Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 4:5
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.
5. Then cometh he ] Better, He cometh therefore; because that was His route.
a city of Samaria ] City is used loosely, and must not be supposed to imply anything large. Capernaum, which Josephus calls a village, the Evangelists call a city. ‘Town’ would be better as a translation. Samaria is the insignificant province of Samaria into which the old kingdom of Jeroboam had dwindled. Omit ‘which is’ before ‘called.’
called Sychar ] ‘Called’ may be another indication that this Gospel was written outside Palestine or it may mean that Sychar was a nickname (‘liar’ or ‘drunkard’). In the one case Sychar is a different place from Sychem or Shechem, though close to it, viz. the modern Askar: in the other it is another name for Sychem, the Neapolis of S. John’s day, and the modern Napls. The former view is preferable, though certainty is impossible. Would S. John have written ‘Neapolis’ if Sychem were meant? He writes Tiberias (Joh 6:1; Joh 6:23, Joh 21:1): but Tiberias was probably a new town as well as a new name, whereas Neapolis was a new name for an old town; so the analogy is not perfect. Eusebius and Jerome distinguish Sychar from Sychem. Napls has many wells close at hand.
that Jacob gave to his son Joseph ] Gen 33:19; Gen 48:22; Jos 24:32. Abraham bought the ground, Jacob gave it to Joseph, and Joseph was buried there.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
5 42. Doubt has been thrown on this narrative in three different ways. (1) On a priori grounds. How could the Samaritans, who rejected the prophetical books, and were such bitter enemies of the Jews, be expecting a Messiah? The narrative is based on a fundamental mistake. But it is notorious that the Samaritans did look for a Messiah, and are looking for one to the present day. Though they rejected the Prophets, they accepted the Pentateuch, with all its Messianic prophecies. (2) On account of Act 8:5. How could Philip go and convert the Samaritans, if Christ had already done so? But is it to be supposed that in two days Christ perfected Christianity in Samaria (even allowing, what is not certain, that Christ and Philip went to the same town), so as to leave nothing for a preacher to do afterwards? Many acknowledged Jesus as the Messiah who afterwards, on finding Him to be very different from the Messiah they expected, fell away. This would be likely enough at Samaria. The seed had fallen on rocky ground. (3) On the supposition that the narrative is an allegory, of which the whole point lies in the words ‘thou hast had five husbands, and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband.’ The five husbands are the five religions from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and Sepharvaim, brought to Samaria by the colonists from Assyria (2Ki 17:24.); and the sixth is the adulterated worship of Jehovah. If our interpreting Scripture depends upon our guessing such riddles as this, we may well despair of the task. But the allegory is a pure fiction. 1. When S. John gives us an allegory, he leaves no doubt that it is an allegory. There is not the faintest hint here. 2. It would be extraordinary that in a narrative of 38 verses the whole allegory should be contained in less than one verse, the rest being mere setting. This is like a frame a yard wide round a miniature. 3. There is a singular impropriety in making the five heathen religions ‘husbands,’ while the worship of Jehovah is represented by a paramour.
The narrative is true to what we know of Jews and Samaritans at this time. The topography is well preserved. ‘The gradual development of the woman’s belief is psychologically true.’ These and other points to be noticed as they occur may convince us that this narrative cannot be a fiction. Far the easiest supposition is that it is a faithful record of actual facts.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Sychar – This city stood about eight miles southeast of the city called Samaria, between Mount Ebal and Mount Gerizim. It was one of the oldest cities of Palestine, and was formerly known by the name of Shechem, or Sichem, Gen 33:18; Gen 12:6. The city was in the tribe of Ephraim, Jos 21:21. It was at this place that Joshua assembled the people before his death, and here they renewed their covenant with the Lord, Josh. 24. After the death of Gideon it became a place of idolatrous worship, the people worshipping Baal-berith, Jdg 9:46. It was destroyed by Abimelech, who beat down the city and sowed it with salt, Jdg 9:45. It was afterward rebuilt, and became the residence of Jeroboam, the King of Israel, 1Ki 12:25. It was called by the Romans Flavia Neapolis, and this has been corrupted by the Arabs into Nablus, its present name. It is still a considerable place, and its site is remarkably pleasant and productive.
The parcel of ground – The piece of ground; or the land, etc.
That Jacob gave … – Jacob bought one piece of ground near to Shalem, a city of Shechem, of the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for an hundred pieces of silver, Gen 33:19. In this place the bones of Joseph were buried when they were brought up from Egypt, Jos 24:32. He also gave to Joseph an additional piece of ground which he took from the hand of the Amorite by his own valor, with his sword and his bow, as a portion above that which was given to his brethren, Gen 48:22. Possibly these pieces of ground lay near together, and were a part of the homestead of Jacob. The well was near to this. There is now, E. Smith mentioned to me in conversation, a place near this well called Shalem.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. A city – called Sychar] This city was anciently called Shechem. It seems to have been situated at the foot of Mount Gerizim, in the province of Samaria, on which the temple of the Samaritans was built. After the ruin of Samaria by Salmanezer, Sychar, or Shechem, became the capital of the Samaritans; and it continued so, according to Josephus, Ant. l. xi. c. 8, in the time of Alexander the Great. It was about ten miles from Shiloh, forty from Jerusalem, and fifty-two from Jericho. It probably got the name of Sychar, which signifies drunken, from the drunkenness of its inhabitants. With this crime the Prophet Isaiah (Isa 28:1, Isa 28:3, Isa 28:7-8) solemnly charges the Ephraimites, within whose limits the city stood. This place is remarkable in the Scriptures:
1. As being that where Abram first stopped on his coming from Haran to Canaan.
2. Where God first appeared to that patriarch, and promised to give the land to his seed.
3. The place where Abram first built an altar to the Lord, and called upon his name, Ge 12:7.
The present name of this city is Neapolis, or Naplouse. See Calmet.
That Jacob gave to his son Joseph.] Jacob had bought this field from the children of Hamor, the father of Shechem, for a hundred pieces of silver, or lambs, Ge 33:19; and in it he built an altar, which he dedicated to El Elohey Yishrael, the strong God, the covenant God of Israel, Ge 33:20. This, Jacob left as a private or overplus inheritance to Joseph and his children. See Gen 48:21-22, and Jos 24:32.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The most valuable interpreters agree, that this Sychar is the city called Shechem; it was originally a parcel of a field bought by Jacob of Hamor, the father of Shechem, Gen 33:19. Jeroboam built the city there, called Shechem, 1Ki 12:25. It was in the lot of Mount Ephraim. Josephs bones were there buried, Jos 24:32. Jacob gave it to his son Joseph, as a parcel above his brethren, Gen 48:22; a parcel of ground near unto which was this city called Sychar, anciently Shechem.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. cometh . . . tothat is, asfar as: for He remained at some distance from it.
