John Gill Commentary John 4:5

"So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:" — John 4:5 (ASV)

Then comes he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar ,
&c.] Now called Neapolis ^F4 ; the same with "Sichem", or "Shechem", as appears from its situation,

near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph ;
see (Genesis 33:18Genesis 33:19) (48:22) (Joshua 24:32) ; and is either the same, only its termination is changed from "em" into "ar", as Achan into Achar, (1 Chronicles 2:7) .

Or it is a new name that was given it, and by which it went in the time of Christ; and might be so called, either from (rkwo) , "Socher", which signifies a grave; because here, Joseph and the rest of the patriarchs were buried, (Joshua 24:32) (Acts 7:16) . Or rather, it was a name of reproach, and so called, from (rkv) , "drunken"; since the Ephraimites, the posterity of Joseph, which dwelt in these parts, were infamous for the sin of drunkenness; see (Isaiah 28:1) . Hence "Sychar Sichem", is "drunken Sichem"; mention is made in the Talmud ^F5 , of a place called (arkyo) , "Sichra".

The "parcel of ground", or of a "field", as in (Genesis 33:19) (Joshua 24:32) , is in the Persic version, called "a vineyard"; and so Nonnus renders it, "a field planted with vines"; and which may serve to confirm the above conjecture, concerning "Sychar" being a nickname.

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FOOTNOTES:

• F4: Hieron. Epitaph. Paulae, Tom. I. fol. 59. & R. Benjamin Itin. p. 38.
• F5: T. Bab. Bava Metzia, foi. 42. 1. & 83. 1. & Cholin, fol. 94.