John4
New King James Version
1Therefore, when the Lord knew that the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John
2(though Jesus Himself did not baptize, but His disciples),
3He left Judea and departed again to Galilee.
4But He needed to go through Samaria.
5So He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied from His journey, sat thus by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give Me a drink.”
8For His disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9Then the woman of Samaria said to Him, “How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said to her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give Me a drink,’ you would have asked Him, and He would have given you living water.”
11The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?
12Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
13Jesus answered and said to her, “Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again,
14but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
15The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
16Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.”
17The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband,’
18for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; in that you spoke truly.”
19The woman said to Him, “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.
20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship.”
21Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father.
22You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.
23But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
24God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
25The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming” (who is called Christ). “When He comes, He will tell us all things.”
26Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”
27And at this point His disciples came, and they marveled that He talked with a woman; yet no one said, “What do You seek?” or, “Why are You talking with her?”
28The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,
29“Come, see a Man who told me all things that I ever did. Could this be the Christ?”
30Then they went out of the city and came to Him.
31In the meantime His disciples urged Him, saying, “Rabbi, eat.”
32But He said to them, “I have food to eat of which you do not know.”
33Therefore the disciples said to one another, “Has anyone brought Him anything to eat?”
34Jesus said to them, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work.
35Do you not say, ‘There are still four months and then comes the harvest’? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look at the fields, for they are already white for harvest!
36And he who reaps receives wages, and gathers fruit for eternal life, that both he who sows and he who reaps may rejoice together.
37For in this the saying is true: ‘One sows and another reaps.’
38I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored, and you have entered into their labors.”
39And many of the Samaritans of that city believed in Him because of the word of the woman who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.”
40So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
41And many more believed because of His own word.
42Then they said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we ourselves have heard Him and we know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.”
43Now after the two days He departed from there and went to Galilee.
44For Jesus Himself testified that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
45So when He came to Galilee, the Galileans received Him, having seen all the things He did in Jerusalem at the feast; for they also had gone to the feast.
46So Jesus came again to Cana of Galilee where He had made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman whose son was sick at Capernaum.
47When he heard that Jesus had come out of Judea into Galilee, he went to Him and implored Him to come down and heal his son, for he was at the point of death.
48Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”
49The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”
50Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
51And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!”
52Then he inquired of them the hour when he got better. And they said to him, “Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.”
53So the father knew that it was at the same hour in which Jesus said to him, “Your son lives.” And he himself believed, and his whole household.
54This again is the second sign Jesus did when He had come out of Judea into Galilee.
Study Guide
Public-domain commentary and original-language notes for John 4.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter: Christ's departure into Galilee. (1–3). His discourse with the Samaritan woman. (4–26). The effects of Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria. (27–42). Christ heals the nobleman's son. (43–54).
vv1-3
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1Co 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, by employing them to baptize. He teaches us that the benefit of sacraments depends not on the hand that administers them.
vv4-26
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore Christ, having made himself a curse for us, submitted to it. Also, he was a poor man, and went all his journeys on foot. Being wearied, he sat thus on the well; he had no couch to rest upon. He sat thus, as people wearied with travelling sit. Surely, we ought readily to submit to be like the Son of God in such things as these. Christ asked a woman for water. She was surprised because he did not show the anger of his own nation against the Samaritans. Moderate men of all sides are men wondered at. Christ took the occasion to teach her Divine things: he converted this woman, by showing her ignorance and sinfulness, and her need of a Saviour. By this living water is meant the Spirit. Under this comparison the blessing of the Messiah had been promised in the Old Testament. The graces of the Spirit, and his comforts, satisfy the thirsting soul, that knows its own nature and necessity. What Jesus spake figuratively, she took literally. Christ shows that the water of Jacob's well yielded a very short satisfaction. Of whatever waters of comfort we drink, we shall thirst again. But whoever partakes of the Spirit of grace, and the comforts of the gospel, shall never want that which will abundantly satisfy his soul. Carnal hearts look no higher than carnal ends. Give it