Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 4:40
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
40. besought him ] Or, kept beseeching Him. How different from His own people at Nazareth; Mat 13:58; Luk 4:29. Comp. the thankful Samaritan leper, Luk 17:16-17.
tarry with them ] Better, abide with them. See on Joh 1:33. They perhaps mean, take up His abode permanently with them, or at any rate for some time.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Verse 40. He abode there two days.] We are not told that he wrought any miracles among them; this does not appear to have been necessary: they were a simple-hearted, teachable people, and they credited him on the evidence of his own eternal truth. Why are not miracles wrought now? Miracles were only for the establishment of the doctrines of Christianity, where they were first preached; we profess to believe these doctrines; therefore, to us, miracles would be useless. Where the doctrine is credited, no miracle is necessary: the Samaritans believed, and no miracle was wrought among them; for the simple reason, it was not necessary.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
The Sichemites being come to Christ, had some discourse with him, as appeareth from Joh 4:41,42. What the subject matter of their discourse was we are not told; we may know that it was spiritual, and something proper to excite faith in them, for believing was the effect of it. They desire that he would abide with them: thus their faith wrought by love. Our Saviour, that he might not discourage the beginning of their faith, did stay with them two days: for although, when he sent out his disciples, he commanded them not to go into the way of the Samaritans, yet himself was not obliged by that law, and did sometimes, by preaching to heathens, and converting of them, give an earnest of the calling of the Gentiles, whose fuller calling was reserved to after times; yet, probably, the reason why he would not stay longer with them than two days, was because the time was not yet come for the fuller calling of the Gentiles, and he was not willing by a longer abode with them to give offence to the Jews, between whom and the Samaritans was a rooted hatred upon the account of their differing religion.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
40. abode two daysTwoprecious days, surely, to the Redeemer Himself! Unsought, He had cometo His own, yet His own received Him not: now those who were not Hisown had come to Him, been won by Him, and invited Him to their townthat others might share with them in the benefit of His wonderfulministry. Here, then, would He solace His already wounded spirit andhave in this outfield village triumph of His grace, a sublimeforetaste of the inbringing of the whole Gentile world into theChurch.
Joh4:43-54. SECONDGALILEAN MIRACLEHEALINGOF THE COURTIER’SSON.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
So when the Samaritans were come unto him,…. The Ethiopic version reads, all the Samaritans; they came to him at Jacob’s well, upon the woman’s solicitations, and the account she gave of this extraordinary person: and after they had conversed with him, and heard him themselves, they were taken with his divine discourses, and being thoroughly persuaded that he was the Messiah,
they besought him that he would tarry with them; they were not like the Gergesenes, who besought him to depart out of their coasts as soon he was in them: but these men were delighted with his company; and notwithstanding his being a Jew, desired a conversation with him, and entreated that he would go along with them to their city, and stay with them:
and he abode there two days; he went with them to Sychar. He would not deny their request, lest they should be discouraged; and yet would not make any long stay with them, that he might give no umbrage to the Jews; though it is very likely from this short stay in Samaria, they afterwards reproached him as a Samaritan, Joh 8:48. Our Lord’s direction to his disciples not to enter into any of the cities of the Samaritans, was not a rule to himself, or binding upon him, and was only a rule to them “pro tempore”.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Two days ( ). Accusative of extent of time. They wanted to cultivate the acquaintance of Jesus. So he remained in Sychar in a continuous revival, a most unexpected experience when one recalls the feeling between the Jews and the Samaritans (4:9). The reaping went on gloriously.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
To tarry [] . Better, as Rev., to abide.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
JESUS AND THE SAMARITANS, v. 40-45
1) “So when the Samaritans were come unto him,” (hos oun elthon pros auton hoi Samaritai) “Then when the Samaritans came to him,” of their own volition, resulting from the testimony of the woman, after they had received Him as the Messiah, more than a prophet, Joh 4:39.