Sycharthe “Shechem”of the Old Testament, about thirty-four miles from Jerusalem,afterwards called “Neapolis,” and now “Nablous.”
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar,…. Now called Neapolis d; the same with “Sichem”, or “Shechem”, as appears from its situation,
near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph; see
Ge 33:18; and is either the same, only its termination is changed from “em” into “ar”, as Achan into Achar, 1Ch 2:7. Or it is a new name that was given it, and by which it went in the time of Christ; and might be so called, either from
, “Socher”, which signifies a grave; because here, Joseph and the rest of the patriarchs were buried, Jos 24:32. Or rather, it was a name of reproach, and so called, from , “drunken”; since the Ephraimites, the posterity of Joseph, which dwelt in these parts, were infamous for the sin of drunkenness; see
Isa 28:1. Hence “Sychar Sichem”, is “drunken Sichem”; mention is made in the Talmud e, of a place called , “Sichra”. The “parcel of ground”, or of a “field”, as in Ge 33:19, is in the Persic version, called “a vineyard”; and so Nonnus renders it, “a field planted with vines”; and which may serve to confirm the above conjecture, concerning “Sychar” being a nickname.
d Hieron. Epitaph. Paulae, Tom. I. fol. 59. & R. Benjamin Itin. p. 38. e T. Bab. Bava Metzia, foi. 42. 1. & 83. 1. & Cholin, fol. 94.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
So he cometh ( ). Vivid present middle indicative and transitional .
Sychar (). There is a dispute whether this is just a variation of Shechem as meaning “drunken-town” (Isa 28:1) or “lying-town” (Hab 2:18) or is a separate village near Shechem (Neapolis, Nablous) as the Talmud and Eusebius indicate. Apparently the present village Askar corresponds well with the site. The use of (city) does not mean that it was a large town. Mark and John use it freely for small places.
Parcel of ground (). Old use of this diminutive of or , a piece of ground.
That Jacob gave to his son Joseph ( ). See Gen 33:19; Gen 48:22. Relative is not attracted to case of . First aorist active indicative .
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
Then [] . Not a particle of time, but of logical connection. Therefore, going by this route, He must needs, etc.
City. Not implying a place of great size or importance. Compare Joh 11:54; Mt 2:23.
Sychar. Commonly identified with Schechem, the modern Nablous, and regarded as a corruption of Sichem. Some modern authorities, however, argue that a place so famous as Schechem would not be referred to under another name, and identify the site with Askar, about two miles east of Nablous. The name Sychar means drunken – town or lying – town.
Parcel of ground [] . A diminutive from cwra a region.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “Then cometh he to a city of Samaria,” (erchetai oun eis polin tes Samareias) “Therefore he comes, of his own choice and volition, into a city of Samaria,” some eight miles south of the ancient city of Samaria, and lying between two mountains of cursings and blessings, called Mt. Gerizim and Mt. Ebal; The first Gerizim, is the Mt. of blessings, and the second, Mt. Ebal, is the Mt. of cursings, Gen 27:12-13.
2) “Which is called Sychar,” (legomenen Suchar) “Being called Sychar,” a city named Sychar, meaning falsehood, now called Nabulus, near ancient Shechem, where Jacob’s twelve sons treacherously betrayed a pledge and covenant with certain men of Shechem, Gen 34:1-31.
3) “Near to the parcel of ground,” (plesian tou choriou) “Located near the piece of land,” a small estate, Gen 33:19; This had been bought from Hamor, Shechem’s father, by Jacob, as a place to build an altar and place of temporary family residence, to pitch the family tent, while resting a while in journey, Gen 33:18-20. It was near the city of Shechem in Jacob’s day.
4) “That Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” (ho edoken lakob (to) loseph to huio autou) “Which Jacob gave (parceled out) to Joseph, his son,” as recounted, Gen 48:21-22, the place where the bones of Joseph were later buried when brought up from Egypt, as a pledge fulfillment, his brethren had taken from him before his death, Gen 50:24-26; Jos 24:32.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. Which is called Sichar Jerome, in his epitaph on Paula, thinks that this is an incorrect reading, and that it ought to have been written Sichem; and, indeed, the latter appears to have been the ancient and true name; but it is probable that, in the time of the Evangelist, the word Sichar was already in common use. As to the place, it is generally agreed that it was a city situated close to Mount Gerizzim, the inhabitants of which were treacherously slain by Simeon and Levi, (Gen 34:25,) and which Abimelech, a native of the place, afterwards razed to its thundations, (Jud 9:45.) But the convenience of its situation was such that, a third time, a city was built there, which, in the age of Jerome, they called Neapolis By adding so many circumstances, the Apostle removes all doubt; for we are clearly informed by Moses where that field was which Jacob assigned to the children of Joseph, (Gen 48:22.) It is universally acknowledged, also, that Mount Gerizzim was near to Shechem. We shall afterwards state that a temple was built there; and there can be no doubt that Jacob dwelt a long time in that place with his family.
And Jesus, fatigued by the journey. He did not pretend weariness, but was actually fatigued; for, in order that he might be better prepared for the exercise of sympathy and compassion towards us, he took upon him our weaknesses, as the Apostle shows that
we have not a high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, (Heb 4:15.)
With this agrees the circumstance of the time; for it is not wonderful that, being thirsty and fatigued, he rested at the well about noon; for as the day, from sunrise to sunset, had twelve hours, the sixth hour was Noon When the Evangelist says that he sat thus, he means that it was the attitude of a man who was fatigued
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(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 Shomron built by Omri, on a hill purchased from Shemer (1Ki. 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 Sebustih.
Sychar involves questions of greater uncertainty. The reading may be regarded as beyond doubt, the attempts to substitute Sychem, or Sichem being obviously made to avoid the topographical difficulty. The older geographers, followed by many modern commentators, suppose the word to be an intentional variation of the word Sychem, by which the Jews expressed their contempt for the city of the Samaritans, the sound being very nearly that of the Hebrew words for lie and drunken. Others suppose the change of termination is a natural dialectic variation. (Comp. Ben, the Hebrew for son, as in Benjamin, Gen. 35:18, which in the later language became Bar, as in Simon Bar-Jona, Mat. 16:17.) These explanations assume that Sychar is the same place as Shechem; but it is very improbable that St. John would have spoken of a city so well known as Shechem with the prefix which is called, or would have thought it necessary to define it as near to the parcel of ground. . . . The only other places with the same prefix are Ephraim (Joh. 11:54), the Pavement (Joh. 19:13), and Golgotha (Joh. 19:17), but in the latter instances, as in the mention of Thomas called Didymus (Joh. 11:16; Joh. 20:24), the words do not imply a soubriquet (comp. Farrar, Life of Christ, i. 206, note, and Grove in Smiths Dictionary of Bible, Sychar), but are a citation of the names in Hebrew and Greek, for the benefit of Greek readers. To assert that Sychar is meant to convey a double meaning is to imply that this would be understood by readers for whom it is necessary to translate Gabbatha and Golgotha, Thomas and Cephas (Joh. 1:42), for whom Messias has been rendered in Greek in Joh. 1:41, and is to be again in this very discourse (Joh. 4:25). Shechem, moreover, was then known by the Greek name Neapolis, which has become the present Napls (see Ewald in loc., and comp. Jos. Wars, iv.), and this name would have been as natural in this Gospel as, e.g., Tiberias, which is found in it only (Joh. 6:1; Joh. 6:23; Joh. 21:1). Nor can it be said that Shechem was near to Jacobs well, for admitting that the old city extended considerably farther eastward than at present, it must still have been more than a mile distant.
