John 7:37 kjv
In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink.
John 7:37 nkjv
On the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.
John 7:37 niv
On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, "Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink.
John 7:37 esv
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.
John 7:37 nlt
On the last day, the climax of the festival, Jesus stood and shouted to the crowds, "Anyone who is thirsty may come to me!
John 7 37 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Isa 12:3 | "With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation." | Drawing salvation's water from the Lord. |
| Isa 44:3 | "For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground." | God's promise to pour out blessings on the thirsty. |
| Isa 55:1 | "Come, all you who are thirsty, come to the waters..." | Free invitation to God's abundant provision. |
| Zech 14:8 | "On that day living waters will flow out from Jerusalem." | Prophecy of living waters in the Messiah's kingdom. |
| Jer 2:13 | "They have forsaken me, the spring of living water, and have dug cisterns for themselves." | God as the source of living water contrasted with broken cisterns. |
| Psa 42:2 | "As a deer pants for flowing streams, so pants my soul for you, O God." | Intense spiritual thirst for God. |
| Exod 17:6 | "I will stand there before you by the rock at Horeb. Strike the rock, and water will come out of it for the people to drink." | God provides water from the rock. |
| Num 20:11 | "...Moses struck the rock twice with his staff, and water gushed out..." | God provides water through a mediator. |
| 1 Cor 10:4 | "for they drank from the spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock was Christ." | Christ is identified as the spiritual rock providing water. |
| John 4:10 | "Jesus answered her, 'If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that is saying to you, Give me a drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.'" | Jesus offers living water to the Samaritan woman. |
| John 4:13-14 | "Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never be thirsty again." | Living water leads to eternal satisfaction. |
| John 6:35 | "Jesus said to them, 'I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.'" | Jesus satisfies both hunger and thirst spiritually. |
| John 7:38-39 | "Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.' Now this he said about the Spirit..." | Fulfillment of the water imagery through the Holy Spirit. |
| Matt 5:6 | "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied." | A spiritual hunger/thirst that will be filled. |
| Matt 11:28 | "Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." | Jesus' general invitation to the weary to come to Him. |
| Rev 21:6 | "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 provides freely to the thirsty in eternity. |
| 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." | Open invitation for all who thirst to receive life freely. |
| Amos 8:11 | "Not a hunger for bread nor a thirst for water, but for hearing the words of the Lord." | Spiritual thirst is for God's word/presence. |
| Prov 9:5 | "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed." | Wisdom inviting to spiritual nourishment. |
| Psa 63:1 | "O God, you are my God; earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you..." | Deep personal longing for God's presence. |
John 7 verses
John 7 37 Meaning
John 7:37 presents Jesus making a powerful, public declaration on the most significant day of the Feast of Tabernacles. He invites all who spiritually thirst to come to Him as the exclusive source of living water, which will fully satisfy their deepest needs. This invitation implies that Jesus Himself is the ultimate fulfillment of Israel's longings and the promise of God's abundant provision.
John 7 37 Context
John chapter 7 describes Jesus' discreet arrival and public appearance at the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in Jerusalem. This was one of the most significant pilgrimage festivals, lasting eight days, celebrated with great joy and ceremony. Central to the first seven days of this feast was the water-drawing ceremony (nisuch hamayim). Each morning, priests would draw water from the Pool of Siloam, bring it in a golden pitcher to the temple, and pour it into a basin beside the altar, simultaneously pouring wine into another. This ceremony, accompanied by the trumpeting of shofars and the waving of palm branches (luelav), symbolized prayers for rain for the coming agricultural year and commemorated God providing water from the rock during the wilderness wanderings. It also pointed to the prophetic promise of the Spirit's outpouring.
On the "last day" (often understood as the climactic seventh day, known as Hoshana Rabbah, "Great Salvation," though some consider it the eighth day, Shemini Atzeret), the water pouring ceremony reached its zenith of intensity, sometimes involving circling the altar seven times. It was at this emotionally charged moment, steeped in anticipation and symbolic longing for God's refreshing presence and future salvation, that Jesus stood up.
John 7 37 Word Analysis
- On the last day of the feast, the great day: Refers to the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot), a joyful harvest festival commemorating God's provision and presence. The "last day" is climactic, understood by many as the 7th day (Hoshana Rabbah), known for intense prayers for rain and salvation. It was a time of heightened spiritual and ceremonial expectation related to water.
- Jesus: The divine Son of God, presenting Himself as the focal point and fulfillment of Israel's hopes.
- stood up (ἔστη - estē): Implies a decisive, public, and authoritative stance. It was a deliberate act to command attention amid the crowded temple rituals, asserting His prominence over the traditional ceremonies.
