King James Version
John 4
54 verses with commentary
Jesus and the Woman of Samaria
When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John,
View commentary (4 sources)
KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' knowledge that the Pharisees had heard about His growing ministry demonstrates His omniscience and awareness of developing opposition. The comparison between Jesus and John sets up the transition of ministries—the lesser must decrease as the greater increases. Christ's sovereign awareness extends to all circumstances, including political and religious threats.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **When therefore the Lord knew.**—The second clause of this verse is given in the exact words of the report which came to the Pharisees: *When therefore the Lord knew that the Pharisees heard, “Jesus maketh and baptizeth more disciples than John.”*
The report which reached John (John 3:26) had come to them also, and the inference from His retirement is that it had excited their hostility. The ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Joh 1:37-51. First Gathering of Disciples--John Andrew, Simon, Philip, Nathanael.
**38. What seek ye--**gentle, winning question, remarkable as the Redeemer's first public utterance. (See on Mt 12:18-20.)
**where dwellest thou--**that is, "That is a question we cannot answer in a moment; but had we Thy company for a calm hour in private, gladly should we open our burden."
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Christ's departure into Galilee.(1-3)
His discourse with the Samaritan woman.(4-26)
The effects of Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.(27-42)
Christ heals the nobleman's son.(43-54)
**Verses 1-3**
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1Co 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, ...
Read full commentary →(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
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KJV Study Commentary
John's clarification that Jesus Himself didn't baptize but His disciples did prevents misunderstanding about the necessity of apostolic baptism. This shows that the efficacy of sacraments depends on Christ's institution, not the administrator's status. The Reformed doctrine holds that valid baptism requires only a lawful administrator and proper elements, not apostolic hands.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **Though Jesus himself baptized not.**—This is a correction, not of the writer’s statement, but of the report carried to the Pharisees. The form of the report is quite natural. John did personally baptise, and when multitudes thronged him, it is probable that his disciples assisted. Greater numbers still (John 3:26) were thronging to the baptism administered ministerially by the disciples of J...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**39. Come and see--**His second utterance, more winning still.
**tenth hour--**not ten A.M. (as some), according to Roman, but four P.M., according to Jewish reckoning, which John follows. The hour is mentioned to show why they stayed out the day with him--because little of it remained.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Christ's departure into Galilee.(1-3)
His discourse with the Samaritan woman.(4-26)
The effects of Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.(27-42)
Christ heals the nobleman's son.(43-54)
**Verses 1-3**
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1Co 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, ...
Read full commentary →He left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' departure from Judea represents strategic wisdom, not fearful retreat. He sovereignly controls the timing of confrontation with authorities. This illustrates that while Christ was completely faithful to His mission, He also exercised prudence in avoiding premature conflict. The Reformed ethic affirms both courage and wisdom in spiritual warfare.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **Again.**—This word is almost certainly part of the original text, though it is not found in some MSS. Its omission is due to a difficulty of interpretation. What is the previous return into Galilee? The only one mentioned in this Gospel is that of John 1:43. We have had another note of time in John 3:24, from which we learn that this Judæan period of the ministry preceded the imprisonment of...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**40. One ... was Andrew--**The other was doubtless our Evangelist himself. His great sensitiveness is touchingly shown in his representation of this first contact with the Lord; the circumstances are present to him in the minutest details; he still remembers the Very hour. But "he reports no particulars of those discourses of the Lord by which he was bound to Him for the whole of His life; he all...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 4
Chapter Outline
Christ's departure into Galilee.(1-3)
His discourse with the Samaritan woman.(4-26)
The effects of Christ's conversation with the woman of Samaria.(27-42)
Christ heals the nobleman's son.(43-54)
**Verses 1-3**
Jesus applied himself more to preaching, which was the more excellent, 1Co 1:17, than to baptism. He would put honour upon his disciples, ...
Read full commentary →And he must needs go through Samaria.
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'he must needs go through Samaria' indicates divine necessity, not mere geography. Jews typically avoided Samaria, traveling longer routes to bypass this region of mixed-race people they despised. Christ's intentional journey reveals His mission transcends Jewish-Samaritan hostility. The divine 'must' foreshadows His appointment with the woman at the well—a Samaritan, a woman, a sinner—...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **He must needs go through Samaria**—i.e., following the shortest and most usual road, and the one we find Him taking from Galilee to Jerusalem (Luke 9:52; see Note there). Josephus spoke of this as the customary way of the Galileans going up during the feasts at Jerusalem (*Ant.* xx. 6, § 1). The Pharisees, indeed, took the longer road through Peræa, to avoid contact with the country and peop...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**41. have found the Messias--**The previous preparation of their simple hearts under the Baptist's ministry, made quick work of this blessed conviction, while others hesitated till doubt settled into obduracy. So it is still.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.
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KJV Study Commentary
The city of Sychar connects to Jacob's history in the land, linking Jesus' mission to Israel's patriarchal heritage. John emphasizes the historical and theological continuity between Old Testament promises and their New Testament fulfillment in Christ. The plot of ground Jacob gave Joseph symbolizes Israel's inheritance, which Christ has come to claim and transform.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) The “Samaria” of this chapter is the province into which the older kingdom had degenerated, and which took its name from the capital city. This was the Shomĕron built by Omri, on a hill purchased from Shemer (1Kings 16:23-24). The city was given by Augustus to Herod the Great, who rebuilt it, and called it after the Emperor, Sebaste, a name which survives in the modern village *Sebustiêh.*
**S...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**42. brought him to Jesus--**Happy brothers that thus do to each other!