As early as the fourth century, Sychar was distinguished from Shechem by Eusebius, Jerome, and the Bordeaux Pilgrim, and the name also occurs in the Talmud. (See quotations in Wieselers Synopsis, p. 231 of the Eng. Trans.) It is still found in the modern village Askar, about half a mile north from Jacobs well. A plan and description of the neighbourhood, by Dr. Rosen, Prussian Consul at Jerusalem, appeared in the Journal of the German Oriental Society (xiv. 634), and the results of this are now accessible to the English reader in the translation of Casparis Introduction (p. 124). (Comp. Dr. Thomsons The Land and the Book, John 31) The identification is accepted by Ewald, Godet, and Luthardt, among modern writers. Mr. Grove (Art. Sychar, as above), inclines to it, but, as he says, there is an etymological difficulty . . . Askar begins with the letter Ain, which Sychar does not appear to have contained; a letter too stubborn and enduring to be easily either dropped or assumed in a name. One is tempted to think it possible that this Ain is the first letter of the word for Spring or Fountain, the plural of which occurs in non, in Joh. 3:23, and that A-Sychar (well of Sychar) = Askar.
The parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.The reference is to the blessing of Joseph in Gen. 48:22, which is translated by Kalisch, And I give to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I take out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow. The patriarch is confident that he will, in his posterity, drive out the Amorite and possess the land promised him by God (Joh. 4:4; Joh. 4:21). In that land there is a portion where Abraham had raised his first altar, and received the first promise that his seed should possess that land (Gen. 12:6-7). That portion had been his own first halting-place on his return from Padan-aram; and he, too, had erected an altar there, in a parcel of a field where his tent rested, which he bought for a hundred pieces of money, and made it sacred to El, the God of Israel (Gen. 33:18-20). It comes to his mind now, when in the last days of his life he looks on to the future and back to the past, and he gives it to his own and Rachels son. The Hebrew word here used for portion is Shechem (Shekhem), and this, as the proper names in the following chapter, has, and is meant to have, a double meaning. The Greek of the LXX. could not preserve this play upon the words, and rendered it by the proper name Sikima, understanding that the portion referred to was that at Shechem. This the children of Israel understood too, for they gave this region to Ephraim (Joshua 16), and the parcel of ground became the resting-place for the bones of Joseph (Jos. 24:32-33).
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. Sychar Some think that the Jews, after their custom, (see note on Mat 10:25,) changed the name Shechem into Sychar, derived from sheker, a lie, in contemptuous allusion to the falsity of Samaritanism. Others derive it from s hikkor, drunken. At the time of John’s using the word it may have lost the vulgarity of its original meaning. A third more respectable derivation makes it signify a town of the sepulchre, referring to Joseph’s tomb. When, in the time of Adrian, Shechem was rebuilt, it received the name Neapolis or New-city; whence the modern corruption Nablous.
Shechem stands in a vale between the mountain ranges of Ebal on the north, and Gerizim on the south. On Gerizim was the Samaritan temple. It was on these two mountains that the tribes, after their entrance into Canaan, (six tribes on one mountain and six on the other,) pronounced, responsively, the twelve solemn blessings and curses of Deu 27:11-26. That the two parties could hear and respond to each other from the opposite mountains, has, indeed, been hastily pronounced impossible. Yet such is the acoustic quality of the place that it could easily be done. Mr. Tristam, in his Palestine, (p. 150,) says: “In the early morning we could not only see from Gerizim a man driving his ass down a path on Mount Ebal, but could hear every word he uttered as he urged it on.” To fully test the matter his “party stationed themselves on opposite sides of the valley, and with perfect ease recited the commandments responsively.” Shechem is striking for both its position and history. It is the centre of Palestine; it is the pass through which the central thoroughfare, like an artery, runs between north and south. It was the spot where Abraham fixed when he first came from Chaldea. It was the first capital of the tribes, when Jerusalem was but Salem, a Jebusite stronghold. It is now, compared with other towns of Palestine, a flourishing and beautiful place. It is singular for its manufacture of cotton; and in fact its growth in this respect was for a time stimulated by our late American civil war.
Ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph This is traditional. Jacob bought the ground of Shechem, (Gen 33:18-20😉 and the bones of Joseph were brought by the tribes and buried there, (Jos 24:32😉 and the whole region was included in the tribal inheritance of Ephraim son of Joseph. The structure shown, within sight of the well, as Joseph’s tomb, if not really that patriarch’s, is of unknown antiquity.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘So he comes to a city of Samaria called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph, and Jacob’s well was there.’
Sychar is commonly identified with Askar, a village about one mile (one and a half kilometres) North East of Jacob’s Well, on the Eastern lower slopes of Mount Ebal. For the giving of the land to Joseph see Gen 48:22. Jacob’s Well is still there on a site almost universally recognised as authentic. It is 100 feet (30 metres) deep.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
5 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.
Ver. 5. Jacob gave to his son Joseph ] Having first won it with “his sword and his bow,” Gen 48:22 ; that is, with his prayer and supplication (saith the Chaldee paraphrast); which, as Saul’s sword and Jonathan’s bow, never return empty, 2Sa 1:22 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
5. ] Sychar is better known by the O.T. name of Sychem ( ), or (Josephus, Euseb., &c.), or (LXX, 3 Kings Joh 12:25 ). It was a very old town on the range of Mt. Ephraim, in a narrow valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Jdg 9:7 . The name Sychar has been variously derived: from , a lie, or , drunken ( Isa 28:1 ), by some (Reland, Lightfoot), who believe it to have originally been an opprobrious name given by the Jews, but by this time to have lost its signification, and become the usual appelation: by others from , by mere corruption of the terminating liquid into , Olsh.
