Advanced Commentary
Texts -- John 4:1-8 (NET)
Pericope
NET
- Joh 4:1-3 -- Departure From Judea
- Joh 4:4-26 -- Conversation With a Samaritan Woman
Bible Dictionary
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Shechem
[ebd] shoulder. (1.) The son of Hamor the Hivite (Gen. 33:19; 34). (2.) A descendant of Manasseh (Num. 26:31; Josh. 17:2). (3.) A city in Samaria (Gen. 33:18), called also Sichem (12:6), Sychem (Acts 7:16). It stood in the narrow ...
[isbe] SHECHEM - she'-kem (shekhem, "shoulder"; Suchem, he Sikima, ta Sikima, etc.; the King James Version gives "Sichem" in Gen 12:6; and "Sychem" in Acts 7:16): 1. Historical: This place is first mentioned in connection with Abra...
[smith] (back or shoulder). An important city in central Palestine, in the valley between mounts Ebal and Gerizim, 34 miles north of Jerusalem and 7 miles southeast of Samaria. Its present name, Nablus , is a corruption of Neapolis,...
[nave] SHECHEM 1. Called also Sichem and Sychem, a district in the central part of the land of Canaan. Abraham dwells in, Gen. 12:6. Jacob buys a piece of ground in, and erects an altar, Gen. 33:18-20. The flocks and herds of Jac...
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Samaria
[ebd] a watch-mountain or a watch-tower. In the heart of the mountains of Israel, a few miles north-west of Shechem, stands the "hill of Shomeron," a solitary mountain, a great "mamelon." It is an oblong hill, with steep but not i...
[smith] (watch mountain). This city is situated 30 miles north of Jerusalem and about six miles to the northwest of Shechem, in a wide basin-shaped valley, six miles in diameter, encircled with high hills, almost on the edge of the g...
[nave] SAMARIA 1. City of, built by Omri, 1 Kin. 16:24. Capital of the kingdom of the ten tribes, 1 Kin. 16:29; 22:51; 2 Kin. 13:1, 10; 15:8. Besieged by Ben-hadad, 1 Kin. 20; 2 Kin. 6:24-33; 7. The king of Syria is led into, by...
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Jesus, The Christ
[nave] JESUS, THE CHRIST. Index of Sub-topics History of; Miscellaneous Facts Concerning; Unclassified Scriptures Relating to; Ascension of; Atonement by; Attributes of; Compassion of; Confessing; Creator; Death of; Design of His...
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Jacob
[ebd] one who follows on another's heels; supplanter, (Gen. 25:26; 27:36; Hos. 12:2-4), the second born of the twin sons of Isaac by Rebekah. He was born probably at Lahai-roi, when his father was fifty-nine and Abraham one hundre...
[smith] (supplanter), the second son of Isaac and Rebekah. He was born with Esau, probably at the well of Lahai-roi, about B.C. 1837. His history is related in the latter half of the book of Genesis. He bought the birthright from his...
[nave] JACOB Son of Isaac, and twin brother of Esau, Gen. 25:24-26; Josh. 24:4; 1 Chr. 1:34; Acts 7:8. Ancestor of Jesus, Matt. 1:2. Given in answer to prayer, Gen. 25:21. Obtains Esau's birthright for a some stew, Gen. 25:29-34...
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Samaritans
[ebd] the name given to the new and mixed inhabitants whom Esarhaddon (B.C. 677), the king of Assyria, brought from Babylon and other places and settled in the cities of Samaria, instead of the original inhabitants whom Sargon (B....
[nave] SAMARITANS 2 Kin. 17:29; Hos. 10:5; 13:16; Amos 4:1; Mic. 1:1; Matt. 10:5; Luke 9:52; 10:33; 17:16; John 4:7, 9, 39, 40; 8:48; Acts 8:25
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Jacob's Well
[ebd] (John 4:5, 6). This is one of the few sites in Palestine about which there is no dispute. It was dug by Jacob, and hence its name, in the "parcel of ground" which he purchased from the sons of Hamor (Gen. 33:19). It still ex...
[isbe] JACOB'S WELL - (pege tou Iakob): 1. Position of Well: In Jn 4:3 ff we read that our Lord "left Judea, and departed again into Galilee. And he must needs pass through Samaria. So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar,...
