Albert Barnes Commentary John 4:3

"he left Judea, and departed again into Galilee." — John 4:3 (ASV)

He left Judea. The envy and malice of the Pharisees, he might have known, were growing so rapidly as to endanger his life. Since his time to die had not yet come, he withdrew to Galilee, a region farther from Jerusalem and much less under their control than Judea. See Mark 2:22; Luke 3:1. Although he did not fear death and did not shrink from suffering, yet he did not needlessly throw himself into danger or provoke opposition. He could probably do as much good in Galilee as in Judea, and he therefore withdrew himself from immediate danger.