Bible Strands
John 4:3
He left Judea and returned to Galilee.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus departs Judea for Galilee immediately after His ministry in the Judean countryside concludes. This relocation occurs right before He must pass through Samaria to continue His journey.
The words — The text uses ἀφῆκεν (aphēken) for "He left" and ἀπῆλθεν (apēlthen) for "went away," marking a decisive departure. πάλιν (palin) signals a return to a previous region.
The thread — This geographic shift follows Jesus leaving Judea after baptizing with His disciples (John 3:22) and mirrors the pattern of fleeing persecution by moving between towns (Matthew 10:23). It also anticipates His later retreat to the Jordan region (John 10:40).
Why it lands — The verse records a factual relocation that positions Jesus for the next phase of His mission. It requires the reader to track His deliberate movements as part of the narrative's unfolding plan.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
He left Judea, and departed again into Galilee.
Cross-references
- Matthew 10:23 When they persecute you in one town, flee to the next. Truly I tell you, you will not reach all the towns of Israel before the Son of Man comes.
- John 3:22 After this, Jesus and His disciples went into the Judean countryside, where He spent some time with them and baptized.
- John 10:40 Then Jesus went back across the Jordan to the place where John had first been baptizing, and He stayed there.
- John 11:54 As a result, Jesus no longer went about publicly among the Jews, but He withdrew to a town called Ephraim in an area near the wilderness. And He stayed there with the disciples.
- Mark 3:7 So Jesus withdrew with His disciples to the sea, accompanied by a large crowd from Galilee, Judea,
- John 1:43 The next day Jesus decided to set out for Galilee. Finding Philip, He told him, “Follow Me.”
- John 2:11 Jesus performed this, the first of His signs, at Cana in Galilee. He thus revealed His glory, and His disciples believed in Him.
- John 3:32 He testifies to what He has seen and heard, yet no one accepts His testimony.