[nave] JACOB'S WELL Gen. 29:4; John 4:6
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JACOBS WELL
[smith] a deep spring in the vicinity of Shechem (called Sychar in Christ?s time and Nablus at the present day). It was probably dug by Jacob whose name it bears. On the curb of the well Jesus sat and discoursed with the Samaritan wo...
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Roads
[nave] ROADS Public highways, Deut. 2:27. From Gibeon to Beth-horon, Josh. 10:10. From Beth-el to Shechem, Judg. 21:19. From Judaea to Galilee, by way of Samaria, John 4:3-5, 43. To the house of God, Judg. 20:31. To cities of ...
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SYCHAR
[ebd] liar or drunkard (see Isa. 28:1, 7), has been from the time of the Crusaders usually identified with Sychem or Shechem (John 4:5). It has now, however, as the result of recent explorations, been identified with 'Askar, a sma...
[isbe] SYCHAR - si'-kar (Suchar): Mentioned only once, in connection with the visit of Jesus to Jacob's Well (Jn 4:5). He was passing through Samaria on His way to Galilee, "so he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to...
[smith] a place named only in (John 4:5) Sychar was either a name applied to the town of Shechem or it was an independent place. The first of these alternatives is now almost universally accepted. [SHECHEM]
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Galilee
[nave] GALILEE 1. The northern district of Palestine. A city of refuge in, Josh. 20:7; 21:32; 1 Chr. 6:76. Cities in, given to Hiram, 1 Kin. 9:11, 12. Taken by king of Assyria, 2 Kin. 15:29. Prophecy concerning, Isa. 9:1; Matt. ...
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JACOB (1)
[isbe] JACOB (1) - ja'-kub: I. NAME 1. Form and Distribution 2. Etymology and Associations II. HIS PLACE IN THE PATRIARCHAL SUCCESSION 1. As the Son of Isaac and Rebekah 2. As the Brother of Esau 3. As the Father of the Twelve III....
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JESUS CHRIST, 4B
[isbe] JESUS CHRIST, 4B - B. THE EARLY JUDAEAN MINISTRY I. The Testimonies of the Baptist. 1. The Synoptics and John: While the Synoptics pass immediately from the temptation of Jesus to the ministry in Galilee the imprisonment of ...
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Canaan
[nave] CANAAN 1. Son of Ham, Gen. 9:18, 22, 25-27. Descendants of, Gen. 10:6, 15; 1 Chr. 1:8, 13. 2. Land of (The history of this region is involved in that of the Israelites. The student is therefore referred to Israel, History ...
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JOHN, GOSPEL OF
[isbe] JOHN, GOSPEL OF - || I. INTRODUCTORY 1. Scope of Gospel 2. State of Opinion as to Date of Appearance, etc. II. EXTERNAL EVIDENCE fOR THE FOURTH GOSPEL 1. At the End of 2nd Century 2. Irenaeus--Theophilus 3. Middle of 2nd Cen...
[smith] This Gospel was probably written at Ephesus about A.D. 78. (Canon Cook places it toward the close of John?s life, A.D. 90-100. --ED.) The Gospel was obviously addressed primarily to Christians, not to heathen. There can be li...
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BAPTISM (NON-IMMERSIONIST VIEW)
[isbe] BAPTISM (NON-IMMERSIONIST VIEW) - || I. THE SCRIPTURAL NAMES FOR THE RITE II. PRE-CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 1. Baptism of Proselytes 2. Baptism of John 3. Baptism in the Pagan Mysteries III. CHRISTIAN BAPTISM 1. The administration o...
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ANDREW
[isbe] ANDREW - an'-droo (Andreas, i.e. "manly." The name has also been interpreted as "the mighty one, or conqueror"): Andrew was the first called of the Twelve Apostles. I. In New Testament. 1. Early History and First Call: Andre...
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BAPTISM (LUTHERAN DOCTRINE)
[isbe] BAPTISM (LUTHERAN DOCTRINE) - || I. THE TERM 1. The Derivation 2. The Meaning 3. The Application 4. Equivalent Terms II. THE ORDINANCE 1. The Teaching of Scripture (1) An Authoritative Command (2) A Clear Declaration of the ...