Very near it was afterwards built Flavia Neapolis ( , , , Euseb. Onomasticon, in Winer, sub voce). There is a long and interesting history of Sychem and the Samaritan worship on Gerizim, and the Christian church in the neighbourhood, in Robinson’s Palestine, iii. 113 136. [See also Dr. Thomson, The Land and the Book, p. 472 ff. He thinks that Sychar and Shechem are not the same, because at Shechem (Nablus) there are delicious fountains of water, which the woman would hardly have left to draw from a deep well two miles off.]
. ] This is traditional: it finds however support from Gen 33:19 , where we find Jacob buying a field near Shechem, and Jos 24:32 , where, on the mention of Joseph’s bones being laid there, it is said that it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. This form of the tradition is supposed to have arisen from the translation by the LXX of Gen 48:22 , ( , ‘one share’) : and of Jos 24:32 , , where they apparently read or mistook for (3 sing. fut. Kal. w. suffix of , a verb which only occurs in the imperative mood, unless it be in the very doubtful place of Hos 4:18 ). Our Lord does not allude to it in the conversation, though the woman does.
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 4:5 . . “So He comes to a city of Samaria called Sychar.” , cf. Joh 11:16 , Joh 11:54 , Joh 19:13 , etc. In the Itinerary of Jerusalem (A.D. 333) Sychar is identified with ‘Askar, west of Salim and near Shechem, the modern Nabls. The strength of the case for ‘Askar, according to Prof. G. A. Smith ( Hist. Geog. , p. 371), is this: “That in the fourth century two authorities independently describe a Sychar distinct from Shechem; that in the twelfth century at least three travellers, and in the thirteenth at least one, do the same, the latter also quoting a corrupt but still possible variation of the name; that in the fourteenth the Samaritan Chronicle mentions another form of the name; and that modern travellers find a third possible variation of it not only applied to a village suiting the site described by the authorities in the fourth century, but important enough to cover all the plain about the village”. The difficulty regarding the initial Ayin in the name ‘Askar is also removed by Prof. Smith. See further Conder’s Tent-work , i. 71. Sychar is described as , near the “parcel of ground” (particella, little part; the Vulgate has “praedium,” estate) which Jacob gave to Joseph his son; according to Gen 48:22 , where Jacob says, “I have given thee one portion (Shechem) above thy brethren”; cf. Gen 33:19 . Shechem in Hebrew means “the shoulder,” and some have fancied that the shoulder being the priest’s portion, the word came to denote any allotment. Gesenius, however, is of opinion that the word was transferred to a portion of land, on account of the shape resembling the back across the shoulders.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
Then = Therefore.
to. Greek. eis. App-104.
Sychar. Now ‘Askar. A village on the slope of Mount Ebal and north of Jacob’s well.
parcel of ground = field or land.
that Jacob gave. Compare Gen 33:19; Gen 48:22. Jos 24:32.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
5.] Sychar is better known by the O.T. name of Sychem (), or (Josephus, Euseb., &c.), or (LXX, 3 Kings Joh 12:25). It was a very old town on the range of Mt. Ephraim, in a narrow valley between Mt. Ebal and Mt. Gerizim. Jdg 9:7. The name Sychar has been variously derived: from , a lie, or , drunken (Isa 28:1), by some (Reland, Lightfoot), who believe it to have originally been an opprobrious name given by the Jews, but by this time to have lost its signification, and become the usual appelation: by others from , by mere corruption of the terminating liquid into , Olsh.
Very near it was afterwards built Flavia Neapolis (, , , Euseb. Onomasticon, in Winer, sub voce). There is a long and interesting history of Sychem and the Samaritan worship on Gerizim, and the Christian church in the neighbourhood, in Robinsons Palestine, iii. 113-136. [See also Dr. Thomson, The Land and the Book, p. 472 ff. He thinks that Sychar and Shechem are not the same, because at Shechem (Nablus) there are delicious fountains of water, which the woman would hardly have left to draw from a deep well two miles off.]
. ] This is traditional: it finds however support from Gen 33:19, where we find Jacob buying a field near Shechem, and Jos 24:32, where, on the mention of Josephs bones being laid there, it is said that it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph. This form of the tradition is supposed to have arisen from the translation by the LXX of Gen 48:22, ( , one share) : and of Jos 24:32, , where they apparently read or mistook for (3 sing. fut. Kal. w. suffix of , a verb which only occurs in the imperative mood, unless it be in the very doubtful place of Hos 4:18). Our Lord does not allude to it in the conversation, though the woman does.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 4:5. ) Formerly called Sichem; subsequently, by the change of a single letter, Sichar, (according to Hillers Onomasticon) reward [wages], namely, that of Jacobs expedition: Gen 48:22, I have given to thee (Joseph) one portion, which I (Jacob) took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword. On this account Jacob was able to bequeath to Joseph this region, in respect to the land divinely promised [to his seed. See Jos 17:14]. To this derivation, Joh 4:36 seems to allude, , [He that reapeth, receiveth] wages. For neither is such an allusion to a derivation despised elsewhere: ch. Joh 9:7, Siloam, which is by interpretation, Sent.-, gave) Jacob had dwelt there, Joh 4:12 : and had given it as an estate to Joseph, owing to his special love for him.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 4:5
Joh 4:5
So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph:-Sychar was near the city of Samaria, in the land of Ephraim, the son of Joseph. Jacob had bought this land of Hamor, Shechems father. (Gen 33:18-20). He gave this to Joseph and Josephs bones were brought up from Egypt and buried near to Shechem. (Jos 24:32-33).
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
the parcel: Gen 33:19, Gen 48:22, Jos 24:32
Reciprocal: Gen 12:6 – Sichem Gen 33:18 – Shalem 1Ki 13:32 – in the cities 1Ki 16:24 – the name of the city Mat 10:5 – of the Samaritans
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
The history of this transaction of Jacob may be seen in Gen 33:19; Gen 42:22; Jos 24:32. When the Israelites took possession of Palestine, the territory later called Samaria was allotted to the sons of Jacob.
Fuente: Combined Bible 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.
[Near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.] Gen 48:22. Jacob had bought a piece of land of the children of Hamor for a hundred lambs; Gen 33:19. But, after the slaughter of the Shechemites, he with his family being forced to retire to places more remote, viz., to Bethel, Bethlehem, and Hebron; the Amorites thrust themselves into possession, and he fain to regain it with his sword and bow.
