John 4:7 kjv
There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
John 4:7 nkjv
A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink."
John 4:7 niv
When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, "Will you give me a drink?"
John 4:7 esv
A woman from Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, "Give me a drink."
John 4:7 nlt
Soon a Samaritan woman came to draw water, and Jesus said to her, "Please give me a drink."
John 4 7 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jn 4:9 | The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” | Highlights Jewish-Samaritan animosity |
| Jn 4:10 | Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink..." | Jesus hinting at the "living water" gift |
| Jn 4:13-14 | Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again... but whoever drinks the water I give... never thirst.” | Contrast between physical and living water |
| Mk 2:16 | And when the scribes of the Pharisees saw that he was eating with sinners and tax collectors... | Jesus associating with the marginalized |
| Lk 7:36-50 | A sinful woman anoints Jesus' feet, met with disapproval | Jesus accepts interaction from social outcasts |
| Acts 10:28 | "You yourselves know how unlawful it is for a Jew to associate with or to visit anyone of another nation..." | Peter breaking social taboos, like Jesus |
| Gal 3:28 | There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free, nor is there male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus. | Gospel's universal appeal breaking barriers |
| Col 3:11 | Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free; but Christ is all, and is in all. | Unity in Christ beyond all distinctions |
| Eph 2:14-16 | For he himself is our peace, who has made the two groups one and has destroyed the barrier, the dividing wall of hostility. | Christ breaking down ethnic/religious barriers |
| Mt 9:10-13 | And as Jesus sat at the table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were sitting... | Jesus' mission to call sinners and outsiders |
| Ps 42:1-2 | As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. | Human spiritual thirst |
| Isa 55:1 | “Come, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and he who has no money, come, buy and eat!" | Invitation to spiritual water |
| Rev 21:6 | And he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To the thirsty I will give from the spring of the water of life without payment.” | God as the source of life-giving water |
| Rev 22:17 | The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price. | Invitation to receive freely from Christ |
| Jn 7:37-38 | On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink.” | Jesus as the fulfiller of spiritual thirst |
| Phil 2:7 | But emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. | Jesus' humanity and humble servanthood |
| Heb 2:17 | Therefore he had to be made like his brothers in every respect, so that he might become a merciful and faithful high priest... | Jesus' identification with human weakness |
| Lk 6:38 | Give, and it will be given to you. Good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over... | Principle of giving and receiving |
| Mt 7:7-8 | Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. | Asking opens the way for God's provision |
| Gen 24:11-20 | Abraham's servant seeks Rebekah at a well, she offers him and his camels water | Wells as places of significant encounters |
John 4 verses
John 4 7 Meaning
John 4:7 describes the beginning of a profound encounter between Jesus and a Samaritan woman. As she approached Jacob's well to draw water, Jesus initiated conversation by asking her for a drink. This simple request immediately challenged deeply ingrained social, ethnic, and religious boundaries of the time, setting the stage for one of the New Testament's most significant dialogues about the "living water" and the nature of worship.
John 4 7 Context
John chapter 4 opens with Jesus departing Judea and needing to pass through Samaria (Jn 4:3-4). This was not the common path for Jews who often avoided Samaria due to deep-seated ethnic and religious hostility that dated back centuries to the Assyrian conquest and the mixed heritage of the Samaritans. Samaritans worshiped on Mount Gerizim and accepted only the Pentateuch, contrasting sharply with Jewish beliefs and practices, which centered on Jerusalem and the full Old Testament canon.
Jesus's deliberate journey through Samaria and His stop at Jacob's well (Jn 4:5-6), a revered patriarchal site, underscores His divine purpose. The specific time of day – "about the sixth hour," or noon – suggests the woman may have been drawing water at the hottest part of the day to avoid other women, hinting at her ostracization or shame (later revealed as having five husbands and living with another man). Against this backdrop, Jesus, a Jewish man, initiates interaction with a Samaritan woman by simply asking for a drink of water, directly confronting the cultural, religious, and gender barriers that separated them.
John 4 7 Word analysis
- When: Signifies a specific moment, divinely appointed, not a random occurrence. The timing emphasizes divine intentionality in orchestrating the encounter.