**beheld him--**fixed his eyes on him, with significant gaze (as Joh 1:36).
**Cephas ... stone--**(See on Mt 16:18).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' weariness and sitting by the well affirms His genuine humanity—the incarnate Son experienced physical exhaustion. The sixth hour (noon) and His thirst emphasize His identification with human weakness. This moment of need sets the stage for offering living water, illustrating how Christ's humiliation enables our exaltation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **Jacob’s well** is one of the few spots about the position of which all travellers are agreed. Jesus, passing from south to west would pass up the valley of *Mochna* until the road turns sharp to the west, to enter the valley of Sichem between Ebal and Gerizim. Here is Jacob’s field, and in the field is Jacob’s well. It is dug in the rock, and is about 9 feet in diameter. The older travellers...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**43. would go ... into Galilee--**for from His baptism He had sojourned in Judea (showing that the calling at the Sea of Galilee [Mt 4:18] was a subsequent one, see on Lu 5:1).
**Follow me--**the first express call given, the former three having come to Him spontaneously.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' simple request 'Give me to drink' breaks multiple social barriers: He speaks to a woman, a Samaritan, and one of questionable character. His initiative in conversation demonstrates the grace that seeks sinners. This request, though addressing physical need, opens dialogue toward spiritual truth—a pattern for evangelism.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Of Samaria**—*i.e.,* of the country (John 4:1), not of the city, which was nine miles farther north. She was of the people inhabiting the valley between Ebal and Gerizim, not, like Himself, a chance passenger by the well. The contrast is at once drawn between Him, a Jew and a man, and her, of Samaria and a woman.
**Give me to drink** is the almost always asked and almost never refused favour...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**44. the city of Andrew and Peter--**of their birth probably, for they seem to have lived at Capernaum (Mr 1:29).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
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KJV Study Commentary
The disciples' absence to buy food creates opportunity for Jesus' private conversation with the woman. God's providence arranges circumstances for gospel encounters. Their later surprise (v. 27) at finding Jesus talking with her reveals how radical His ministry was, even to those closest to Him.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **For** introduces His reason for asking this favour of her. The disciples had gone on. He was alone, and without the means of getting water for Himself (John 4:11).
**Meat.**—Better, *food,* as the former word is misleading in modern English. See Genesis 1:29-30, and Deuteronomy 20:20, where herbs and fruits are termed “meat.” It will be remembered that the meat-offering did not consist of fl...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**45. Nathanael--**(See on Mt 10:3).
**Moses--**(See Joh 5:46).
**son of Joseph--**the current way of speaking. (See Lu 3:23).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's response reveals the depth of Jewish-Samaritan hostility, making Jesus' request remarkable. The parenthetical explanation ('For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans') emphasizes how grace crosses boundaries that sin and pride erect. Christ's gospel demolishes ethnic, social, and religious barriers.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **Woman of Samaria** (twice).—Better, *Samaritan woman.* In both cases the Greek has the adjective. It is the religious and national position as a Samaritan which is prominent in this verse.
**Being a Jew.**—This she would know from dress and language. It has been noted that the Hebrew for “Give me to drink,” “Teni lishekoth,” contains the letter Sin, or Shin, which was one of the distinctive ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**46. any good out of Nazareth--**remembering Bethlehem, perhaps, as Messiah's predicted birthplace, and Nazareth having no express prophetic place at all, besides being in no repute. The question sprang from mere dread of mistake in a matter so vital.
**Come and see--**Noble remedy against preconceived opinions [Bengel]. Philip, though he could not perhaps solve his difficulty, could show him h...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus shifts from physical water to 'living water,' a rabbinic term for running water but here meaning the Holy Spirit and eternal life. His statement 'If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is' points to two connected truths: salvation as gift (not earned) and Christ's identity as giver. Reformed theology emphasizes that regeneration by the Spirit is prerequisite to recognizing Christ's pers...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **If thou knewest the gift of God.**—Expositors differ very widely as to the meaning to be given to “the gift of God” and “living water.” See, *e.g.,* the summaries of views in the notes of Meyer and Godet, both of which are now translated into English. Yet there can be little doubt of the true meaning if we observe the turn given to her question by the emphatic pronouns, “*Thou* wouldest hav...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**47. an Israelite indeed ... no guile--**not only no hypocrite, but with a guileless simplicity not always found even in God's own people, ready to follow wherever truth might lead him, saying, Samuel-like, "Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth" (1Sa 3:10).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's literal interpretation ('thou hast nothing to draw with') mirrors Nicodemus' confusion about new birth (John 3:4), showing natural inability to grasp spiritual truth apart from illumination. Her question 'whence then hast thou that living water?' will find its answer in Christ's divine identity and mission.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **The woman saith unto him, Sir . . .**—Her tone changes to one of respect. Something in His voice and manner, it may be, has touched her. She does not understand His words, but she is conscious of their latent force. She feels the presence of One who teaches with authority, and the “Thou, being a Jew,” passes to the reverential “Sir.” Still, she does not see how He can give her living water....
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**48. Whence knowest thou me--**conscious that his very heart had been read, and at this critical moment more than ever before.