Fuente: Lightfoot Commentary Gospels
Joh 4:5. He cometh therefore to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar. From the hills through which the main route of Palestine must always have run the traveller descends into a wide plain, the widest and the most beautiful of the plains of the Ephraimite mountains, one mass of corn unbroken by boundary or hedge, from the midst of which start up olive trees, themselves unenclosed as the fields in which they stand. Over the hills which close the northern end of this plain, far away in the distance, is caught the first glimpse of the snowy ridge of Hermon. Its western side is bounded by the abutments of two mountain ranges, running from west to east. These ranges are Gerizim and Ebal; and up the opening between them, not seen from the plain, lies the modem town of Nblus … the most beautiful, perhaps it might be said the only very beautiful spot in central Palestine.[1] Nblus is a corruption of Neapolis, the name given by the Romans to the new city built nearly on the site of the ancient Shechem. The city which gave its name to this district of the Holy Land, Samaria, distant about six miles, had recently been rebuilt in a style of great magnificence by Herod the Great, who gave it the name of Sebaste. But, partly through the prestige of its antiquity and famous history, and partly through the power of religious associations, Shechem was pre-eminently the city of Samaria. It lay, as has been said, at the loot of Mount Gerizim, on the summit of which was the temple of the Samaritans, the stronghold of their worship for nearly three hundred years. It is impossible here to do more than trace the main outlines of the history of the Samaritan people. Their origin has in modern times been a subject of warm controversy. The narrative of 2Ki 25:12 certainly seems to imply that all the inhabitants of the country were carried away to Halah and Habor and the cities of the Medes (2Ki 17:6): Josephus also speaks of the transplanting of all the people. But, apart from the improbability that such a wholesale deportation would be made, we find both in Scripture (2Ch 34:9, and perhaps 2Ch 30:1; 2Ch 30:5; 2Ch 30:10) and also in Josephus intimations that some few at least of the inhabitants remained, after the land had been colonised by settlers from Cuthah and other cities of Assyria. In the manner related in 2 Kings 17 these colonists were led to mingle a worship of Jehovah as the tutelary Deity of their new country with the idolatry brought with them from their native cities. What we read of their history at a later date is in exact accord with the mixed character of their race and their worship. They referred their own origin only to Assyria (Ezr 4:2), yet they were desirous of fraternising with the Jews in their work of rebuilding the temple of Jerusalem; and, when finally repulsed by the Jews and defeated in their attempts to injure and frustrate their work, they built (B.C. 409) a rival temple on Mount Gerizim after the model of that in Jerusalem, taking as their first high priest one whom Nehemiah had expelled (Neh 13:28). From this time they seem to have maintained a system of worship modelled on that of the Jews, their older idolatry being, as far as we can judge, entirely renounced. Of the Scriptures the Samaritans received one portion only, the Pentateuch; but for this they professed peculiar reverence. A comparison of the Samaritan Pentateuch with that of the Hebrew Bible shows that many alterations had been introduced into the text by the Samaritans, but at the same time that these had only been made for the purpose of authenticating their own mode of worship and of maintaining the honour of their sacred places. This partial agreement, however, between the religious beliefs of the two peoples, so far from preventing, had really led to the most determined hostility between them. To the Jew, a man of purely Gentile descent and a man of mixed race were equally Gentiles; and an approximation to Jewish belief and modes of worship gave no claim of brotherhood with Jews. Hebrew literature is full of strangely varying statements in regard to the Cuthim (as they are called),statements which probably reflect the relations subsisting between the nations at different periods (see Smiths Dictionary of the Bible, iii. 1117, 1118). In the time of our Lord the temple on Mount Gerizim had long been in ruins, but both the mount and the city at its foot had retained their sacred character; and it was here that the true Samaritan practices and traditions had their strongest hold on the people. The slight sketch which we have been able to give of the history of this people will be sufficient to show how singular was their situation. The ancient writings of the Jews themselves deal with Samaritans now as with heathen, now as with men belonging to the stock of Israel; and the narrative of this chapter places them in the same positiona position not wholly Gentile, but intermediate between the Jewish and the Gentile world.It has been commonly assumed that the city called Sychar is identical with Shechem, and the chief subject of controversy has been the motive for the change of name. Whilst some have regarded the alteration as a mere error of pronunciation, most have ascribed it to Jewish prejudice, interpreting Sychar as drunkard or falsehood: others, again, have considered the word identical with a well Sokhar mentioned in the Talmud. It seems more probable, however, that Sychar is a village still known by a name substantially the same (El-Askar), situated about two miles to the east of the present town of Nablus. This village is nearer than Shechem can have been to the well which bore the name of Jacob; and it is much more likely that the Evangelist would pause to describe the position of such a place than that of the ancient city of Shechem.
[1] Stanley, Sinai and Palestine, pp. 233, 234.
Near to the parce of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. There can be no doubt that, in speaking of Jacobs gift to his son Joseph, John refers to Gen 48:22, I have given thee one portion above thy brethren,whatever meaning may be attached to the last words of that verse. The Hebrew word here rendered portion is identical with the name Shechem. At Shechem, therefore, were the bones of Joseph buried (Jos 24:32), and the city and surrounding country became the inheritance of the children of Joseph.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
XXVI.
JESUS SETS OUT FROM JUDA FOR GALILEE.
Subdivision B.
AT JACOB’S WELL, AND AT SYCHAR.
dJOHN IV. 5-42.
