Yohanes 4:3

4:3 he left Judea and set out once more for Galilee. ¹ 

Yohanes 4:54

4:54 Jesus did this as his second miraculous sign ²  when he returned from Judea to Galilee.

Yohanes 10:39-40

10:39 Then ³  they attempted ⁴  again to seize him, but he escaped their clutches. ⁵ 

10:40 Jesus ⁶  went back across the Jordan River ⁷  again to the place where John ⁸  had been baptizing at an earlier time, ⁹  and he stayed there.

Yohanes 11:54

11:54 Thus Jesus no longer went ¹⁰  around publicly ¹¹  among the Judeans, ¹²  but went away from there to the region near the wilderness, to a town called Ephraim, ¹³  and stayed there with his disciples.

[4:3]  ¹ sn The author doesn’t tell why Jesus chose to set out once more for Galilee. Some have suggested that the Pharisees turned their attention to Jesus because John the Baptist had now been thrown into prison. But the text gives no hint of this. In any case, perhaps Jesus simply did not want to provoke a confrontation at this time (knowing that his “hour” had not yet come).

[4:54]  ² tn This sentence in Greek involves an object-complement construction. The force can be either “Jesus did this as,” or possibly “Jesus made this to be.” The latter translation accents not only Jesus’ power but his sovereignty too. Cf. 2:11 where the same construction occurs.

[10:39]  ³ tc It is difficult to decide between ἐζήτουν οὖν (ezhtoun oun, “then they were seeking”; Ì⁶⁶ א A L W Ψ Ë^1,13 33 pm lat), ἐζήτουν δέ (ezhtoun de, “now they were seeking”; Ì⁴⁵ and a few versional witnesses), καὶ ἐζήτουν (kai ezhtoun, “and they were seeking”; D), and ἐζήτουν (Ì^75vid B Γ Θ 700 pm). Externally, the most viable readings are ἐζήτουν οὖν and ἐζήτουν. Transcriptionally, the οὖν could have dropped out via haplography since the verb ends in the same three letters. On the other hand, it is difficult to explain the readings with δέ or καί if ἐζήτουν οὖν is original; such readings would more likely have arisen from the simple ἐζήτουν. Intrinsically, John is fond of οὖν, using it some 200 times. Further, this Gospel begins relatively few sentences without some conjunction. The minimal support for the δέ and καί readings suggests that they arose either from the lone verb reading (which would thus be prior to their respective Vorlagen but not necessarily the earliest reading) or through carelessness on the part of the scribes. Indeed, the ancestors of Ì⁴⁵ and D may have committed haplography, leaving later scribes in the chain to guess at the conjunction needed. In sum, the best reading appears to be ἐζήτουν οὖν.

[10:39]  ⁴ tn Grk “they were seeking.”

[10:39]  ⁵ tn Grk “he departed out of their hand.”

[10:39]  sn It is not clear whether the authorities simply sought to “arrest” him, or were renewing their attempt to stone him (cf. John 10:31) by seizing him and taking him out to be stoned. In either event, Jesus escaped their clutches. Nor is it clear whether Jesus’ escape is to be understood as a miracle. If so, the text gives little indication and even less description. What is clear is that until his “hour” comes, Jesus is completely safe from the hands of men: His enemies are powerless to touch him until they are permitted to do so.

[10:40]  ⁶ tn Grk “He”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[10:40]  ⁷ tn The word “River” is not in the Greek text but is supplied for clarity.

[10:40]  ⁸ sn John refers to John the Baptist.

[10:40]  ⁹ tn Grk “formerly.”

[10:40]  sn This refers to the city of Bethany across the Jordan River (see John 1:28).

[11:54]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “walked.”

[11:54]  ¹¹ tn Or “openly.”

[11:54]  ¹² tn Grk “among the Jews.” Here the phrase refers to the residents of Judea in general, who would be likely to report Jesus to the religious authorities. The vicinity around Jerusalem was no longer safe for Jesus and his disciples. On the translation “Judeans” cf. BDAG 479 s.v. ᾿Ιουδαῖος 2.e. See also the references in vv. 8, 19, 31, 33, 36, and 45.

[11:54]  ¹³ tn There is no certain identification of the location to which Jesus withdrew in response to the decision of the Jewish authorities. Many have suggested the present town of Et-Taiyibeh, identified with ancient Ophrah (Josh 18:23) or Ephron (Josh 15:9). If so, this would be 12-15 mi (19-24 km) northeast of Jerusalem.