**Before Philip called thee--**showing He knew all that passed between Philip and him at a distance.
**when ... under the fig tree, &c.--**where retirement for meditation and prayer was not uncommon [Lightfoot]. Thither, probably--hearing that his master's Master ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's question whether Jesus is 'greater than our father Jacob' is ironic—she doesn't realize she's speaking to Jacob's Lord. Her appeal to ancestral authority and historical precedent reflects human tendency to value tradition over present divine revelation. Christ indeed surpasses all patriarchs as the eternal Son.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **Art thou greater** **. . .?—**Again, the pronoun is the emphatic word, “*Thou* surely art not greater.” “The well used to satisfy the wants of the patriarch, and his household, and his flocks, and has come down from him to us. It is surely sufficient for all our wants.” This claim of Jacob as their father was through Ephraim and Joseph, and the well was part of “the parcel of ground that Ja...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**49. Son of God ... King of Israel--**the one denoting His person, the other His office. How much loftier this than anything Philip had said to him! But just as the earth's vital powers, the longer they are frost-bound, take the greater spring when at length set free, so souls, like Nathanael and Thomas (see on Joh 20:28), the outgoings of whose faith are hindered for a time, take the start of th...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
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KJV Study Commentary
Christ contrasts physical water with spiritual: 'Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again.' Physical water temporarily satisfies but must be repeatedly consumed. This applies to all earthly pleasures, achievements, and relationships—they cannot permanently satisfy the soul's deepest longings. Only Christ provides lasting satisfaction. This diagnostic truth exposes humanity's futility: w...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13, 14) **Whosoever drinketh of this water.**—Jesus does not answer her question, but asserts the universal recurrence of thirst, after even the water of Jacob’s well, to lead her to the thought that His “living water” is something widely different.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**50-51. Because I said, &c.--**"So quickly convinced, and on this evidence only?"--an expression of admiration.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' promise to the Samaritan woman introduces the profound metaphor of 'living water' (ὕδωρ ζῶν/hydōr zōn), contrasting physical water from Jacob's well with spiritual water He provides. The phrase 'shall never thirst' (οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα) uses the strongest Greek negative construction, indicating absolute and eternal satisfaction. Unlike physical water that temporarily quenches thirst...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **The water that I shall give him.**—These words are emphatic as opposed to *this* water. It is not an external supply, which must be sought to meet the recurring physical want, but it is the inner never-failing source, the fountain of living water, which satisfies every want as it occurs. He who has it, therefore, can never thirst. Coming from the source of all life, it issues in eternal lif...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**50-51. Because I said, &c.--**"So quickly convinced, and on this evidence only?"--an expression of admiration.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's request 'Sir, give me this water' shows emerging interest but continued misunderstanding. Her motive remains earthly comfort ('that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw'), yet Jesus works through mixed motives to bring spiritual awakening. God meets us in our partial understanding and draws us toward truth.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **Come hither.**—The Sinaitic and Vatican and some other MSS. read, “come through hither,” or as Alford, who adopts the reading, renders it, “come all the way hither.” Godet also adopts the reading, but renders it, in the service of a forced explanation, “pass by here,” thinking that the woman was on her way home from work at meal-time, and that this accounts for her presence at the well at n...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' command 'Go, call thy husband' redirects conversation from physical to moral need, exposing her sin. This demonstrates that genuine gospel ministry addresses not just spiritual thirst but the sin that causes it. Conviction of sin precedes reception of grace in Reformed soteriology—we must know ourselves as sinners before embracing Christ as Savior.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **Go, call thy husband.**—She has asked for this living water. She knows not that the well must first be dug. In the depth of her spirit there is a power of life; but like the source of a spring, it is hidden. Many a hard rock of impenitence was there, and many a layer of every-day transgression, and many a habit once formable as clay, now hard as adamant, and many a deposit of carnal thought...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 2 Joh 2:1-12. First Miracle, Water Made Wine--Brief Visit to Capernaum.
**1. third day--**He would take two days to reach Galilee, and this was the third.
**mother there--**it being probably some relative's marriage. John never names her [Bengel].
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's response 'I have no husband' is technically true but deliberately evasive. Jesus' commendation 'Thou hast well said' acknowledges her literal truthfulness while preparing to reveal deeper knowledge. This shows how Christ's omniscience penetrates our half-truths and self-justifications.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(17) **I have no husband.**—The stroke has left its mark. It lays bare to her own consciousness the past and present life, but she does not know that it is laid bare to His. The reply is no longer prefaced by the half-sarcastic “Thou, being a Jew,” or the reverential “Sir.” The tone has passed from vivacity to earnestness, and from earnestness to sadness. That one word—what a history it has reveal...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' revelation of her five husbands and current cohabitation demonstrates divine omniscience and prophetic insight. This knowledge serves pastoral purpose—not to shame but to awaken consciousness of sin and need for forgiveness. The phrase 'in that saidst thou truly' shows Christ values honesty, even when it reveals failure.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **In that saidst thou truly.**—The stroke goes deeper. It lays bare the secrets of all those years over which she thought the veil of the past had for ever been drawn. The bright days of joy and dark days of sin; the heart’s promises made and broken; the sad days of death, which five times over had robbed her of a husband; or, worse than death, the sin which had severed the sacred bonds; the ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. no wine--**evidently expecting some display of His glory, and hinting that now was His time.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's recognition 'Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet' shows spiritual awakening—she moves from seeing Jesus as a Jewish man (v. 9) to recognizing Him as God's spokesperson. This progression illustrates how the Spirit uses conviction of sin to open eyes to Christ's identity.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) But who can it be who thus enters her mind and reads the pages of her memory as if it were a book? He must be as one of those of olden time of whom she has heard. The tone of reverence prevails again, “Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-5. Woman--**no term of disrespect in the language of that day (Joh 19:26).
**what ... to do with thee--**that is, "In my Father's business I have to do with Him only." It was a gentle rebuke for officious interference, entering a region from which all creatures were excluded (compare Ac 4:19, 20).
**mine hour, &c.--**hinting that He would do something, but at His own time; and so she u...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman raises the ancient dispute about worship location—Gerizim versus Jerusalem. This theological deflection is classic: when convicted of personal sin, we often shift to doctrinal debates. Yet Jesus will use her question to teach profound truth about worship in Spirit and truth, showing God's patience with our evasions.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Our fathers worshipped.**—She gives a sudden turn to the conversation. It is not that the question of worship is the all-engrossing problem of her mind, for which she seeks solution at this prophet’s hands. Such questions hardly came then within the circle of a Samaritan woman’s thoughts, and this woman’s life had not been such as to make her an exception to the rule; but the heart, quiveri...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-5. Woman--**no term of disrespect in the language of that day (Joh 19:26).
