John 4 · KJV
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John 4

The woman at the well

When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John, (Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,) He left Judæa, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs go through Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.) Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water. The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle? Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life. The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.

Travelling from Judea to Galilee, Jesus rests at Jacob's well in Samaria and asks a Samaritan woman for a drink. Their conversation moves from well water to "living water", to her personal history, to the right place to worship God. Jesus tells her that he is the Messiah she is expecting.

What does this mean?

"Living water" meant fresh, flowing water, as from a spring, but Jesus uses it for the life he gives. "The sixth hour" is about noon. "This mountain" is Mount Gerizim, the Samaritans' holy mountain. Jesus' reply "I am he" is in Greek simply "I am".

Historical context

Samaritans worshipped the God of Israel but accepted only the five books of Moses and held that Gerizim, not Jerusalem, was the true place of worship. A Jewish ruler destroyed their temple there in the late second century BC, and hostility ran deep. A Jewish teacher speaking alone with a Samaritan woman, and asking to drink from her vessel, would have surprised onlookers. Jacob's well is traditionally located near modern Nablus.

Why does it matter?

This is one of the longest conversations Jesus has with any individual in the Gospels. It is the first time he openly declares himself the Messiah, and it is to an outsider. Interpreters differ on how to read her five husbands, whether literally, morally or symbolically.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Fields ready for harvest

And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her? The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.

In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat. But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. Therefore said the disciples one to another, Hath any man brought him ought to eat? Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work. Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. And herein is that saying true, One soweth, and another reapeth. I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.

And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did. So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. And many more believed because of his own word; And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.

The disciples return, surprised to find Jesus talking with a woman, and she leaves her water jar to tell her town about him. While the disciples urge him to eat, Jesus speaks of doing God's will as his food and of fields ready for harvest. Many Samaritans believe, first because of her word and then by hearing him themselves.

What does this mean?

"Meat" (KJV) means food in general. "White already to harvest" means ripe. The proverb "one sows and another reaps" describes people benefiting from others' work; here it frames the disciples as gathering a harvest others prepared.

Historical context

Grain was sown in late autumn and harvested in spring, so "four months until the harvest" may have been a proverb or may hint at the season. The Samaritans, like many Jews, expected a coming figure; later Samaritan sources call him the Taheb, "the one who returns".

Why does it matter?

The Samaritans' confession that Jesus is "the Saviour of the world" widens the Gospel's horizon beyond Israel. The woman acts as a witness who brings others, as Andrew and Philip did in chapter 1, though their faith then rests on hearing Jesus themselves.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

The royal official's son

Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee. For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country. Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilæans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judæa into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death. Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe. The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die. Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way. And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth. Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him. So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house. This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.

Back in Cana of Galilee, a royal official from Capernaum begs Jesus to come and heal his dying son. Jesus tells him to go home, because his son will live; the man believes him and sets off, and his servants meet him with news that the boy recovered at that very hour. John calls this Jesus' second sign.

What does this mean?

"Nobleman" (KJV) translates a word meaning a royal official, someone in a king's service. "Signs and wonders" is a traditional phrase for miracles. "The seventh hour" is about one in the afternoon.

Historical context

Galilee was ruled by Herod Antipas, a son of Herod the Great, whom people loosely called a king, so this official probably served at his court. Capernaum lay on the Sea of Galilee, roughly a day's walk from Cana.

Why does it matter?

The story frames Galilean ministry with two signs at Cana, numbered by the narrator. The man moves from asking for a visit to trusting Jesus' word alone, a contrast with faith that depends on seeing wonders. A similar healing at a distance appears in Matthew 8 and Luke 7; scholars debate whether these are versions of the same story.

Editorial notes, not scripture.

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

Chapters

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21

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Reading

Translation

KJVTraditional biblical languageWEBContemporary English

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

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