John 4:5
ESV
So he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
NIV
So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
NASB
So He *came to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near the parcel of land that Jacob gave to his son Joseph;
CSB
so he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar near the property that Jacob had given his son Joseph.
NLT
Eventually he came to the Samaritan village of Sychar, near the field that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
KJV
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.
NKJV
So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
What does John 4:5 mean?
Genesis 33:18–20 explains how Jacob acquired this piece of land. After being reunited with his estranged brother Esau, Jacob looks for a plot of land to build a settlement. He finds one and buys it from the sons of Hamor. Jacob was renamed "Israel" by God, becoming the patriarch of both the Jewish and Samaritan people (Genesis 32:28). Later, in Genesis 48:21–22, Israel (Jacob) would give this piece of land to his son, Joseph (Joshua 24:32).For Jesus to be here was unusual. Samaritans were half-Jewish and half-Gentile. So, most Jews reviled them. This not only meant avoiding them, but even refusing to have any contact with them (John 4:9). Jesus, however, is here on a divine mission (John 4:4). His upcoming conversation with the woman at the well will provide valuable spiritual teachings. Even better, it will begin the process of spreading the gospel to the entire world (John 4:42).