**what ... to do with thee--**that is, "In my Father's business I have to do with Him only." It was a gentle rebuke for officious interference, entering a region from which all creatures were excluded (compare Ac 4:19, 20).
**mine hour, &c.--**hinting that He would do something, but at His own time; and so she u...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh , when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' prophetic announcement that true worship will transcend location ('neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem') anticipates the New Covenant. The coming 'hour' refers to His death, resurrection, and the Spirit's outpouring, which enables worship in Spirit and truth regardless of geography. Reformed theology emphasizes that Christ's fulfillment of temple worship frees us from sacred spac...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(21) **Woman **(comp. Note on John 2:4),** believe me, the hour cometh.**—Better, *there cometh an hour.* The Authorised version of the latter clause gives the correct sense, if it is punctuated as follows: “When ye shall, neither in this mountain nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father;” “when ye shall worship, but without the limitation of holy places; when ye shall worship the Father of mankin...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6. firkins--**about seven and a half gallons in Jewish, or nine in Attic measure; each of these huge water jars, therefore, holding some twenty or more gallons, for washings at such feasts (Mr 7:4).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' declaration 'salvation is of the Jews' affirms God's redemptive plan through Israel and the Jewish Messiah. 'Ye worship ye know not what' indicates that Samaritan religion, lacking the prophets and full Scripture, was deficient in revelation. Reformed theology affirms that only worship based on God's self-revelation in Scripture is acceptable—sincerity without truth is insufficient.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **For salvation is of the Jews.**—This verse has sorely tried critics who seek to construct the Gospel out of their judgments of what it should be. It can be no difficulty to those who seek to form their judgments from the Gospel as it is. Assume that the Gospel belongs to the Greek thought of the close of the second century, and the verse must be omitted, though it is certainly part of the o...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. Fill ... draw ... bear--**directing all, but Himself touching nothing, to prevent all appearance of collusion.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares 'the hour cometh, and now is' when true worship occurs 'in spirit and in truth', transcending location (Jerusalem vs. Gerizim). 'In spirit' means from the heart, enabled by the Holy Spirit, not mere external ritual. 'In truth' requires accordance with God's revelation, especially Christ who is Truth personified (14:6). This prophecy anticipates Pentecost when worship would no longer...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **But the hour cometh.**—Better, as in John 4:21, *but there cometh an hour.* He adds to this thought, what He could not add to the previous one, “and now is.” Local worship was not yet giving way to spiritual; but a band of true worshippers was being gathered, and some were then following Him.
**The true worshippers.**—Her distinction of place was of the accident, but the essence was the nat...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**7-8. Fill ... draw ... bear--**directing all, but Himself touching nothing, to prevent all appearance of collusion.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.</strong> This profound declaration by Jesus to the Samaritan woman establishes the fundamental nature of God and the essential character of true worship. The Greek phrase <em>pneuma ho theos</em> (πνεῦμα ὁ θεός) affirms that God's essence is spirit—immaterial, invisible, and transcendent. This challenges bo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **God is a Spirit.**—Better, *God is spirit.* His will has been expressed in the seeking. But His very nature and essence is spirit, and it follows from this that all true worship must be spiritual. The appeal is here made to a doctrine of special prominence in the Samaritan theology. They had altered a number of passages in the Pentateuch, which seemed to them to speak of God in language pro...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. well drunk--**"drunk abundantly" (as So 5:1), speaking of the general practice.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's Messianic expectation ('Messias cometh') shows Samaritan hope for the Prophet like Moses who would 'tell us all things.' Her statement sets up Jesus' climactic self-revelation. Even deficient theology retained truth about God's promise to send a definitive revealer and redeemer.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **I know that Messias cometh.**—She is puzzled by these new doctrines. “Father!” “Spirit!” what did all this mean? Was God in any real sense like the father who in childhood’s happy days had protected, and forgiven, and loved? Was the divine nature in any real sense approached by human nature in its highest and best moments, when it seemed lifted above earth, and things of the earth? Was ther...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. well drunk--**"drunk abundantly" (as So 5:1), speaking of the general practice.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' declaration 'I that speak unto thee am he' (Greek: egō eimi, 'I am') represents His clearest messianic claim thus far in John's Gospel. That He reveals this to a Samaritan woman of questionable character demonstrates the gospel's universality and grace. God's election includes unlikely recipients, confounding human expectations of who deserves revelation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **I that speak unto thee.**—The announcement is being made. The solution of some of the problems which she connects with the Messianic advent is contained in the very words she has heard.
**Am he**—*i.e.,* the Messiah. (Comp. especially Notes on John 8:24; John 8:58.)
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11. manifested forth his glory--**Nothing in the least like this is said of the miracles of prophet or apostle, nor could without manifest blasphemy be said of any mere creature. Observe, (1) At a marriage Christ made His first public appearance in any company, and at a marriage He wrought His first miracle--the noblest sanction that could be given to that God-given institution. (2) As the mirac...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 4-26**
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore ...
Read full commentary →The Fields Are White for Harvest
And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?
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KJV Study Commentary
The disciples' astonishment at Jesus talking with a woman reflects cultural norms, yet their restraint from questioning Him shows developing trust in His wisdom. This tension between surprise and submission characterizes discipleship—we constantly encounter Christ doing the unexpected yet learn to trust His purposes.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(27) **With the woman.**—Better, probably, *with a woman.* They are surprised, not at His talking with a Samaritan, but at His talking in public with a woman, which was directly contrary to the Rabbinic precepts. The words of the Law were to be burnt rather than taught to a woman. A man should not speak in public to his own wife. They would like to ask Him, as He asked some of them (John 1:38), wh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**12. Capernaum--**on the Sea of Galilee. (See on Mt 9:1).
