John 4

John 4:3

Considering the danger that this might bring upon him from the sanhedrim of the Jews, it being not yet the fit season for him to leave the world till he had farther disseminated his doctrine, he left Judæa for a time and departed—

John 4:6

In this place was the well which Jacob once digged, on which occasion Jesus being weary of travail sat down close by it on the ground, and it was about twelve of the clock, mid-day. b commerce or communication of familiarity with the Samaritans. c what a mercy and bounty of God is now designed thee, and who it is that made that request to thee, on purpose that thou mightest be partaker of a far greater gift, thou wouldst not have startled at this request, but have made advantage of it to ask, and he would certainly have given thee that fountain water, of a divine special quality, which would have yielded thee eternal life.

[a] thus] The word οὕτως, thus, is by Theophylact interpreted ἀπλῶς, ὡς ἔτυχε, οὐκ ἐπὶ θρόνου, ἀφελῶς ἐπὶ ἐδάφους, simply, after any manner, not on a seat, without any provision made for sitting, upon the ground. And if so, then ἐπὶ τῇ πηγῇ must not be on, but by or near the well, as על עין, Gen. xvi. 7, is at or by the spring of water.

John 4:10

[b] living water] The Hebrews express a fountain of water springing or bubbling up continually, by the phrase מים חיים, Gen. xxix. 19, living waters, and the Greek render that either literally by τὸ ζῶν ὕδωρ, living water, or else by ἀλλόμενον ὕδωρ, springing or leaping water, that springing of waters out of the earth being a kind of imitation or resemblance of life. This fountain or spring-water, being of all other the purest, is here set to denote that great mercy and grace

x

John 4:14

But that which I mean by water, and which upon thy bare petition I am ready to give thee, (ver. 10,) will so refresh, that he shall never thirst again that drinketh of it: it shall be within himself a perpetually flowing fountain, that of its own accord shall yield him daily refreshment here, and never cease till it end in everlasting life and bliss.

John 4:15

As yet the woman understood not his meaning, but applying it grossly to corporal thirst, she saith unto him—

John 4:16

And therefore to work more sense in her, Jesus, meaning to give her knowledge in some degree that he was the Messias, by discovering some acts and evidences of his omniscience, saith unto her—

⁶ thou canst reveal the secrets of one’s life, hast prophetic knowledge; if so, then I pray tell me or satisfy me in this difficulty:

John 4:20

Jacob and the patriarchs, before the law, (whose successors the Samaritans pretended to be, and so pleaded a greater antiquity for their schism than the Jews had for their true worship; but this falsely, being indeed Assyrians, transplanted by Salmaneser into the cities of Samaria, when the tribe of Ephraim and the rest of the kingdom of Israel, which inhabited there, were by him carried into Assyria, 2 Kings xvii. 24,) worshipped in mount Ephraim at Shiloh, in the country of Samaria, where anciently the tabernacle and the ark of God were, long before the building of the temple at Jerusalem; and yet ye Jews say that it is not lawful to perform the solemn worship of God in any place but Jerusalem.

⁷ the worship of God shall be so far from being confined to this place, that it shall not be confined to Jerusalem itself, nay, a desolation shall shortly overwhelm both.

John 4:22

Ye worship the God of the land, 2 Kings xvii. 26, without any knowledge who that is, and your own gods with him; we Jews worship the eternal God of heaven, who hath revealed himself to us; for the special revelations of God, beyond that which other nations enjoy, belong to the Jews, and so all manner of advantages toward our eternal good.

John 4:23

But now the time of reformation approacheth, and God will be worshipped and obeyed neither in the Judaical rites (which are oft called carnal, and consisted in external performances) nor according to the Samaritan false worship, who worshipped their own idols together with God, 2 Kings xvii., but in a pure spiritual manner, extending to the very heart, and such as was typified by those shadows; and the Son of God now comes to draw all men to this way of worship, to the Christian from the Judaical or Samaritan way. See note [d] Luke ix.

b is especially delighted with the Christian worship which is taught to join the soul with the external performances, and to worship the true God now revealed by Christ after that manner wherein Christ reveals him.

John 4:27

As he said this, the disciples came back from the city, ver. 8, and thought it strange that he should thus discourse with this woman; yet no man was so curious as to ask him the reason, or require of him an account of this action.

John 4:30

And of him I shall farther foretell you, that he shall increase daily in splendour and fame, and I pro-portionably decrease.

John 4:31

And it is all reason that it should be so. For he cometh from heaven, and so must needs be supe-rior to all such as I, who am an earthly man, having my original from the earth, made up or compounded of earth; and therefore what I say or do is but of an earthy, but what he, of a much higher original; my baptizing is but like the rest of your Jewish baptisms, (see ver. 12,) only with water, but his with the Holy Ghost also.

John 4:32

And the thing which he teacheth he knows to be true, having received it from his Father, but the multitude of men in the world receive not his testi-mony, believe not that he is sent from God.

John 4:33

He that doth receive it doth in effect no more but bear witness unto and acknowledge the veracity of God himself, it being as impossible that one so sent from God as Christ should lie, as that God should lie himself.

John 4:34

The former prophets had the Spirit in a limited measure bestowed on them by God, to go on such or such an errand, on which God sent them, and it is therefore, Thus saith the Lord, to all their prophecies; but on Christ the Spirit descended once for all, and commanded belief of all that he should say.

John 4:35

Christ is the well beloved of his Father, and by him God hath revealed to us all things fit to re-veal: (see Matt. iii. 17.) And therefore

It is not with my harvest as it is with that in the fields, four months yet to that time; consider, and ye shall see the great inclinations and forwardness of men to receive the gospel, if it may be preached unto them.

John 4:36

Whosoever gives up his faith and obedience to him is in a course which will bring him to all felicity eternally; and on the contrary, he that stands out con-tumaciously against his doctrine continues immutably and inevitably under the wrath of God, due to him both for his former sins and this addition of his stand-ing out against this powerful method of God’s for the recalling him.

CHAP. IV. WHEN therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,

And they that will but go out and preach to them shall receive reward for their pains, and by converting others advantage themselves eternally, and come to reap the fruits of all that seed that the prophets &c. from all time have sowed.

John 4:37

So that to this may the proverb be applied, One soweth &c.: that is, the prophets sowed this seed of the gospel, in foretelling Christ’s coming, and the apostles they reap the harvest of converts to him.

John 4:38

The prophets have so prepared men’s hearts to receive the gospel, that there needs very little pains of yours; you may at first preaching of the gospel reap a whole harvest of proselytes. “He told me the secrets of my life, which he, being a stranger, could not know, if he were a mere man. “and though, Matt. x. 5, he forbad his disciples at that time to go into any city of the Samaritans, (that they might make the Jews see they were his peculiar care at that time,) yet to shew that the gospel was not their enclosure, he now himself stays with the Samaritans two days, and preacheth the gospel to them.

John 4:45

And upon this second coming of his among the Galilæans, they having, since he was there last, seen what miracles he had done at Jerusalem, at the feast of the passover, ch. ii. 14, they thereupon gave him a very kind reception (and after the cure of the courtier’s son, which follows here, teaching publicly in the synagogues of Galilee he was glorified of all, Luke iv. 15.) I perceive there is need of doing miracles among you to work faith in you: this weakness therefore of yours I will indulge to. believed on him: so the Syriac and many copies, abrog. courtier.