Discovery BoxJohn 4:12 
Context4:12 Surely you’re not greater than our ancestor 1 Jacob, are you? For he gave us this well and drank from it himself, along with his sons and his livestock.” 2
John 12:36
Context12:36 While you have the light, believe in the light, so that you may become sons of light.” 3 When Jesus had said these things, he went away and hid himself from them.
1 tn Or “our forefather”; Grk “our father.”
2 tn Questions prefaced with μή (mh) in Greek anticipate a negative answer. This can sometimes be indicated by using a “tag” at the end. In this instance all of v. 12 is one question. It has been broken into two sentences for the sake of English style (instead of “for he” the Greek reads “who”).
3 tn The idiom “sons of light” means essentially “people characterized by light,” that is, “people of God.”
sn The expression sons of light refers to men and women to whom the truth of God has been revealed and who are therefore living according to that truth, thus, “people of God.”