d5 So he cometh to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 and Jacob’s well was there. [Commentators long made the mistake of supposing that Shechem, now called Nablous, was the town here called Sychar. Sheckem lies a mile and a half west of Jacob’s well, while the real Sychar, now called ‘Askar, lies scarcely half a mile north of the well. It was a small town, loosely called a city, and adjoined the land which Jacob gave to Joseph ( Gen 33:19, Gen 47:22, Jos 24:32), Joseph’s tomb being about one hundred yards east of it. The mummy of Joseph, carried out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus, was buried in this parcel of ground, and there is but little doubt that it really rests in the place indicated by the tomb; and though the name Sychar may be derived from the words “liar” or “drunkard,” it is more likely that it means “town of the sepulchre,” referring to this tomb. The Old Testament is silent as to when or why Jacob dug this well. It lies on the southern side of the valley of Shechem, where it opens upon [141] the plain of Moreh (now called el-Mukhnah), about a hundred yards south of the foot of Mt. Gerizim. It is one of the few Biblical sites about which there is no dispute, and probably the only place on earth where one can draw a circle of a few feet, and say confidently that the feet of Christ have stood within the circumference. Maundrell, who visited it in 1697, said that it was 105 feet deep, and had in it fifteen feet of water. But travelers have thrown stones into it to sound its depth, until at present it is only sixty-six feet deep, and has no water in it except in very wet winters. It is seven and half feet in diameter, and is walled with masonry to a depth of about ten feet, below which it is cut through the solid rock. It lies 400 nearly due south from Joseph’s tomb. As the neighborhood abounds in springs, the well would hardly have been dug save by one who wished to be independent of his neighbors–as Jacob did.] Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus by the well. [John gives us important items as to the humanity of Jesus. He tells us how he sat as a wayworn traveler, hungry and thirsty, at Jacob’s well; and he alone records the words, “I thirst,” spoken on the cross ( Joh 19:28). The top of the well is arched over like a cistern, and a round opening is left about twenty inches in diameter. On this arch or curbing Jesus sat. We should note the perpetuity of blessings which springs from a good deed. Gutenberg did not foresee the newspaper when he invented printing; Columbus did not anticipate the land of the free when he led discoverers to our shore, nor is it likely that the prophetic eye of Jacob ever saw the wearied Christ resting upon the well-curb which he was building.] It was about the sixth hour. [That is, twelve o’clock, if we reckon by Jewish time, or six o’clock in the evening, if we reckon by the Roman method. We prefer the latter method.] 7 There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water [She was not of the city of Samaria (which was then called Sebaste–the Greek word for Augustus–in honor of Augustus Csar, who had given it to Herod the Great), but a woman of the province of Samaria, which [142] lay between Juda and Galilee, and reached from the Jordan on the east to the Mediterranean on the west, comprising the country formerly occupied by the tribe of Ephraim and the half tribe of Manasseh]: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8 For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food. [Had the disciples been present they would have bargained with the woman for the use of her rope and pitcher; but in their absence Jesus himself asked her for a drink. He met her on the ground of a common humanity, and conceded to her the power of conferring a favor. Women have been immemorially the water-carriers in the East ( Gen 24:13, Gen 24:14, Exo 2:16). Palestine is in summer a parched land, inducing intense thirst, and the people usually comply cheerfully with the request for water; it was probably so in Jesus’ day ( Mat 10:42). Mohammed commanded that water should never be refused.] 9 The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew [as his language and dress declared], askest drink of me, whom am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.) [It is not likely that she meant to refuse his request, but she yielded to the temptation to banter one who she thought despised her, and whose necessities now caused him for a moment to forget his pride. The ancestors of the Samaritans were introduced into the land of Israel by the king of Assyria, after he led the ten tribes into captivity ( 2Ki 17:24-41). When the Jews returned from their captivity in Babylon and began to rebuild their temple, the Samaritans asked permission to build with them, and when this was refused, an enmity arose between the two people which never died out ( Ezr 4:1-5, Neh 2:10, Neh 2:19, Neh 4:1-3). We must, however, restrict the word “dealings” to social intercourse. Race antipathy did not ordinarily interfere with trade or other matters involving money, as is shown by Joh 3:16, 2Co 9:15). But she knew not that God had bestowed a special Gift, and much less that the one to whom she spoke was that Gift. Had she known she would have understood that though physically Jesus was the object of her charity, spiritually their cases were reversed, and she was the needy one, as Jesus intimates. Living water would mean literally “running” or “spring water,” as contrasted with still or cistern water ( Gen 26:19, Lev 14:5). Jesus here uses it in the spiritual sense. He fills us with his grace and truth ( Joh 1:14) and grants unto us continual, untold refreshing ( Rev 7:17). The reviving and regenerating effects of the Holy Spirit are likewise called living water ( Joh 7:37-39).] 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir [the word “Sir” is elsewhere translated “Lord”], thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water? [She understood his words literally, and was puzzled by them; but, won by the courtesy which suggested an exchange of gifts, she answered respectfully, though incredulously.] 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle? [We should note three points in this verse: 1. The greatness of Jesus. The woman had just called him “Lord.” The man at Bethesda, though he knew not Jesus, afterwards did the same ( Joh 5:7). People felt the majesty and dignity of Jesus. When he offered to give a greater blessing than that given by Jacob, the woman at once contrasted him with Jacob–Jacob with sons and cattle and wealth–and wondered if this lonely [144] stranger could really imagine himself greater than the illustrious patriarch. 2. She claimed descent from Jacob; it was a false claim. Jesus classed the Samaritans with Gentiles ( Mat 10:5), and spoke of them as strangers or aliens ( Luk 17:18). 3. She spoke of the well as given by Jacob. She meant that it had been given to Joseph ( Gen 48:22), and that her people had inherited it as descendants of Joseph.] 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14 but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst [Jesus here draws a contrast between earthly and heavenly blessings. No worldly joy gives lasting satisfaction, but Jesus is the bread and water of life to his disciples ( Joh 6:35) their unfailing satisfaction]; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life. [A beautiful figure of the joy in Christ. In heat, in cold; in drought, in shower; in prosperity, in adversity; it still springs up, cheering and refreshing the soul, and this unto all eternity– Rev 7:17, Rev 21:6.] 15 The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw. [She but dimly comprehended the nature of Christ’s offer, but was persuaded of two things: 1. The wonderful water was to be desired. 2. Jesus was able and willing to give it. When she spoke of coming “to draw” her words suggested the household to which it was her duty to minister, and prepared the way for the command of Jesus to bring the head of the household.] 16 Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. [She had asked Jesus for the water of God’s grace, but she needed to be made conscious of how much she needed it–conscious (if we follow the figure) of her dormant thirst. Jesus, therefore, gave command to call her husband, that by so doing he might reveal her life and waken her to repentance.] 17 The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou saidst well, I have no husband: 18 for [145] thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now has is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly. [The divine wisdom of Jesus brought to light a sad state of affairs. During the period of five marriages the woman’s life had at least some outward show of respectability, but now it was professedly unclean. The number of marriages reflects somewhat upon the character of the woman, and hints that some of them may have been dissolved by her own fault, though the loose divorce law of that age permitted a man to dissolve the marriage ties on very slight provocation. Among the Jews the great Hillel is reported to have said that a man might properly divorce his wife if she burnt his dinner while cooking. It is not likely that any higher ideals of matrimony obtained among the Samaritans.] 