- a Samaritan: (Greek: Samareitis, Σαμαρεῖτις). Refers to a person from Samaria, ethnically distinct and religiously opposed to Jews. This identity immediately establishes a barrier of animosity and contempt between the two groups.
- woman: (Greek: gynē, γυνὴ). Specifies her gender. In that culture, it was highly unconventional for a Jewish man, especially a rabbi, to initiate a conversation with a woman in public, let alone a Samaritan woman.
- came: (Greek: ērcheto, ἤρχετο, imperfect tense of erchomai). Suggests an ongoing action or habitual presence, but here marks her arrival at the specific moment of Jesus’s presence. Her purpose was mundane, but her encounter became divine.
- to draw water: (Greek: antlēsai hydōr, ἀντλῆσαι ὕδωρ). Her everyday activity, a practical necessity. This common human need becomes the catalyst for Jesus's revelation of "living water," transforming the ordinary into a point of profound spiritual significance.
- Jesus: (Greek: Iēsous, Ἰησοῦς). The Son of God, the Messiah, yet in His full humanity, expresses a simple human need. This highlights His genuine embodiment, relatable thirst.
- said to her: Denotes a direct address, an active initiation of dialogue. Jesus intentionally breaches the societal norms, indicating His mission transcends conventional boundaries. This radical action demonstrates His inclusivity.
- 'Give me: (Greek: dos moi, δός μοι, aorist imperative of didōmi with personal pronoun moi). A direct request. This is not a demand, but a humble appeal for a basic human necessity, demonstrating His vulnerability and dependence as a man. The "me" is emphatic, emphasizing the speaker.
- a drink': (Greek: piein, πιεῖν). The simple object of His request, a basic physical need. This common requirement becomes the initial, humble step through which Jesus reveals the profound truth of the "living water" and the ultimate source of spiritual sustenance that He offers.
Words-group analysis:
- "When a Samaritan woman came to draw water": This phrase meticulously sets the scene, identifying the person by ethnicity and gender (both highly significant cultural markers of exclusion) and stating her everyday purpose. It highlights the divine intersection of mundane life with salvific encounter. The deliberate movement towards the well emphasizes preparation for a pre-ordained meeting.
- "Jesus said to her, 'Give me a drink.'": This phrase marks the profound act of Jesus breaking silence and social convention. His initiation through a request for physical sustenance highlights His humanity, yet subtly prefigures His greater offering of spiritual sustenance. The brevity and directness of the request cut through expected barriers, signaling the unique nature of this divine encounter.
John 4 7 Bonus section
The audacity of Jesus's request for a drink cannot be overstated. From a Jewish perspective, receiving water from a Samaritan vessel would render a Jew ritually unclean, making Jesus's choice to ask profoundly significant. This act bypasses centuries of accumulated prejudice and the oral law, underscoring Jesus's disregard for man-made barriers in favor of divine truth and radical love. This seemingly small request acts as the divine hook, catching the attention of a woman accustomed to being shunned, demonstrating Jesus's compassion and unique approach to evangelism. The well itself, Jacob's well, holds symbolic weight, connecting this new covenant encounter back to the patriarchal promises of Israel's heritage.
John 4 7 Commentary
John 4:7 initiates a powerful narrative of inclusion and revelation. Jesus's request for water from the Samaritan woman is a deeply subversive act that deliberately transcends deeply entrenched ethnic prejudice, gender norms, and religious divisions. By engaging her directly, Jesus demonstrates that the gospel knows no boundaries of race, sex, or social status. His expression of physical thirst humanizes Him, making Him relatable, while also paradoxically foreshadowing His ability to provide ultimate spiritual satisfaction. This simple request serves as an invitation to dialogue, leading the woman (and the reader) from mundane needs to eternal truths about Christ as the source of "living water." It exemplifies Jesus's methodology: meeting individuals at their point of need, engaging them authentically, and then drawing them into a deeper understanding of who He is and what He offers. This encounter showcases God's unconditional love and readiness to relate to all, irrespective of societal judgments or past shortcomings.