**his mother and his brethren--**(See on Lu 2:51, and Mt 13:54-56).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's abandonment of her water pot symbolizes leaving behind earthly concerns for spiritual treasure. Her immediate turn to evangelism ('and went her way into the city') demonstrates genuine conversion—those who have encountered Christ cannot help but share the news. The most unlikely converts often become the most zealous witnesses.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(28) **The woman then left her waterpot.**—The waterpot left behind was a pledge of her return; and it is to us a mark of the presence of him who has related the incidents.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
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KJV Study Commentary
The woman's testimony 'Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did' invites others to personal encounter rather than mere intellectual assent. Her question 'is not this the Christ?' shows appropriate tentativeness—she points to Christ and lets others investigate. Effective witnessing shares our experience and invites exploration.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(29) **Is not this the Christ?**—Better, *is this the* *Christ?* She felt that He was a prophet when His words revealed her past life (John 4:19). She has had the thought of Christ present to her mind when He teaches the nature of true worship (John 4:25). She has heard that He is the Messiah from His own lips (John 4:26); but she does not frame her question so as to expect the answer “Yes:” she s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Joh 2:13-25. Christ's First Passover--First Cleansing of the Temple.
**14-17. in the temple--**not the temple itself, as Joh 2:19-21, but the temple-court.
**sold oxen, &c.--**for the convenience of those who had to offer them in sacrifice.
**changers of money--**of Roman into Jewish money, in which the temple dues (see on Mt 17:24) had to be paid.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The people's immediate response 'Then they went out of the city, and came unto him' demonstrates the power of personal testimony, even from an unlikely source. The verb 'came' (Greek: erchonto, imperfect tense) suggests a continuous stream of people. God uses weak instruments to draw souls to Christ, manifesting His power in human weakness.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(30) **Came unto him.**—Literally, *were coming unto Him.* They were still on the way when the conversation in John 4:31-38 took place. The general expectation of the Messiah, and the receptive spirit of the Samaritans, is shown in her alacrity to go and tell the men of the place, and in their desire at once to see Him for themselves. Many, indeed, were convinced by her statement only (John 4:39-4...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Joh 2:13-25. Christ's First Passover--First Cleansing of the Temple.
**14-17. in the temple--**not the temple itself, as Joh 2:19-21, but the temple-court.
**sold oxen, &c.--**for the convenience of those who had to offer them in sacrifice.
**changers of money--**of Roman into Jewish money, in which the temple dues (see on Mt 17:24) had to be paid.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →In the mean while his disciples prayed him, saying, Master, eat.
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KJV Study Commentary
The disciples' invitation 'Master, eat' shows their concern for Jesus' physical needs, unaware that spiritual food (bringing this woman and village to faith) nourishes Him more deeply. This sets up Jesus' teaching about doing the Father's will as true sustenance.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(31) **Master.**—The Hebrew word Rabbi has been preserved in the earlier passages (John 1:38; John 1:49; John 3:2; John 3:26), and will meet us again in John 6:25. It is less ambiguous than the English word, and should be restored here and in John 9:2; John 11:28.
They had left Him weary by the side of the well (John 4:6), and had gone to the town. They now return with the food they had obtained, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Joh 2:13-25. Christ's First Passover--First Cleansing of the Temple.
**14-17. in the temple--**not the temple itself, as Joh 2:19-21, but the temple-court.
**sold oxen, &c.--**for the convenience of those who had to offer them in sacrifice.
**changers of money--**of Roman into Jewish money, in which the temple dues (see on Mt 17:24) had to be paid.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' statement 'I have meat to eat that ye know not of' introduces the theme of spiritual nourishment. The phrase 'ye know not of' indicates that the disciples, despite their time with Jesus, still had much to learn about kingdom priorities. Christ's sustenance came from fulfilling the Father's redemptive purposes.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(32) **I have meat to eat that ye know not of.**—The emphasis is on the pronouns, which are opposed to each other. “Meat” is better rendered *food* (see Note on John 4:8). The Greek word here is the same as in John 6:27; John 6:55.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
Joh 2:13-25. Christ's First Passover--First Cleansing of the Temple.
**14-17. in the temple--**not the temple itself, as Joh 2:19-21, but the temple-court.
**sold oxen, &c.--**for the convenience of those who had to offer them in sacrifice.
**changers of money--**of Roman into Jewish money, in which the temple dues (see on Mt 17:24) had to be paid.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Therefore said the disciples one to another , Hath any man brought him ought to eat?
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KJV Study Commentary
The disciples' literal question 'Hath any man brought him ought to eat?' parallels the Samaritan woman's misunderstanding about water. This repeated pattern in John's Gospel shows how spiritual truths transcend and often initially confuse natural understanding. The disciples must learn to think beyond physical categories.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(33) **Hath any man brought him ought to eat?**—The question expects the negative answer, “Surely no one hath brought Him anything to eat?” The only person with Him is this Samaritan woman. Surely she has not! They understand His words in the ordinary sense. He proceeds to explain their real meaning.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--**Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus explains that His 'meat' is doing the Father's will and finishing His work. This declaration reveals Christ's singular devotion to redemptive mission. The Reformed emphasis on God's sovereignty in salvation connects to Christ's complete submission to the Father's plan. His food is accomplishing our redemption.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(34) **My meat.**—Better, *My food,* as before (John 4:8).