19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. [She had heard of the miraculous knowledge of the Jewish prophets, and this evidence given her by Jesus persuaded her that he was one of them, as a like evidence had persuaded Nathanael ( Joh 1:48, Joh 1:49). By thus calling him a prophet she virtually confessed the truth as to all the things concerning which he had accused her.] 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain [i. e., Mt. Gerizim]; and ye [ye Jews] say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. [Though a desire to divert the conversation from her own sins may have, in some slight measure, prompted the woman to bring up this question about places of worship, yet her main motive must have been far higher. If we ourselves stood in the presence of one whom we felt assured to be fully inspired of God, how hastily would we propound to him some of the vexed questions which befog the religion of our time! Prompted by such a feeling, this woman sought to have the great dispute between Jew and Samaritan decided. Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem was soon after its erection confronted by those who denied its claims to be exclusively the place set apart for divine worship. Jeroboam, the rebellious servant of Solomon, taught the people that Bethel and Dan were as acceptable for worship as Jerusalem. But [146] Jerusalem, as the site of the first great temple, held precedence above all rivals until its claims were discredited in popular estimation by the fact that it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. When, after many years, the returning captives rebuilt its walls, it lacked the sanction of age, and it had lost many of the features of divine recognition, which contributed to the sacredness and grandeur of the first structure. Soon after its erection in the days of Nehemiah, Manasseh, son of the high priest Joiada, and brother of the high priest Jonathan ( Neh 12:10, Neh 12:11, Neh 13:28), married to the daughter of Sanballat, Persian governor of Samaria. Refusing to dissolve this marriage at the decree of the governor of Jerusalem, Manasseh was chased by Nehemiah from Jerusalem, and his father-in-law made him high priest of the Samaritans, and undertook to build for him the temple which afterwards crowned the summit of Mt. Gerizim. Manasseh left Jerusalem about B.C. 332. The temple built for him was destroyed by John Hyrcanus about B.C. 129, but the place where it stood was still the sacred center of Samaritan worship, as it is to this day. Mt. Gerizim, and its supporting city of Shechem, had many grounds on which to base their claims to be a sacred locality: 1, Here God appeared to Abraham for the first time after his entering Canaan ( Gen 12:6, Gen 12:7); 2, here Jacob first dwelt ( Gen 33:18); 3, here Joseph came seeking his brethren ( Gen 37:12, Gen 37:13); 4, here was a city of refuge ( Jos 20:7-9); 5, here Joshua read the blessings and cursings ( Jos 8:33); 6, here also he gave his last address ( Jos 24:1); 7, here were buried the bones of Joseph ( Jos 24:32), and the neighborhood was prominent at the time of the division of the ten tribes ( 1Ki 12:1, 1Ki 12:25). If we may consider Samaritan traditions of that day as similar to those of the present, they had added greatly to the real importance of the neighborhood, for they now contend that 1, Paradise was on the summit of Gerizim; 2, Adam was formed of the dust of Gerizim; 3, on Gerizim Adam reared his first altar; 4, Seth here reared his first altar; 5, Gerizim was the Ararat on which the Ark rested, and the only spot which the flood did [147] not overflow; and therefore the only place which escaped the defilement of dead bodies; 6, on it Noah reared his altar; 7, here Abraham attempted to offer Isaac; 8, here he met Melchizedek; 9, here was the real Bethel, where Jacob slept and saw his ladder vision. Backed by such high claims, the woman deemed it possible that this prophet might decide in favor of Samaria’s holy place. We should note that the Samaritans worshiped in Mt. Gerizim because they could say, “Our fathers did so.” Thus many errors are perpetuated to-day because our fathers practiced them; but our fathers had no more authority to alter or amend God’s word than we have. The Jews worshiped in Jerusalem because it had been prophesied that God would select a spot as the peculiar place for his worship ( Deu 12:5-11), and because according to this prophecy God had selected Mt. Moriah in Jerusalem– 1Ki 9:3, 2Ch 3:1, 2Ch 3:2.] 21 Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall ye worship the Father. [Jesus uses the word “hour” to indicate that the time was near at hand when all religious distinctions as to places would be abolished, and when every spot might be used for purposes of worship– 1Ti 2:8.] 22 Ye worship that which ye know not: we worship that which we know. For salvation is from the Jews. [Jesus here speaks as a Jew, and draws a comparison between the intelligent worship of his people and the ignorant worship of the Samaritans. Though the Samaritans possessed the Pentateuch, they were without the revelation of God which the prophets of Israel had developed, and their worship was neither authorized nor accredited by God. Moreover, it led toward nothing; for salvation was evolved from the Jewish religion, and not from that of Samaria. Salvation proceeded from the Jews. From them, according to the flesh, Christ came, and from them came also the prophets, apostles, and inspired writers who have given us that full knowledge of salvation which we possess to-day. We must take the words of Jesus as referring rather to the two religions than to the [148] two peoples. Though as a body the Jews did not know whom they worshiped, and though their teachers were blind leaders of the blind, yet the fault was in their unbelief, and not in the revelation or religion in which they refused to believe. On the contrary, if the Samaritans had believed his religion to the full, it would hardly have been sufficient to have enabled him to know what he worshiped. Samaria was, in the days of idolatry of Israel, a chief seat of Baal worship, and in later days it was the home of magicians and sorcerers.] 23 But the hour cometh, and now is [the hour is really here, but the knowledge of it is not yet comprehended], When the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth: for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. [Jesus draws the mind of the woman from the place of worship to the Person or Being worshiped, and from the form to the spirit of worship. God seeks for genuine and not formal worshipers, and for those who worship him in truth; i. e., those who render him the obedience of faith with a filial spirit, and not those who render him the empty service of types and shadows, ceremonies and rites, which, through disbelief, have lost their meaning.] 24 God is a Spirit [These words contain one of the most simple, yet most profound, truths which ever fell upon mortal ear. Their truth is one of the great glories of revelation, and corrects the mistaken conclusion of human reason. They show that 1, God is absolutely free from all limitations of space and time, and is therefore not to be localized in temples ( Act 7:48); 2, that God is not material, as idolaters contend; 3, that he is not an abstract force, as scientists think, but a Being; 4, that he is lifted above all need of temples, sacrifices, etc., which are a benefit to man, but not to God ( Act 17:25). Spiritual excellence raises man above the beast, and spiritual excellence in turn raises God above man– Isa 31:3]: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. [That is, men must offer a worship corresponding with the nature and attributes of God.] 25 The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh (he [149] that is called Christ): when he is come, he will declare unto us all things. [The breadth and largeness of Jesus’ teaching suggested to her the great Teacher who was to come, and caused her to yearn for him who could tell, as she thought, perhaps even larger things. The Samaritans justified their idea of a coming Benefactor by passages found in the Pentateuch, and got their name for him from the Jews. Relying on the prophecy found at Deu 18:18, modern Samaritans regard the Messiah as a returning Moses, calling him El-Mudy–the Guide. They contend that his name will begin with M, and that he will live to be 120 years old. This woman’s idea of the Messiah was probably also very crude, but it was in part an improvement on the general Jewish conception, for it regarded him as a teacher rather than a world-conquering, earthly prince.] 