John 4:11

11 The woman said to him, Sir, you have no vessel and the fountain is deep; from where will you get the living water?

John 4:11 Meaning and Commentary

John 4:11

The woman saith unto him, Sir
Which was an usual, way in those countries, of addressing men, and especially strangers; and expresses no uncommon respect to Christ, of whose dignity and greatness she was, entirely ignorant; and at whom she was now scoffing; for so the following words are to be understood:

thou hast nothing to draw with;
no pail, or bucket, or rope, to let it down with, as Nonnus adds; for it seems, there was no bucket, or vessel, fastened at the well for the common use, but everyone brought one with them, when they came to draw: though it is strange there was not one; since, according to common usage, and even of the Jews ^F21,

``a public well had, (lwq) , "a bucket", or pitcher; but a private well had no bucket:''

and the well is deep;
that which is now called Jacob's well, is by some said to be forty cubits deep, and by others thirty five yards:

from whence then hast thou that living water?
this she said in a sneering, scoffing manner: she reasoned with him, either that he must have it out of this well; but that could not be, since he had no vessel to draw with, and the well was so deep, that he could not come at the water without one; or he must have it from some neighbouring spring; upon which she scoffs at him in the following manner.

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FOOTNOTES:

F21 T. Hieros. Erubin, fol. 20. 2.

John 4:11 In-Context

9 The woman of Samaria said to him, Why do you, a Jew, make a request for water to me, a woman of Samaria? She said this because Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria.

10 In answer Jesus said, If you had knowledge of what God gives freely and who it is who says to you, Give me water, you would make your prayer to him, and he would give you living water.

11 The woman said to him, Sir, you have no vessel and the fountain is deep; from where will you get the living water?

12 Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the fountain and took the water of it himself, with his children and his cattle?

13 Jesus said to her, Everyone who takes this water will be in need of it again: