Greek word · G4965
Συχάρ
sychar
Sychar
A place-name found only here in the Bible. Its location and the origin of the name are debated.
Appears once in the Greek New Testament. ·
What it means
From G. Abbott-Smith, A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament (1922), via STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0).
In depth
- Range of meaning
A place-name found only here in the Bible. Its location and the origin of the name are debated.
- Against the English
Every major English version keeps 'Sychar'. A few older commentators and the old Syriac versions treat it as Shechem.
- Used elsewhere in the period
The Bordeaux Pilgrim (333 CE) places a 'Sechar' about a Roman mile from Shechem, where the Samaritan woman came down to draw water. Eusebius' Onomasticon puts Sychar 'before Neapolis' near Jacob's field. The 6th-century Madaba mosaic map marks Sychar separately from Sychem. The Mishnah (Menahot 10:2) mentions a plain or spring of 'ʿEn Sokher' in the region. Jerome thought Sychar was a copyist's error for Sychem.
Where it appears
John · 1
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John 4:5 Συχάρ, Sychar,
So He came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob had given to his son Joseph.
Here: The name of the town. It is mentioned nowhere else in the Bible. It was probably the village at modern ʿAskar, just north of Jacob's well, though some think it is a form of 'Shechem' (see debates).
Word data: STEPBible.org (CC BY 4.0), main text only.