4:1–42 Jesus travels through Samaria on His journey from Judaea to Galilee. His encounter with a Samaritan woman at the well outside of the city of Sychar leads many Samaritans to believe in Jesus as the Messiah. John 4:1–42 BECNT Jn

4:1 Pharisees See note on 7:32.

4:2 Jesus himself was not baptizing See note on 3:22.

4:3 Judea The southern region of Palestine, essentially the territory of the tribe of Judah, where Jerusalem and Bethlehem were located.

Galilee See note on 1:43.

4:4 Samaria The central region of Palestine between Judaea and Galilee. This area had been the heart of the northern kingdom of Israel until the Assyrians deported many Israelites in 722 bc. See note on 1 Kgs 16:24.

4:5 Sychar This is the only biblical reference to this location. It probably is to be identified with ‘Askar at the foot of Mount Ebal, or perhaps as a corruption of the name “Shechem” (compare Gen 33:19). The reference to land owned by Jacob suggests that the connection with Shechem is plausible.

4:6 Jacob’s well Usually identified with a well at the foot of Mount Gerizim, not far from Shechem.

It was about the sixth hour The Greek text identifies the time as “about the sixth hour.” The hours were counted from sunrise to sunset (roughly 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.), so the “sixth hour” was around noon.

4:7 came to draw water The normal time to draw water was morning or evening during the cooler hours of the day. This woman is coming to draw water at a time when no one else would normally be at the well.

4:9 Samaritan An inhabitant of the region of Samaria who was of mixed Israelite and foreign descent.

Samaritans After Assyria conquered the northern kingdom of Israel in 722 bc and deported most of its people, Samaria was inhabited by a mixed population. This included Israelites left behind after the deportation and foreign peoples relocated to the region from other parts of the Assyrian Empire (2 Kgs 17:24–41). Those groups intermarried and thus a distinctly Israelite identity in Samaria was lost, forming the people group the Samaritans. However, like the Jews, Samaritans worshiped Yahweh and used a version of the Pentateuch as their Scripture. Jews and Samaritans typically had a mutual hostility based on ethnic, religious, and political barriers. See note on Luke 10:33. Major Groups in Jesus’ Time Table

Jews have no dealings with Samaritans The woman was surprised that Jesus would speak to her, much less ask her for a drink. This parenthetical comment is added for the benefit of John’s non-Jewish readers (see note on John 4:27).

4:10 living water A Semitic idiom for “spring water” or “fresh water” (Gen 26:19; Lev 14:6), though Jesus uses it as a metaphor for eternal life.

4:11 you have no bucket The woman misunderstands Jesus as speaking of literal water; this is reasonable based on the use of “living water” as an idiom for spring water (see note on John 4:10). Misunderstanding often comes before spiritual insight in John’s Gospel (see note on 2:21; note on 3:4).

4:12 Jacob The woman’s identification of Jacob as her ancestor shows the Samaritans believed themselves to be the rightful descendants of Jacob and true Israelites.

4:14 eternal life See note on 1:4.

4:15 come here to draw She still misunderstands Jesus, believing they are talking about literal water. See note on v. 11.

4:17 I do not have a husband The woman’s answer seems intended to politely deflect further discussion of the subject.

4:18 five husbands This Greek word can mean “man” or “husband.” If the woman had five previous husbands who either died or divorced her, she would have exceeded the traditional limit of three husbands in Jewish law (according to the rabbinic text Babylonian Talmud Yebamot 64b; Niddah 64a). However, the ambiguity of the word suggests the possibility that none of the five was a legal husband just as the current man is not her husband. This comment also reveals a reason why Jesus chose to speak with her about her place before God.

4:19 a prophet Jesus’ exceptional knowledge of her affairs yields the concession that He must be a prophet. The Samaritans expected a prophetic Messiah. See note on 1:21 and compare v. 25.

4:20 this mountain Refers to Mount Gerizim, the holy mountain for the Samaritan community. The mountain was visible from the well where Jesus and the woman were speaking.

you people say The woman moves quickly to change the subject from her immoral lifestyle to the ongoing religious controversy between the Jews and Samaritans over sacred space.

4:21 neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem Jesus does not take up the debate over legitimate holy places. Rather, he points to a future time of salvation when worship will not be limited to any local sacred site, neither Mount Gerizim nor Jerusalem. How one worships is more important than where one worships.

