^4:7A Samaritan woman¹⁴ came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me some water¹⁵ to drink.” ^4:8(For his disciples had gone off into the town to buy supplies.¹⁶)¹⁷^4:9So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How can you—a Jew¹⁸—ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water¹⁹ to drink?” (For Jews use nothing in common²⁰ with Samaritans.)²¹

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Footnotes

14 Grk “a woman from Samaria.” According to Σαμάρεια, the prepositional phrase is to be translated as a simple attributive: “γυνὴ ἐκ τῆς Σαμαρείας a Samaritan woman J 4:7.”
15 The phrase “some water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
16 Grk “buy food.”
17 This is a parenthetical note by the author, indicating why Jesus asked the woman for a drink (for presumably his disciples also took the water bucket with them).
18 Or “a Judean.” Here Ἰουδαίος 2.a states, “Judean (with respect to birth, nationality, or cult).” The same term occurs in the plural later in this verse. In one sense “Judean” would work very well in the translation here, since the contrast is between residents of the two geographical regions. However, since in the context of this chapter the discussion soon becomes a religious rather than a territorial one (cf. vv. 19–26), the translation “Jew” has been retained here and in v. 22.
19 “Water” is supplied as the understood direct object of the infinitive πεῖν (pein).
20 D. Daube (“Jesus and the Samaritan Woman: the Meaning of συγχράομαι [Jn 4:7ff],” 69 [1950]: 137–47) suggests this meaning. The background to the statement use nothing in common is the general assumption among Jews that the Samaritans were ritually impure or unclean. Thus a Jew who used a drinking vessel after a Samaritan had touched it would become ceremonially unclean.
21 This is a parenthetical note by the author.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.) The Samaritan woman said to him, “How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a woman of Samaria?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)

The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)

CSBChristian Standard Bible

A woman of Samaria came to draw water.

“Give me a drink,” Jesus said to her, because his disciples had gone into town to buy food.

“How is it that you, a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” she asked him. For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.

NLTNew Living Translation

Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, “Please give me a drink.” He was alone at the time because his disciples had gone into the village to buy some food.

The woman was surprised, for Jews refuse to have anything to do with Samaritans. She said to Jesus, “You are a Jew, and I am a Samaritan woman. Why are you asking me for a drink?”

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me water to drink.” (For his disciples had gone away into the town so that they could buy food.) So the Samaritan woman said to him, “How do you, being a Jew, ask from me water to drink, since I am a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)

KJV 1900King James Version

There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.

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