John 4 20

John 4:20 kjv

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

John 4:20 nkjv

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."

John 4:20 niv

Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem."

John 4:20 esv

Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship."

John 4:20 nlt

So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?"

John 4 verses

John 4 20 Meaning

John 4:20 conveys the Samaritan woman's deep-seated theological question and the core religious division between Samaritans and Jews concerning the rightful location for worshipping God. She states that her Samaritan ancestors worshipped on Mount Gerizim, while Jewish people insist that Jerusalem is the exclusive and necessary place for worship. This statement sets the stage for Jesus' revolutionary teaching on the true nature of worship, transcending geographical limitations.

John 4 20 Context

John chapter 4 details Jesus' encounter with a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well. This interaction itself defies social conventions (a Jewish man speaking publicly to a Samaritan woman). Jesus' profound insight into her life prompts her to recognize Him as a prophet. Her immediate response is to present the fundamental religious and historical conflict between Samaritans and Jews: the dispute over the legitimate site of worship. The Samaritans, believing themselves descendants of ancient Israel who remained in the land, maintained their own traditions, including their belief that Mount Gerizim was the divinely chosen place for sacrifice and worship, countering the Jewish conviction that Jerusalem was God's sole designated place. This verse is her direct challenge, born of centuries of deeply held differing beliefs, setting the stage for Jesus to reveal the shift from physical locations to spiritual truth in worship under the new covenant.

John 4 20 Word analysis

• Our fathers: (Greek: hoi pateres hēmōn - οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν) Refers specifically to the Samaritan ancestors, those from whom the Samaritan people descended and inherited their traditions and faith, particularly those linked to the patriarchs (like Jacob, whose well they are at). It implies a long-standing, ancestral claim to their form of worship and its location. This establishes a heritage-based justification for their belief.

• worshiped: (Greek: prosekunēsan - προσεκύνησαν) From proskuneō (προσκυνέω), meaning to bow down, prostrate oneself, to do reverence, to adore. It signifies an act of deep homage, respect, and adoration toward God. It describes the fundamental act of religious devotion, indicating that both groups engaged in this act, but disagreed on where.

• on this mountain: Refers to Mount Gerizim, which overlooked the well where they were conversing. For Samaritans, Mount Gerizim was the site of the blessing ceremonies in Deuteronomy, the place Abraham was almost sacrificed (in their tradition), and where their temple stood (built in the 4th century BCE, destroyed by John Hyrcanus in 128 BCE). It was their holiest site.

• and you Jews: (Greek: kai humeis legete Ioudaioi - καὶ ὑμεῖς λέγετε Ἰουδαῖοι) The woman identifies Jesus explicitly as a Jew, emphasizing the ethno-religious distinction. This highlights the established historical tension and animosity between the two groups. It's a statement of differing identity and theological authority.

• say: (Greek: legete - λέγετε) Simple declaration, indicating the widely known and asserted Jewish claim.

• that in Jerusalem: Refers to the city of Jerusalem, the capital of Judea, where the Jewish Temple was located. This was the undisputed center of Jewish worship and sacrifice, believed by Jews to be the divinely appointed, unique site for God's dwelling and sacrificial system.

• is the place: (Greek: estin ho topos - ἐστιν ὁ τόπος) A definitive assertion. It marks Jerusalem as the singular, legitimate location.

• where people ought to worship: (Greek: hopou dei proskynein - ὅπου δεῖ προσκυνεῖν) The phrase dei (δεῖ) implies necessity, obligation, or what is proper and appointed. It means it is necessary or must be worshipped there, highlighting the mandatory nature of the Jewish claim regarding Jerusalem. This conveys a strong, singular claim.

• Words-Group Analysis:

  • "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain" vs. "you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship": This phrase directly contrasts two deeply entrenched religious traditions and their geographical sacred spaces. It frames the central point of contention that separated Samaritans and Jews for centuries. The woman expresses her inherited conviction and juxtaposes it with the Jewish assertion of exclusive legitimate worship in Jerusalem, underscoring the impasse that cultural and religious history had created.

John 4 20 Bonus section

• The debate over worship sites was not just theological; it also reflected political and cultural autonomy struggles between Samaritans and Jews. Each group saw their chosen site as embodying their true heritage and fidelity to God's covenant.
• For the Samaritans, Mount Gerizim was believed to be older and more authentic than Jerusalem, dating back to Moses and Abraham.
• Jesus' response to the Samaritan woman models how Christ's kingdom challenges human-made boundaries and traditional disputes, elevating the spiritual reality over ceremonial practices and physical locations.
• The conversation with a Samaritan woman about worship profoundly foreshadows the global, inclusive nature of Christian worship, breaking down ethnic, gender, and social barriers, uniting all in worship of the Father through Christ in the Spirit.

John 4 20 Commentary

The Samaritan woman's question in John 4:20 encapsulates centuries of theological and ethnic division, specifically concerning the geographical locus of true worship. She brings up the Mount Gerizim vs. Jerusalem debate, not necessarily out of malice, but from a sincere, deeply rooted tradition and perhaps to gauge Jesus' alignment, given His perceived prophetic insight. Her question reveals how central "place" was to identity and faithful practice in that era. Worship was understood in terms of specific altars, temples, and ritualistic acts tied to those locations.

Jesus' subsequent answer (Jn 4:21-24) transcends this deeply physical and ritualistic understanding. He does not affirm one mountain over the other but instead announces a new era where neither place will be the ultimate determinant of worship. He proclaims that true worship will be "in spirit and truth," signifying an internal disposition and genuine adherence to God's nature and revelation, rather than mere external conformity to a location. This pivotal teaching foreshadows the New Covenant reality, where the presence of God is no longer confined to a single earthly temple but is made accessible universally through Christ and indwells believers by the Holy Spirit. This concept shifted the focus from the 'where' to the 'how' and 'by whom' worship is rendered acceptable to God.