- and cried out (ἔκραξεν - ekraxen): A strong, loud, and emphatic vocalization. This was not a quiet invitation but a public proclamation, a piercing declaration above the sounds of the festival, highlighting the urgency and importance of His message. It conveyed a prophetic voice.
- “If anyone (ἐάν τις - ean tis): An open, universal invitation, not limited by ethnicity, status, or past actions. It suggests an underlying condition: a willingness to acknowledge a need.
- thirsts (διψᾷ - dipsa): Refers to spiritual longing or dire spiritual need, not merely physical dehydration. It implies a deep craving for God, for meaning, for forgiveness, or for spiritual satisfaction that cannot be found elsewhere. It is a state of recognition of one's inner emptiness apart from God.
- let him come (ἐρχέσθω - erchestho): A present imperative, commanding continuous action. It signifies a direct, personal approach and a commitment of faith towards Jesus Himself, rather than merely engaging in rituals or adhering to laws. It's a call to relationship.
- to me (πρός με - pros me): Crucial phrase. Jesus presents Himself as the exclusive and singular source of satisfaction. He does not point to a method, a law, or an institution, but to His very person.
- and drink (καὶ πινέτω - kai pineto): A present imperative, implying active, continuous reception. This "drinking" is an act of spiritual assimilation, an inward appropriation of Jesus' provision, resulting in spiritual refreshment and satisfaction. It foreshadows receiving the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:38-39).
Word-group Analysis
- "On the last day of the feast, the great day": Establishes the precise historical and cultural context, framing Jesus' statement as a divine response and culmination of Israelite festival aspirations, especially the water symbolism of Sukkot. It marks a moment of intense religious focus, making Jesus' public interjection highly significant and even provocative.
- "Jesus stood up and cried out": Portrays Jesus' decisive and authoritative public address. It's an interruption of the ordinary, signifying that His message transcends and fulfills the very rituals being performed, asserting His divine authority over the festival's symbolic meaning.
- "If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink": This is a universal invitation conditional on recognizing spiritual need ("thirsts") and actively seeking satisfaction solely in Jesus ("come to me and drink"). It promises a direct, personal encounter leading to complete spiritual fulfillment. This concise offer directly challenges reliance on ritual for inner satisfaction, pointing instead to Jesus Himself as the living water.
John 7 37 Bonus Section
The setting of the Feast of Tabernacles for this declaration by Jesus carries rich layers of prophetic and typological significance. The water-drawing ceremony not only prayed for rain but also remembered God’s miraculous provision of water from the rock for Israel in the wilderness (Exod 17:6; Num 20:11). Paul later clarifies in 1 Cor 10:4 that this spiritual rock was Christ, directly linking Jesus to the historical provision of living water. Furthermore, Old Testament prophets foretold an outpouring of water in the messianic age, symbolic of God’s Spirit and blessings (Isa 12:3; Ezek 47:1-12; Zech 14:8). By calling Himself the source of living water on this very day, Jesus implicitly declared Himself the Messiah who fulfills these ancient prophecies and ceremonies. His words effectively replaced the ceremonial expectation with His personal fulfillment. The invitation is thus both a direct appeal and a profound theological statement of His divine identity and redemptive purpose.
John 7 37 Commentary
John 7:37 captures a pivotal moment where Jesus publicly declares Himself the true source of spiritual life, amidst the most symbolic ritual of the Feast of Tabernacles. While the priests poured literal water in prayer for rain and national salvation, Jesus offered a profound spiritual counterpart: Himself as the ultimate living water. His loud proclamation asserts that the thirst humans truly need quenched is not physical, but a deep spiritual longing that only He can satisfy.
This passage reveals Jesus' identity as the divine provision for humanity's deepest need. It transcends mere religious ceremony, redirecting the focus from ritualistic actions to a personal, active faith in Him. The call to "come" and "drink" implies an acknowledging of spiritual emptiness and a willing appropriation of the spiritual life that Jesus offers, later interpreted by John as the outpouring of the Holy Spirit (Jn 7:38-39). The promise is not temporary relief, but lasting satisfaction, symbolizing regeneration and abundant life available to all who believe. This verse thus stands as an open invitation from the Creator to His creation, offering spiritual refreshment freely and fully.
Practical examples:
- Feeling dissatisfied with worldly pursuits and seeking deeper meaning, turning to Jesus for peace.
- Recognizing the insufficiency of self-effort or human systems for righteousness and embracing Jesus' perfect work.
- Experiencing spiritual dryness and praying to Jesus for renewal and strength through the Holy Spirit.