John 4:46

ἦλθεν οὖν ὁ Ἰησοῦς. May we conclude from the circumstance that no mention is made of the disciples until John 6:3, “that they had remained in Samaria, and had gone home”? πάλιν ἐλθεῖν means “to return”; here with a reference to John 2:1. The further definition of Κανᾶ, ὅπου ἐποίησε τὸ ὕδωρ οἶνον, is to identify the place, to prepare for John 4:54, and to remind us He had friends there. Weiss and Holtzmann suppose the family of Jesus was now resident at Cana. That we have no reason to suppose. From the period of the ministry in Galilee now beginning, the Synoptists give many details: John gives but one. ἦν τις βασιλικὸς. Euthymius gives the meanings of βασιλικός thus: βασιλικὸς ἐλέγετο, ἢ ὡς ἐκ γένους βασιλικοῦ, ἢ ὡς ἀξίωμά τι κεκτημένος, ἀφʼ οὗπερ ἐκαλεῖτο βασιλικὸς, ἢ ὡς ὑπηρέτης βασιλικός. Kypke gives examples of its use by writers of the period to denote soldiers or servants of a king, or persons of royal blood, or of rank and dignity, and thinks it here means “vir nobilis, clarus, in dignitate quadam constitutus”. Lampe thinks it may imply that this man was both in the royal service and of royal blood. Lightfoot suggests that this may have been Chuza, Herod's chamberlain. Most probably he was an officer of Herod's court, civil or military. His prominent characteristic at this time is given in the words, οὗ ὁ υἱὸς ἠσθένει ἐν Καφαρναούμ. The place is named because essential to the understanding of what follows.