**To do the will. . . . to finish.**—Better, *that I may do the will, . . . that I may finish.* These verbs point out the end which He ever kept in view. In some of the best MSS., and in the received text, the tenses are different. That. I may be constantly doing the will of Him that sent Me, and may then at last complete His work. (Comp. ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--**Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' agricultural metaphor redirects attention from physical harvest ('four months, and then cometh harvest') to spiritual harvest—the Samaritans approaching are 'white already to harvest.' The fields (Greek: chōrai) may literally be the region (Samaria) and the people streaming toward them. God's sovereignty ensures harvest readiness according to His timing.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(35) **Say not ye, There are yet four months.**—The emphasis in this verse should be laid upon “ye.” It follows immediately out of the contrast between the natural and spiritual food. Every outer fact is the sign of an inner truth. They here, as the woman in John 4:11, as the teacher of Israel (John 3:4), as the Jews (John 2:20), speak in the language of the outer facts only. He speaks of the spir...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--**Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus promises that the reaper 'receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal' so that sower and reaper may rejoice together. This depicts cooperative ministry across time—some plant, some water, some harvest, but all share the joy. The fruit is eternal life for believers, glory to God, and joy to workers.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(36) **And he that reapeth.**—The wages of the reaper is the joy—the greatest that the heart can know—of gathering others, as men gather corn into the garner, into eternal life. The sower is Christ Himself, whose words have been the seed in the woman’s heart, already bringing forth a harvest in those who are coming to Him. The reapers are the disciples. In this harvest day they would learn, from s...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--**Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →And herein is that saying true, One soweth , and another reapeth.
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KJV Study Commentary
The saying 'One soweth, and another reapeth' acknowledges different roles in gospel ministry. No worker accomplishes conversion alone—we stand in succession with those who preceded us and prepare for those who follow. This counters pride (we didn't do it all) and encourages faithfulness (our work matters even if we don't see harvest).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(37) **Herein is that saying true**—i.e., in the deeper sense of the word true (comp. Note on John 1:9)—has its realisation; is ideally true. The proverb itself was known both to the Greeks and to the Romans (sec examples in Schottgen and Lampe), but the reference is probably to the Old Testament Scriptures. Those who heard it would certainly think of such passages as Deuteronomy 6:11, or Isaiah 6...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-22. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things?--**Though the act and the words of Christ, taken together, were sign enough, they were unconvinced: yet they were awed, and though at His very next appearance at Jerusalem they "sought to kill Him" for speaking of "His Father" just as He did now (Joh 5:18), they, at this early stage, only ask a sign.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour: other men laboured, and ye are entered into their labours.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus declares 'I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labour' acknowledging that others (prophets, John the Baptist) prepared the harvest. The disciples enter into 'labours' (Greek: kopos, exhausting toil) of predecessors. Reformed theology emphasizes that we build on the foundation of apostles and prophets, with Christ as cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(38) **I sent you to reap . . .**—The pronouns are again emphatic. “I sent *you* to reap;” and the statement is of wide meaning. He is ever *the* Sower. All others are more or less fully reapers, though in the degree in which they really reap they will become likened unto Him, and will become sowers too. We all inherit from the past the greatest part of our mental and spiritual knowledge. The chil...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. in the feast day--**the foregoing things occurring probably before the feast began.
**many believed--**superficially, struck merely by "the miracles He did." Of these we have no record.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →And many of the Samaritans of that city believed on him for the saying of the woman, which testified, He told me all that ever I did.
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KJV Study Commentary
Many Samaritans believed 'for the saying of the woman,' demonstrating that God uses unlikely witnesses. Her testimony—'He told me all that ever I did'—focused on Christ's supernatural knowledge. The verse emphasizes that faith comes through testimony (cf. Romans 10:17), even from imperfect messengers.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(39) **Many of the Samaritans of that city believed.**—The willingness to receive the truth on the part of the Samaritans, is contrasted with the rejection of it on the part of the Jews. They refused the witness of a great prophet; these accept the witness of a woman. Their minds were prepared by the general expectation of the Messiah; and this woman witnesses that Jesus had revealed to her the wh...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. in the feast day--**the foregoing things occurring probably before the feast began.
**many believed--**superficially, struck merely by "the miracles He did." Of these we have no record.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Samaritans' request that Jesus 'abide with them' and His two-day stay demonstrates that belief leads to desire for Christ's presence. Their invitation contrasts with later Jewish rejection (7:1). Jesus' willingness to stay in Samaria, violating Jewish purity customs, shows the gospel transcending ethnic boundaries.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(40) **When the Samaritans were come.**—The next step in their faith is to go to Him and ask Him to remain with them, that they too may learn from Him; and He, a Jew, accepts the hospitality of Samaria, and abides with them for two days.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**23-25. in the feast day--**the foregoing things occurring probably before the feast began.
**many believed--**superficially, struck merely by "the miracles He did." Of these we have no record.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →And many more believed because of his own word;
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KJV Study Commentary
The phrase 'many more believed because of his own word' shows progression from secondhand testimony to personal encounter with Christ. Ultimate faith rests not on human testimony but on Christ's self-revelation. This pattern—testimony leads to investigation, investigation to personal faith—models healthy evangelism.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(41) **And many more believed.**—The veil is left upon those two days, as upon so many days in the life of Christ. We know how much was said at the well in a few minutes, and that many believed on Him in a few hours. What questions they must have asked! What truths He must have taught during this sojourn! How that central truth of the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man must have burned i...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Samaritans' confession that Jesus is 'the Saviour of the world' (not just of Jews) represents remarkable theological insight. This title appears only here and 1 John 4:14, emphasizing universal salvation scope. Their faith no longer depends on the woman's testimony but on personal knowledge. Reformed theology affirms that saving faith requires personal appropriation, not vicarious experience.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(42) **We have heard him ourselves.**—The “Him” is not part of the original text, and the sentence is more forcible without it: *We have ourselves heard.* Probably “the Christ” should also be regarded as no part of the original text, and the last clause should be, *and know that this is truly the Saviour of the world.* The result of their hearing is that they know. There is here, as frequently in ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 3 Joh 3:1-21. Night Interview of Nicodemus with Jesus.
