John 7:39 kjv
(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)
John 7:39 nkjv
But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive; for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:39 niv
By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.
John 7:39 esv
Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John 7:39 nlt
(When he said "living water," he was speaking of the Spirit, who would be given to everyone believing in him. But the Spirit had not yet been given, because Jesus had not yet entered into his glory.)
John 7 39 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 4:10 | Jesus answered and said to her, "If you knew the gift of God, and who... | Living water as gift, connected to Him. |
| John 14:16-17 | And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He... | Promise of the Holy Spirit (Paraclete). |
| John 16:7 | Nevertheless I tell you the truth: It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you... | Spirit comes after Jesus's departure. |
| John 17:1 | Jesus spoke these words, lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said: "Father, the hour has come; glorify Your Son... | Jesus praying for glorification. |
| John 17:5 | And now, O Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You... | Glorification linked to pre-existence. |
| John 20:22 | And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit." | Jesus bestows Spirit post-resurrection. |
| Luke 24:49 | Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued... | Promise of Spirit after resurrection. |
| Acts 1:8 | But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me... | Spirit's power for witnessing. |
| Acts 2:1-4 | When the Day of Pentecost had fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly... | Fulfilment of the Spirit's giving (Pentecost). |
| Acts 2:33 | Therefore being exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He poured out... | Exaltation (glorification) precedes Spirit. |
| Joel 2:28-29 | And it shall come to pass afterward That I will pour out My Spirit on all flesh... | Prophecy of universal Spirit outpouring. |
| Isa 44:3 | For I will pour water on the thirsty land, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit... | Spirit as refreshing water. |
| Ezek 36:26-27 | I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you... And I will put My Spirit within you... | Spirit gives new heart and obedience. |
| Rom 8:9 | But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you... | Indwelling of the Spirit in believers. |
| Gal 3:14 | that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit... | Spirit received through faith in Christ. |
| Eph 1:13-14 | In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel...you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise... | Spirit as a seal and guarantee. |
| Phil 2:8-9 | And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross. Therefore God also... | Christ's humility leading to exaltation (glorification). |
| Heb 12:2 | looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has... | Jesus glorified at God's right hand. |
| 1 Pet 1:11 | searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ... | Spirit in Old Testament prophets pointing to Christ's suffering and glory. |
| Zech 14:8 | And in that day it shall be That living waters shall flow from Jerusalem... | Messianic prophecy of living waters. |
| Rev 21:6 | And He said to me, "It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. I will give of the fountain of the water of life freely... | Water of life in Revelation, eternal life. |
John 7 verses
John 7 39 Meaning
John 7:39 is an interpretive comment by the Apostle John, clarifying Jesus's previous statement about "rivers of living water" (John 7:38). This verse reveals that Jesus was referring to the Holy Spirit, which believers would receive. It further explains the delay in the Spirit's full advent, stating that the Holy Spirit was not yet given because Jesus had not yet been "glorified"—a crucial theological point connecting Jesus's crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension with the outpouring of the Spirit.
John 7 39 Context
John 7:39 provides the interpretive key to Jesus's declaration during the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in Jerusalem. This festival, one of the three pilgrimage festivals for Israel, involved daily rituals, notably the water-drawing ceremony. During this ceremony, water from the Pool of Siloam was carried in a golden pitcher and poured out at the Temple altar, symbolizing prayers for rain, the well-watered wilderness journey, and future streams from Jerusalem in the Messianic age (Zech 14:8). On the last and greatest day of the feast, Jesus stood up and cried out, "If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink. He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water" (John 7:37-38). John's parenthetical note in verse 39 immediately follows this, clarifying that "living water" refers to the Holy Spirit, which believers would receive after Jesus's glorification. This verse links the promise of spiritual vitality to Christ's death, resurrection, and ascension, making His work the prerequisite for the Spirit's full outpouring.
John 7 39 Word analysis
- But this He spoke (τοῦτο δὲ εἶπεν): This phrase indicates John's parenthetical, theological commentary on Jesus's previous statement. It shows the Holy Spirit's guidance in John's writing, allowing him to reveal the deeper meaning of Christ's words. It transitions from Jesus's words to John's inspired interpretation.