26 Jesus saith unto her, I that speak to thee am he. [This is the first recorded declaration of his Messiahship made by Jesus. He was not confessed to be Messiah by Simon Peter ( Mat 16:16) till the last year of his ministry. Jesus spoke more freely as to his office in Samaria than in Juda or Galilee; for, 1, the Samaritans would make no effort to take him by force and make him a king ( Joh 6:15); 2, his short stay in Samaria justified an explicit and brief revelation.] 27 And upon this came his disciples; and they marvelled that he was speaking with a woman. [The spirit of the Rabbis is shown by their later precept; viz.: “Let no one talk with a woman in the street, no, not with his own wife.” The estate of woman was then, and had been for a long time previous, very low. Socrates thanked the gods daily that he was born neither a slave nor a woman. Roman law gave the husband absolute authority over the wife, even to put her to death; and Jewish contempt for women is made apparent by the readiness with which the Jews divorced them]; yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why speakest thou with her? [So deep was their reverence and respect that they did not question, though they did not understand.] 28 So the woman left her waterpot [in the forgetfulness [150] of great joy, and as the unconscious pledge of her return], and went away into the city [Sychar], and saith to the people, 29 Come, see a man, who told me all things that ever I did [To publish Christ is one of the first impulses of those who feel Christ’s gracious power. Her invitation is like that given by Philip ( Joh 1:46). On second thought her statement is not so much of an exaggeration as it at first appears. Her five marriages and present state covered the whole period of her maturer life, and the way in which Jesus had disclosed it all convinced her that every detail of it was spread out before him]: can this be the Christ? [Her question does not imply that she herself had any doubts about the matter. She uses the interrogative form because she does not wish to be dogmatic, but prefers to let the people judge for themselves. Observe the woman’s change of mind concerning Jesus. She first called him “Jew” ( Joh 4:9), then “Sir” ( Joh 4:11), then “prophet” ( Joh 4:19), and now she invites her city to come forth and see “the Christ.”] 30 They went out of the city, and were coming to him. 31 In the meanwhile [the time between the departure of the woman and the arrival of her fellow-townsmen] the disciples prayed him, saying, Rabbi, eat. 32 But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of. 33 The disciples therefore said one to another, Hath any man brought him aught to eat? [They understood his words literally, as a declaration that he had dined.] 34 Jesus saith unto them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. [His delight at the woman’s conversion, as a part of the work which his Father had given him to do, overcame for a time his desire for food. Food has several characteristics: 1. enjoyment; 2. satisfaction of desire; 3. refreshment and strength. God’s work had these characteristics to Jesus, whose life fulfilled the principle that man shall not live by bread alone.] 35 Say not ye, There are yet four months, and then cometh the harvest? behold, I say unto you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, that they are white [151] already unto harvest. [Jacob’s well overlooked the luxuriant grainfields of the plain of Moreh. As the disciples looked abroad over its patches of varying green, they would say that it would yet be four months before these patches could be harvested. The harvests in the natural world are slow. But turning their eyes toward Sychar, the disciples could see the citizens of the town in their white garments pouring forth to see Jesus, and to be gathered by him as a harvest of disciples which had sprung up and ripened from the seeds of truth sown by the woman but a few moments before. Spiritual sowing brings speedy harvests. Some commentators look upon the words of Jesus as proverbial, but there is no proverb extant which places only four months between sowing and reaping. In Palestine this period covers six months. We must, therefore, take the words of Jesus as a plain statement as to the length of time between the date of his speaking and the date of harvest. Harvest begins about the middle of April, and counting back four months from that date we find that this visit to Sychar occurred somewhere about the middle of December.] 36 He that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. [Harvest times were seasons of great joy ( Deu 16:13-15, Psa 126:6, Isa 9:3). But the joy of joys shall come when God gathers his redeemed into the heavenly garner. In this present the humble teacher sows and the evangelist, or more gifted brother, reaps; but in that glad hour it shall matter little whether we have been a sower or a reaper, for we shall all rejoice together. Sower and reaper alike shall receive wages, a part of which shall be the “fruit” gathered–the souls saved. Jesus regarded gaining a brother as a large compensation, a great gain– Mat 18:15.] 37 For herein is the saying true [see Isa 65:21, Isa 65:22, Lev 26:16, Job 31:8, Mic 6:15], One soweth, and another reapeth. 38 I sent you to reap [Christ, as Lord of the harvest, sent both sowers and reapers] that whereon ye have not labored: others have labored, and ye are entered into [152] their labor. [In earlier days many prophets and holy men had labored to prepare the people of Palestine, that they might be gathered of Christ as disciples. Later John the Baptist had wrought a mighty work toward this same end. Into a field thus sown and cultivated Jesus was now leading his apostles, that they might reap for him the ripened harvest. He bids them observe the speedy and easy reaping on this occasion as an encouraging example to them, that they may go forth with strong assurance and confidence. Even the minds of the Samaritans were prepared to receive him, and a quick harvest could be gathered among them.] 39 And from that city many of the Samaritans believed on him because of the word of the woman, who testified, He told me all things that ever I did. [The Jews rejected the testimony of the prophets and holy men of God as recorded in the Scripture ( Joh 5:46, Joh 5:47), but the Samaritans accepted the testimony of this woman, and she was a sinner.] 40 So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought him to abide with them: and he abode there two days. [“His own” received him not, but these “strangers” welcomed him. The stay was brief, but long enough to prepare the way for a future church among the Samaritans in the neighboring city of Samaria ( Act 8:5-8). From the nearer town of Shechem came Justin Martyr, one of the greatest Christian writers of the second century.] 41 And many more believed because of his word: 42 and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world. [Only such ready hearers could arrive at so great a truth in so short a time. Wealth of revelation and blessing had made the Jews selfish, and their conception of the Messiah was so perverted by this selfishness that they could not conceive of him as being a world Saviour. Thus wealth often dwarfs where it should rather enlarge the heart. The incident comprised in this section presents the expansiveness of Christianity in a threefold aspect; viz.: 1, we see it [153] breaking down the walls of racial prejudice; 2, we observe it elevating woman, and certifying her fitness to receive the very highest spiritual instruction; 3, we behold it lifting up the degraded and sinful, and supplying them from the fountains of grace. Such is real Christianity–the Christianity of Christ.]
[FFG 141-154]
Fuente: McGarvey and Pendleton Commentaries (New Testament)
4:5 {2} 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.
(2) Christ, leaving the proud Pharisees, communicates the treasures of everlasting life with a poor sinful woman and stranger, refuting the gross errors of the Samaritans, and defending the true service of God, which was delivered to the Jews, but yet in such a way that he here calls both Samaritans and Jews back to himself, as one whom only all the fathers, and also all the ceremonies of the law, regarded, and had respect for.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The site of Sychar is fairly certain because of unbroken tradition and the presence of a water source (Joh 4:6). It was very near Old Testament Shechem, Joseph’s burial site, near the base of Mounts Ebal and Gerizim (cf. Gen 33:19; Gen 48:22; Jos 24:32). Today the modern town of Nablus stands nearby. Nablus is the modern form of the name that the site later received in honor of the Roman imperial family, Flavia Neapolis.