me, saith she, not that I may have everlasting life, which Christ proposed, but that I come not hither to draw. The carnal mind is very ingenious in shifting off convictions, and keeping them from fastening. But how closely our Lord Jesus brings home the conviction to her conscience! He severely reproved her present state of life. The woman acknowledged Christ to be a prophet. The power of his word in searching the heart, and convincing the conscience of secret things, is a proof of Divine authority. It should cool our contests, to think that the things we are striving about are passing away. The object of worship will continue still the same, God, as a Father; but an end shall be put to all differences about the place of worship. Reason teaches us to consult decency and convenience in the places of our worship; but religion gives no preference to one place above another, in respect of holiness and approval with God. The Jews were certainly in the right. Those who by the Scriptures have obtained some knowledge of God, know whom they worship. The word of salvation was of the Jews. It came to other nations through them. Christ justly preferred the Jewish worship before the Samaritan, yet here he speaks of the former as soon to be done away. God was about to be revealed as the Father of all believers in every nation. The spirit or the soul of man, as influenced by the Holy Spirit, must worship God, and have communion with him. Spiritual affections, as shown in fervent prayers, supplications, and thanksgivings, form the worship of an upright heart, in which God delights and is glorified. The woman was disposed to leave the matter undecided, till the coming of the Messiah. But Christ told her, I that speak to thee, am He. She was an alien and a hostile Samaritan, merely speaking to her was thought to disgrace our Lord Jesus. Yet to this woman did our Lord reveal himself more fully than as yet he had done to any of his disciples. No past sins can bar our acceptance with him, if we humble ourselves before him, believing in him as the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
vv27-42
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men. And the power of his word. He told her secret sins with power. She fastened upon that part of Christ's discourse, many would think she would have been most shy of repeating; but the knowledge of Christ, into which we are led by conviction of sin, is most likely to be sound and saving. They came to him: those who would know Christ, must meet him where he records his name. Our Master has left us an example, that we may learn to do the will of God as he did; with diligence, as those that make a business of it; with delight and pleasure in it. Christ compares his work to harvest-work. The harvest is appointed and looked for before it comes; so was the gospel. Harvest-time is busy time; all must be then at work. Harvest-time is a short time, and harvest-work must be done then, or not at all; so the time of the gospel is a season, which if once past, cannot be recalled. God sometimes uses very weak and unlikely instruments for beginning and carrying on a good work. Our Saviour, by teaching one poor woman, spread knowledge to a whole town. Blessed are those who are not offended at Christ. Those taught of God, are truly desirous to learn more. It adds much to the praise of our love to Christ and his word, if it conquers prejudices. Their faith grew. In the matter of it: they believed him to be the Saviour, not only of the Jews but of the world. In the certainty of it: we know that this is indeed the Christ. And in the ground of it, for we have heard him ourselves.
Key Words
οὖν (oûn): (adverbially) certainly, or (conjunctionally) accordingly
ὡς (hōs): which how, i.e. in that manner (very variously used, as follows)
Ἰησοῦς (Iēsoûs): Jesus (i.e. Jehoshua), the name of our Lord and two (three) other Israelites
γινώσκω (ginṓskō): to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
ὅτι (hóti): demonstrative, that (sometimes redundant); causative, because
Φαρισαῖος (Pharisaîos): a separatist, i.e. exclusively religious; a Pharisean, i.e. Jewish sectary
ἀκούω (akoúō): to hear (in various senses)
ποιέω (poiéō): to make or do (in a very wide application, more or less direct)
καί (kaí): and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
βαπτίζω (baptízō): to immerse, submerge; to make whelmed (i.e. fully wet); used only (in the New Testament) of ceremonial ablution, especially (technically) of the ordinance of Christian baptism
Cross References
John 4Jesus clarifies the 'living water' as the Holy Spirit, satisfying the deep thirst of the soul.
Supported by Matthew Henry, JFB
Jesus shows omniscience regarding the woman's five husbands, bringing direct conviction of her secret life.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Identifies the historical parcel of ground in Shechem given by Jacob to his son Joseph.
Supported by Matthew Poole, John Calvin
Synoptic parallel to Jesus' proverb that a prophet has no honor in his own country.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Explicitly connects back to Cana of Galilee, where Jesus performed his first sign of turning water to wine.
Supported by Matthew Poole, Matthew Henry
Parallels Paul's practice of preaching over baptizing, highlighting that baptismal efficacy is not tied to the administrator.
Supported by Matthew Henry, Matthew Poole
Prophetic fulfillment of worldwide spiritual worship of Yahweh, transcending Jerusalem and Samaria's mountains.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Traces the origin of the Samaritans' syncretistic worship ('they know not what') from Assyrian resettlement.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Old Testament promise of the coming Prophet/Messiah who will declare all things to the people.
Supported by Matthew Poole
Underscores Christ's mission to do the will of Him who sent Him, not His own.
Supported by John Calvin
Connects Jesus' physical weariness at the well to His genuine, sympathetic human nature.
Supported by Matthew Poole, JFB
Illuminates the deep-seated national and religious antipathy between Jews and Samaritans.
Supported by JFB
Illustrates the typical pattern in John where physical listeners (like Nicodemus) mistake spiritual statements literally.
Supported by John Calvin
Parallel harvest metaphor where Jesus exhorts disciples to look at the ready fields.
Supported by Matthew Henry
Parallel healing at a distance by Christ's spoken word, demanding immediate faith.
Supported by Matthew Poole