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PALESTINE, 3
[isbe] PALESTINE, 3 - IV. Palestine in the Poetic Books of the Old Testament. 1. Book of Job: In Job the scene is distinctively Edomite. Uz (Job 1:1; compare Gen 22:21 the English Revised Version; Jer 25:20; Lam 4:21) and Buz (Job ...
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Baptism
[nave] BAPTISM. John's Matt. 3:5-8, 11, 13-16 Mark 1:8-10; Luke 3:7, 8; John 10:40. Matt. 21:25 Mark 11:30; Luke 20:4. Mark 1:4, 5; Luke 3:12, 21; Luke 7:29, 30; John 1:25, 26, 28, 31, 33; John 3:23; Acts 1:5, 22; Acts 10:37; Act...
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WELL
[isbe] WELL - (1) (be'er; compare Arabic bi'r, "well" or "cistern"; usually artificial: "And Isaac's servants digged (dug) in the valley, and found there a well of springing (margin "living") water" (Gen 26:19); some times covered:...
[smith] Wells in Palestine are usually excavated from the solid limestone rock, sometimes with steps to descend into them. (Genesis 24:16) The brims are furnished with a curb or low wall of stone, bearing marks of high antiquity in t...
Arts
Questions
- Jesus is God and the Old Testament forbids the making or worshiping of any such likeness of God. Exodus 20:4 says, "You shall not make for yourself an idol, or any likeness of what is in heaven above or on the earth beneath o...
- Whether our Lord personally baptized has been doubted. The only passage which may bear on the question is John 4:1,2, the explanation of which is presumed to be that John, being a servant, baptized with his own hand, while Ch...
- Each of the gospels get its name from the names of the human authors who wrote them, of course, God being the One who enable them to write their message under His inspiration (2 Pet. 1:21). All of these men were either an apo...
Sermon Illustrations
Tips for Sharing Your Faith With Your Family;
What Is Your Style of Evangelism?;
How Jesus Interacted With People;
Who Is Jesus Christ?
Resources/Books
Expository Notes on the Bible (Constable)
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Jacob was ready to sacrifice part of his family expecting Esau to attack him, and he approached his brother as though Esau was his lord. In contrast, Esau welcomed Jacob magnanimously, reluctantly received his gift, and offer...
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Jacob (Israel, the prince with God because of his faith) firmly believed God's promise to bring his descendants back into the Promised Land (cf. 46:4). Jacob's prophetic promise to Joseph (v. 22) is a play on words. The word ...
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34:11-12 The Lord further promised to search for His wandering sheep Himself, to care for them, and to deliver them from the places where they had scattered in the gloomy days of their national distress (cf. Jer. 30:4-7; Luke...
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Comparison of John's Gospel and Matthew's shows that Jesus ministered for about a year before John the Baptist's arrest. John had criticized Herod Antipas for having an adulterous relationship with his brother Philip's wife (...
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The Sermon on the Mount is the first of five major discourses that Matthew included in his Gospel. Each one follows a narrative section, and each ends with the same formula statement concerning Jesus' authority (cf. 7:28-29)....
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8:5 Centurions were Roman military officers each of whom controlled 100 men, therefore the name "centurion."They were the military backbone of the Roman Empire. Interestingly every reference to a centurion in the New Testamen...
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Mark omitted Jesus' year of early Judean ministry (John 1:15-4:42), as did the other Synoptic evangelists. He began his account of Jesus' ministry of service in Galilee, northern Israel (1:14-6:6a). Because of increasing oppo...
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John's presentation of Jesus in his Gospel has been a problem to many modern students of the New Testament. Some regard it as the greatest problem in current New Testament studies.15Compared to the Synoptics that present Jesu...
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In one sense the Gospel of John is more profound than the Synoptics. It is the most difficult Gospel for most expositors to preach and to teach for reasons that will become evident as we study it. In another sense, however, t...
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I. Prologue 1:1-18A. The preincarnate Word 1:1-5B. The witness of John the Baptist 1:6-8C. The appearance of the Light 1:9-13D. The incarnation of the Word 1:14-18II. Jesus' public ministry 1:19-12:50A. The prelude to Jesus' ...
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John the Apostle introduced John the Baptist because John the Baptist bore witness to the light, namely Jesus. John the Baptist was both a model evangelist pointing those in darkness to the light and a model witness providing...