**1-2. Nicodemus--**In this member of the Sanhedrim sincerity and timidity are seen struggling together.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 27-42**
The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Yet they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says and does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge. Christ knows all the thoughts, ...
Read full commentary →Jesus Heals an Official's Son
Now after two days he departed thence, and went into Galilee.
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KJV Study Commentary
After two days, Jesus departed for Galilee, continuing His intentional itinerary. The phrase 'after two days' may parallel Hosea 6:2's prophecy about resurrection. Jesus' movements demonstrate sovereignty—He stays when He wills, departs when He wills, all according to divine purpose.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(43) **Two days.**—Literally, *the two days.* It is the time mentioned in John 4:40, not a second period of two days.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
CHAPTER 3 Joh 3:1-21. Night Interview of Nicodemus with Jesus.
**1-2. Nicodemus--**In this member of the Sanhedrim sincerity and timidity are seen struggling together.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →For Jesus himself testified, that a prophet hath no honour in his own country.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' statement that 'a prophet hath no honour in his own country' explains why He left Judea for Galilee (or why His Galilean ministry would face challenges). This proverb reflects the reality that familiarity breeds contempt—those who knew Jesus' humble origins struggled to accept His divine mission. Truth often faces greatest resistance from those who should know better.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(44) **A prophet hath no honour.**—The statement that a prophet hath no honour in his own country is at first thought a strange explanation of the fact that He went into Galilee, and that the Galileans received Him; and the common geographical solutions, as that “His own country” means Judæa, or Nazareth, as distinct from Galilee, or the district of the so-called lower Galilee, are brought to, not...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**3. Except, &c.--**This blunt and curt reply was plainly meant to shake the whole edifice of the man's religion, in order to lay a deeper and more enduring foundation. Nicodemus probably thought he had gone a long way, and expected, perhaps, to be complimented on his candor. Instead of this, he is virtually told that he has raised a question which he is not in a capacity to solve, and that be...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →Then when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went unto the feast.
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KJV Study Commentary
The Galileans received Jesus, having seen His works at the Jerusalem feast (likely the Passover of John 2:13-23). Their welcome, based on witnessed miracles, represents an initial but insufficient faith—John's Gospel consistently calls for faith in Christ's person, not merely His works. Yet God works through such preliminary faith toward genuine conversion.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(45) **All the things that he did.**—See the reference in John 2:23 to the unrecorded work at Jerusalem.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4. How, &c.--**The figure of the new birth, if it had been meant only of Gentile proselytes to the Jewish religion, would have been intelligible enough to Nicodemus, being quite in keeping with the language of that day; but that Jews themselves should need a new birth was to him incomprehensible.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum. nobleman: or, courtier, or, ruler
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KJV Study Commentary
Returning to Cana where He performed the first sign, Jesus now performs the second without being physically present—demonstrating His divine omnipresence and power over distance. The nobleman's journey (20 miles from Capernaum) shows desperate faith. This sign escalates from transforming water to controlling life and death, revealing Christ's authority over all creation.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(46) **So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee.**—He returns to the place where He had manifested His glory and knit to Himself in closer union the first band of disciples. This thought is present to the writer as the reason why He went there. It was the place “where He made the water wine.”
**And there was a certain nobleman.**—The margin shows the difference of opinion among-our translators as ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**5. of water and of the Spirit--**A twofold explanation of the "new birth," so startling to Nicodemus. To a Jewish ecclesiastic, so familiar with the symbolical application of water, in every variety of way and form of expression, this language was fitted to show that the thing intended was no other than a thorough spiritual purification by the operation of the Holy Ghost. Indeed, element of wate...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went unto him, and besought him that he would come down, and heal his son: for he was at the point of death.
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KJV Study Commentary
The nobleman's desperate plea for Jesus to 'come down' and heal his dying son demonstrates both faith (he believes Jesus can heal) and weakness (he thinks Jesus must be physically present). His urgency ('for he was at the point of death') reflects natural parental love and creates opportunity for Jesus to strengthen his faith.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(47) The distance of Capernaum from Cana was from twenty to twenty-five miles. The report of Christ’s return to Galilee had spread, then, over this wide area.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. That which is born, &c.--**A great universal proposition; "That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it" [Olshausen].
**flesh--**Not the mere material body, but all that comes into the world by birth, the entire man; yet not humanity simply, but in its corrupted, depraved condition, in complete subjection to the law of the fall (Ro 8:1-9). So that tho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →Then said Jesus unto him, Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' rebuke 'Except ye see signs and wonders, ye will not believe' addresses not just the nobleman but the Galileans generally. This critiques sign-dependent faith while also testing the nobleman's trust. True faith believes Christ's word apart from visible evidence. The Reformed tradition emphasizes that faith is 'the evidence of things not seen' (Hebrews 11:1).
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(48) **Signs and wonders.**—See Note on John 2:11. The words are here addressed to Jews, for there is no reason to think that the nobleman himself was not one. They are spoken to him, but the *ye* extends them to others standing near and to the class of persons whom he represents. It had been so with the Jews in Jerusalem (John 2:18; John 2:23), and it was so with the Jews in Galilee. (Comp. 1Cori...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. That which is born, &c.--**A great universal proposition; "That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it" [Olshausen].
**flesh--**Not the mere material body, but all that comes into the world by birth, the entire man; yet not humanity simply, but in its corrupted, depraved condition, in complete subjection to the law of the fall (Ro 8:1-9). So that tho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.
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KJV Study Commentary
The nobleman's persistence ('Sir, come down ere my child die') shows both admirable faith and lingering limitation—he still thinks Jesus' physical presence is necessary. His address 'Sir' (Greek: kurie, can mean 'Lord' or 'sir') and repeated request demonstrate humble urgency. God honors persistent prayer even when our theology is incomplete.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(49) **Ere my child die.**—But human sorrow is the birth-pang of faith. The sense of utter powerlessness leads the soul to cast itself on the Strong One for strength. The faith is still weak, but it is there. It does not realise that Christ can speak the word and heal the child, but it does feel that His presence could save him, and pleads as a father for his son. “Come down, ere my child die.”
