John 4:5

5 He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph.

John 4:5 Meaning and Commentary

John 4:5

Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,
&c.] Now called Neapolis ^F4; 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 Genesis 33:19 ) ( 48:22 ) ( Joshua 24:32 ) ; 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 (rkwo) , "Socher", which signifies a grave; because here, Joseph and the rest of the patriarchs were buried, ( Joshua 24:32 ) ( Acts 7:16 ) . Or rather, it was a name of reproach, and so called, from (rkv) , "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 ^F5, of a place called (arkyo) , "Sichra". The "parcel of ground", or of a "field", as in ( Genesis 33:19 ) ( Joshua 24:32 ) , 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.

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FOOTNOTES:

F4 Hieron. Epitaph. Paulae, Tom. I. fol. 59. & R. Benjamin Itin. p. 38.
F5 T. Bab. Bava Metzia, foi. 42. 1. & 83. 1. & Cholin, fol. 94.

John 4:5 In-Context

3 So Jesus left the Judean countryside and went back to Galilee.

4 To get there, he had to pass through Samaria.

5 He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph.

6 Jacob's well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.

7 A woman, a Samaritan, came to draw water. Jesus said, "Would you give me a drink of water?"