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The first part of the body of John's Gospel records Jesus' public ministry to the multitudes in Palestine who were primarily Jewish. Some writers have called this section of the Gospel "the book of signs"because it features s...
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The writer now turned his attention from John the Baptist's witness to Jesus to record the reactions of some men to Jesus' witness. Two of John the Baptist's disciples left him to follow Jesus when they heard John's testimony...
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The first miracle that Jesus performed, in His public ministry and in John's Gospel, was semi-public. Apparently only Jesus' disciples, the servants present, and Jesus' mother understood what had happened.2:1 The third day ev...
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John now presented evidence that Jesus knew people as no others did and that many believed in His name (2:23). This constitutes further witness that He is the Son of God. John summarized several conversations that Jesus had w...
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The writer next noted the parallel ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus in Judea. John the Baptist readily confessed Jesus' superiority to him even though they were both doing the same things. This was further testimony t...
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There are several connections between this section and the preceding ones that provide continuity. One is the continuation of water as a symbol (cf. 2:6; 3:5; 4:10-15). Another is the continuation of conversation in which Jes...
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Jesus had modeled evangelistic effectiveness for His disciples, though ironically they were absent for most of the lesson. Now he explained the rewards, urgency, and partnership of evangelism.4:27 When Jesus' disciples return...
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The response of the Samaritans to Jesus was considerably more positive than the response of the Jews had been (1:11; 2:23-25). This would prove true as Jesus' ministry continued to progress.4:39 Harvesting followed the arriva...
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John again bridged the gap between important events in his narrative with a transitional explanation of how Jesus moved from one site to another (cf. 2:12; 4:1-3). John typically focused on clusters of events in Jesus' minist...
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This incident completes a cycle in John's Gospel. Jesus performed His first sign in Cana (2:1), and now He returned and did another miracle there (v. 46). There is even a second reference to Capernaum (2:12; 4:46). John's acc...
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"In chapters 1-4 the subject is described from the standpoint of a spectator, ab extra, and we are thus enabled to see something of the impression created on others by our Lord as He deals with individuals in Jerusalem, Samar...
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10:40 John presented Jesus' departure from Jerusalem as the result of official rejection of Him. The event had symbolic significance that the evangelist probably intended. Jesus withdrew the opportunity for salvation from the...
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In contrast to the hatred that the religious leaders manifested stands the love that Mary demonstrated toward the One she had come to believe in. Her act of sacrificial devotion is a model for all true disciples. This is the ...
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John reported much more about Jesus' trial before Pilate than did any of the other Gospel writers. He omitted referring to Jesus' appearance before Herod Antipas, which only Luke recorded (Luke 23:6-12). He stressed Jesus' au...
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John did not mention the darkness that came over the land as the other evangelists did (cf. Matt. 27:45; Mark 15:33; Luke 23:44-45). This is noteworthy in view of John's interest in the light and darkness motif. Perhaps he di...
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John followed the climactic proof that Jesus is God's Son with an explanation of his purpose for writing this narrative of Jesus' ministry. This explanation constitutes a preliminary conclusion to the book.20:30 "Therefore"ti...
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8:4 Whereas persecution resulted in the death of some believers it also dispersed the disciples over a wider area. Luke described what they did as scattered believers as "preaching the word"(Gr. euaggelizomenoi ton logon, lit...
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The surface manifestation of this serious problem was the party spirit that had developed. Members of the church were appreciating their favorite leaders too much and not appreciating the others enough. This was really a mani...
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A. A loyal group of women accompanied Jesus and served Him on His ministry tours (Luke 8:1-3; Matt. 27:55; Mark 15:41).B. In contrast to normal custom and rabbinic standards, Jesus spoke with a Samaritan woman and revealed to...
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This pericope furnishes the plot for the drama that unfolds in the rest of the chapter.12:1 John saw a "sign,"something that signified or represented something else (cf. v. 3; 13:13-14; 15:1; 16:14; 19:29). Usually John used ...
Expositions Of Holy Scripture (Maclaren)
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Jesus therefore, being wearied with His journey, sat thus on the well… He said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.'--John 4:6, 32.Two pictures result from these two verses, each striking in itself, and gai...
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"Jesus saith unto her, Give Me to drink… Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am He.'--John 4:7, 26.THIS Evangelist very significantly sets side by side our Lord's conversations with Nicodemus and with the woman ...