- concerning the Spirit (περὶ τοῦ Πνεύματος): "Pneuma" (Πνεῦμα) refers to the Holy Spirit, distinguishing it from a general life force or human spirit. This clarification explicitly identifies the "living water" promised by Jesus as the Spirit of God. This divine agent is the source of inner spiritual vitality.
- whom those believing in Him (οὓς ἔμελλον λαμβάνειν οἱ πιστεύοντες εἰς αὐτόν): Emphasizes belief ("πιστεύοντες," pisteuontes – those believing/trusting) in Jesus as the sole condition for receiving the Spirit. This highlights salvation by faith, not by works or ritual. The reception is promised to all who genuinely believe.
- would receive (λαμβάνειν): This Greek word "lambanein" indicates an active and future reception. The Spirit is a gift to be welcomed and experienced by believers.
- for the Holy Spirit was not yet given (οὔπω γὰρ ἦν Πνεῦμα): John clarifies that the full, permanent indwelling and empowering presence of the Holy Spirit as revealed at Pentecost was a future event. While the Spirit acted in various ways in the Old Testament, the "giving" refers to the distinct post-glorification outpouring. "Given" implies a divine act of bestowing a gift.
- because Jesus was not yet glorified (ὅτι Ἰησοῦς οὐδέπω ἐδοξάσθη): This is the central theological hinge. "Glorified" (ἐδοξάσθη, edoxasthē, from δοξάζω, doxazō) in John's Gospel signifies not just honor, but particularly the culmination of Jesus's mission: His crucifixion (often referred to as His "lifting up" and hour of glorification, e.g., John 12:23), resurrection, and ascension to the Father. Christ's redemptive work had to be completed, and His exaltation to the Father's right hand was the necessary prerequisite for the Spirit's full descent to empower believers (John 16:7; Acts 2:33).
- "this He spoke concerning the Spirit": This phrase firmly establishes John's interpretive role and clarifies the metaphorical "living water" as the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit. This sets the stage for the outpouring at Pentecost and the Spirit's role in the believer's life.
- "whom those believing in Him would receive": This links the promised gift of the Spirit directly to personal faith in Jesus. It indicates a future, certain reality for every true believer. The Spirit is not earned, but received by faith.
- "for the Holy Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified": This complete clause explains the why and when of the Spirit's full advent. It articulates the vital, theological dependency of the Spirit's full dispensation on Christ's completed redemptive work and subsequent ascension. This glorification meant Christ's triumph over sin and death, allowing Him to send the Helper from the Father.
John 7 39 Bonus section
The concept of the Spirit "not yet given" doesn't mean the Spirit was absent before Jesus's glorification. The Holy Spirit was active in creation (Gen 1:2), in empowering prophets (2 Pet 1:21), and indwelling certain individuals (Num 11:25-29) in the Old Testament. What John refers to is the New Covenant outpouring of the Spirit: a universal, indwelling, empowering presence available to all believers, ushering in a new era of direct relationship with God, where the Law is written on hearts (Jer 31:33) and spiritual enablement is widespread, fulfilling prophecies like Joel 2:28-29. This indwelling ensures believer participation in Christ's own life and work (Rom 8:9-11). The Holy Spirit being given after Christ's glorification highlights a new, permanent, and intimately personal dwelling of God within His people, made possible only by the accomplished work of Christ.
John 7 39 Commentary
John 7:39 is a crucial interpretive lens provided by the evangelist himself, unpacking Jesus's bold claim to be the source of "living water." John explicitly states that this "living water" is the Holy Spirit, which would be given to those who believe in Jesus. The verse then introduces a profound theological condition: the Holy Spirit's full and transformative outpouring, characteristic of the New Covenant, could not happen until Jesus had been "glorified." This "glorification" encompasses His passion (crucifixion), victorious resurrection, and ascension back to the Father's right hand.
The cross, though an act of suffering, is portrayed as the ultimate glorification in John's Gospel because it is there that God's love and power are most perfectly revealed. Only after Christ had accomplished redemption and ascended to His heavenly throne was it possible for Him to send the Helper, the Holy Spirit, to dwell permanently within believers. This explains why the disciples, despite their belief, did not experience the full indwelling and empowering of the Spirit until Pentecost (Acts 2), subsequent to Jesus's death, resurrection, and ascension. The verse therefore signifies the essential link between Christ's saving work and the subsequent gift of the Spirit, ensuring that the Spirit's ministry is always directly tied to Christ's person and finished work.