4:22 You worship what you do not know In the Greek text, the word for “you” is plural. See note on v. 20.

salvation is from the Jews Jesus probably is alluding to the Jews’ preservation of the entire ot Scriptures that revealed God’s plan for salvation. Also, the Messiah would be from the Jews, a son of David—not a Samaritan or Gentile.

4:23 an hour is coming—and now is here A unique expression in the Gospel of John that conveys both future expectation and present reality. Jesus’ work in the present inaugurates a new phase in redemptive history. Jesus’ phrasing also echoes the language of the ot prophets (Jer 31:31; 2 Kgs 20:17).

spirit and truth Authentic worship involves an inward change of heart, not just outward observance. Real followers of God worship in complete sincerity.

4:25 Messiah The Samaritans expected a deliverer called the taheb or “Returning One” who fulfilled the promise of a prophet like Moses (Deut 18:15–18). Compare note on John 1:20; note on 1:41.

4:26 am he Jesus rarely confirms being the Messiah, probably due to expectations of political deliverance among Jews. The Samaritan concept of a Messiah was linked more to the restoration of proper worship of God. This is one of the “I am” sayings in John’s Gospel.

Jesus’ ‘I Am’ Statements Table

4:27 he was speaking with a woman It would have been unusual for a rabbi (like Jesus) or any Jewish man to converse publicly with a woman. Jewish teaching warned against spending too much time talking with women because of temptation and the appearance of impropriety. Through this interaction, Jesus is showing care for the lowliest of people in the eyes of Jews.

4:28 water jar A clay vessel made for carrying water. In her haste to tell the townspeople about Jesus, she abandons the original purpose of her trip to the well.

4:29 Perhaps this one is the Christ The woman’s question implies hesitation and doubt. The Greek text indicates that a negative response is expected: “This cannot be the Messiah, can it?”

4:31 Rabbi See note on John 1:38.

4:32 I have food to eat Just as with the Samaritan woman and the metaphor of living water, Jesus uses tangible physical things to teach intangible spiritual truths.

4:33 No one brought him anything to eat Just like the woman at the well (v. 11) and Nicodemus (3:4), the disciples misunderstand Jesus.

4:34 will of the one who sent me Jesus’ mission is more important than His need to eat. Compare Matt 4:4.

4:35 yet four months and the harvest comes Harvest imagery has overtones of end-time abundance (compare Joel 2:18–27). Jesus draws on a common proverb about a lack of urgency to emphasize the immediacy of His work. Compare Matt 9:37–38.

they are white for harvest Jesus may be alluding to the imminent encounter with the Samaritans who will believe in Him (John 4:39–42). Either way, the time to bring people into God’s kingdom is now—they’re as prepared as they will ever be.

4:37 one who sows and another who reaps The sowing was the expectation of the prophet laid out in Deut 18:18. The reaping will be the belief of the Samaritans. Jesus emphasizes that it’s not always the one who first tells someone about salvation (as the prophets had done for the Samaritans) who brings them to belief, but often it’s those who come later. No matter who reaps, God alone deserves the credit.

4:39 because of the word of the woman The testimony of a woman had little weight, and this particular woman’s reputation would have further weakened the credibility of her witness. Also, she framed her declaration in a hesitant, negative way that did not invite a positive response to Jesus (see note on John 4:29). That “many of the Samaritans believed” despite these obstacles underscores the divine work in preparing the harvest.

4:42 Savior of the world The salvation of a large group of Samaritans provides a glimpse of the universal nature of God’s plan of salvation. Compare Acts 1:8, where the disciples are sent to Jerusalem, Judaea, Samaria, and the whole world.

4:43–45 Jesus stays with the Samaritans for two days before continuing on to Galilee.

4:44 no honor in his own homeland Compare Matt 13:57.

4:46–54 The second miraculous sign recorded by John is the healing of a government official’s son in Cana (compare note on John 2:11). The first two signs take place in the same village.

Miracles of Jesus Table

Miracles Unique to John’s Gospel
Water to Wine, 2:1–11	Official’s Son Healed, 4:46–52	Paralytic Healed, 5:1–13
Blind Man Healed, 9:1–12	Lazarus Raised, 11:38–44	Great Catch of Fish, 21:1–14

4:46 Cana in Galilee See note on 2:1.

where he had made the water wine See 2:1–11.

Capernaum See note on 2:12.

royal official The Greek term used here could denote a member of the royal family of Herod, but it more likely refers to a Roman official serving Herod Antipas as ruler of Galilee on behalf of Rome.

4:50 The man believed The boy’s healing is connected to the father’s belief in Jesus’ ability to heal. Compare Matt 8:5–13; 9:22.