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**6-8. That which is born, &c.--**A great universal proposition; "That which is begotten carries within itself the nature of that which begat it" [Olshausen].
**flesh--**Not the mere material body, but all that comes into the world by birth, the entire man; yet not humanity simply, but in its corrupted, depraved condition, in complete subjection to the law of the fall (Ro 8:1-9). So that tho...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus' simple command 'Go thy way; thy son liveth' tests the nobleman's faith—will he believe Christ's word without visible proof? The statement 'the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken' marks transition to mature faith. He departed trusting Christ's declaration, demonstrating that saving faith rests on divine testimony, not empirical evidence.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(50) **Go thy way.**—His faith is to be strengthened, and is to pass beyond a trust in aid through bodily presence. Jesus will not go down, but he is himself to go with the assurance, “Thy son liveth.” Up to this point he had believed on the testimony of others, but he, too, now believes on account of the word of Christ Himself.
**Had spoken unto him.**—Better, *spake unto him.* The word he believ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. How, &c.--**Though the subject still confounds Nicodemus, the necessity and possibility of the new birth is no longer the point with him, but the nature of it and how it is brought about [Luthardt]. "From this moment Nicodemus says nothing more, but has sunk unto a disciple who has found his true teacher. Therefore the Saviour now graciously advances in His communications of truth, and...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.
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KJV Study Commentary
The servants' announcement 'Thy son liveth' confirms Jesus' word precisely. Their coming to meet him shows the household's concern and joy. This confirmation, while not necessary for faith, strengthens it—God often graciously provides evidence after we trust His promises. The servants' report will establish the exact moment of healing.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(51) **And as he was now going.**—Many a long mile lay between him and his child, and many an anxious thought must have come to his mind as he journeyed homeward. Now faith would be strong, and now almost give way; but he travels on with the words, “Thy son liveth,” which had come to him as a voice from heaven, sustaining and cheering him. Again he hears the same words, “Thy son liveth!” but they ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**9-10. How, &c.--**Though the subject still confounds Nicodemus, the necessity and possibility of the new birth is no longer the point with him, but the nature of it and how it is brought about [Luthardt]. "From this moment Nicodemus says nothing more, but has sunk unto a disciple who has found his true teacher. Therefore the Saviour now graciously advances in His communications of truth, and...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →Then enquired he of them the hour when he began to amend. And they said unto him, Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him.
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KJV Study Commentary
The nobleman's inquiry about the timing demonstrates desire to connect the healing with Jesus' word. The servants' specific answer ('Yesterday at the seventh hour the fever left him') provides empirical correlation. This precision serves faith—John includes such details to build confidence that Jesus' word effects immediate results even at distance.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(52) **Then enquired he of them.**—But these two facts—the assurance at Cana, and the actual healing powers at Capernaum—were they in truth related to each other? He remembers the hour at which one was spoken; he inquires the hour at which the other was realised. He does not even now grasp the full meaning of the words, and thinks of the gradual abatement of the fever, and the slow convalescence, ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-13. We speak that we know, and ... have seen--**that is, by absolute knowledge and immediate vision of God, which "the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father" claims as exclusively His own (Joh 1:18). The "we" and "our" are here used, though Himself only is intended, in emphatic contrast, probably, with the opening words of Nicodemus, "Rabbi, we know.", &c.
**ye receive not, &...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the which Jesus said unto him, Thy son liveth: and himself believed, and his whole house.
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KJV Study Commentary
The father's realization that healing occurred 'at the same hour' when Jesus spoke establishes the miracle's certainty. The result—'himself believed, and his whole house'—shows household conversion following the father's faith. This pattern (household salvation following the head's conversion) appears throughout Acts, reflecting ancient familial structures and covenant theology.
Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(53) **So the father knew.**—He was not mistaken, then. The power he had felt when these words were spoken to him was real. The hours that had passed since, as he hastened to know all, had prepared him to read the sign. “Thy son liveth!” “The seventh hour yesterday!” There is more than one miracle here. A new life passes into his own spirit, and he, too, bound in the death-grasp of a formal religi...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-13. We speak that we know, and ... have seen--**that is, by absolute knowledge and immediate vision of God, which "the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father" claims as exclusively His own (Joh 1:18). The "we" and "our" are here used, though Himself only is intended, in emphatic contrast, probably, with the opening words of Nicodemus, "Rabbi, we know.", &c.
**ye receive not, &...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →This is again the second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.
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KJV Study Commentary
John's careful enumeration ('second miracle') creates a deliberate parallel between the wedding's joy and this family's restoration. Both signs occurred in Galilee, Christ's home region that would largely reject Him (6:66). The pattern of escalating signs—from wine to healing to life—foreshadows the ultimate sign: Christ's own resurrection. This methodical structure serves John's stated purpose: t...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(54) **This is again the second.**—The English version has inserted the article, which is not found in the Greek, and has added in italics *is* and *that.* Omitting these additions, and remembering that in St. John’s language every miracle has its deeper teaching, the verse will read, “This again, a second sign, did Jesus when he was come out of Judæa into Galilee.” His first presence in Galilee w...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**11-13. We speak that we know, and ... have seen--**that is, by absolute knowledge and immediate vision of God, which "the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father" claims as exclusively His own (Joh 1:18). The "we" and "our" are here used, though Himself only is intended, in emphatic contrast, probably, with the opening words of Nicodemus, "Rabbi, we know.", &c.
**ye receive not, &...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 43-54**
The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, ...
Read full commentary →