 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in the Greek New Testament.
- 1 word makes its first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
- These translations choose different wording for 10 words in this verse.
- “the” occurs 3× in this single verse.
- 16 distinct Greek lemmas span 18 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on John 4:5 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
Bengel's Gnomon
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Expositor's Greek Testament
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll
The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Geneva Bible (1599)
Geneva Bible translators
Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown
Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Calvin's Commentaries
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Haydock's Catholic Bible Commentary
George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).
Matthew Poole's English Annotations
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Pulpit Commentary
The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Wesley's Explanatory Notes
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
McGarvey & Pendleton's Commentaries
J. W. McGarvey
J. W. McGarvey (with Philip Y. Pendleton), Commentaries on the New Testament (The Fourfold Gospel, 1914; Acts; and the epistles) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
The People's New Testament
B. W. Johnson
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Alford’s Greek Testament
Henry Alford
Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
International Critical Commentary
International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Vincent's Word Studies in the New Testament
Marvin R. Vincent
Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.