2) “They besought him that he would tarry with them (eroton auton meinai par’ autois) “They requested him to remain (for a time) with or among them,” just to be near them and to teach them the will of the Father for their lives and their families. How different their attitude from that of the proud Pharisees and Sadducees, Herodians, and scribes, and the self-seeking Gadarenes who prayed Him to depart from among them, Luk 8:37; The magistrates of Philippi begged the same of Paul and Silas, Act 16:39.
3) “And he abode there two days.” (kai emeinen ekei duo hemeras) “And he remained out there two days,” two more days, as a guest of this newborn, new creature in Christ Samaritans, 2Co 5:17. These Samaritans, who had come to the Light, just wanted to be near Him to learn more about Him to fellowship Him, Joh 8:12.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(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.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
40. Samaritans were come unto him How must the faces of Jesus and of these simple and ready Samaritans have mutually shone upon each other!
Of the divine converse he vouchsafed unto them, the Evangelist gives us no report. But the result was, they came to Jesus with the prayer that Jesus would come to them.
Two days In which he seems to have wrought no miracles, but to have been accepted as the true Messiah for the divinity of the truth he taught. Did he expand the declarations of Joh 4:21-24, proclaiming the approaching hour when Judaism and Samaritanism would be fused into one great dispensation of the Spirit?
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘So when the Samaritans came to him they begged him to stay with them, and he stayed there for two days.’
Their faith having been aroused they wanted to know more, and they wanted their fellow townsfolk to have the opportunity to hear Him. Jesus was happy to agree and spent the next two days with them. It may in fact have been longer because ‘two’ often means ‘a few’ (compare 1Ki 17:12). And we are told that it was a time of great revival.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
40 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Ver. 40. Were come unto him ] We no sooner believe, but we would fain see, and be brought a spe ad speciem, from hope to sight.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Joh 4:40 . Their faith showed itself in an invitation to Him to remain with them; in compliance with which invitation, impressive as coming from Samaritans, He remained two days.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
besought= asked. Greek. erotao. App-134.
tarry. Greek. meno. See note on “abode”, Joh 1:32.
with. Greek. para. App-104.
abode. Greek. meno, as above.
two days. See note on Joh 4:43.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Joh 4:40. , to abide [to tarry]) always, or at least a long time.-, He abode) We do not read that the Samaritans were then baptized. Nor was then the time as yet for the Church being regularly and permanently established outside of Judea. It is probable that many of them were subsequently baptized; Act 8:16, [under Philips preaching] They were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.- , two days) He once therefore passed the night there. They were supplied with one draught of the living water unto everlasting life; Joh 4:14, The water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water, springing up unto everlasting life. The same was the case with the Ethiopian eunuch, Acts 8.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 4:40
Joh 4:40
So when the Samaritans came unto him, they besought him to abide with them:-To converse with the woman in a social, friendly way the willingness to accept a favor as small as a drink of water, the feeling of interest in her, was matter of surprise to her and the disciples and encouraged the people to insist on his remaining with them for a time.
and he abode there two days.-The remaining with them for two days as a teacher instructing them in the truth of God was no doubt a shock to the prejudices of the disciples and a surprise to the Samaritans. Yet the disciples submitted. The Samaritans felt flattered and induced them to hear him more readily. On the part of Jesus it was the beginning of breaking down the wall of separation between the different nations and peoples that would be completed in his death. [It was indeed a strange invitation for a Samaritan city to extend to a Jew, but no more strange than for a Jewish teacher to accept it.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
they: Gen 32:26, Pro 4:13, Son 3:4, Jer 14:8, Luk 8:38, Luk 10:39, Luk 24:29, Act 16:15
he abode: Luk 19:5-10, 2Co 6:1, 2Co 6:2, Rev 3:20
Reciprocal: Luk 4:42 – and stayed Luk 9:53 – General Joh 1:39 – abode Act 10:48 – Then
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
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The Samaritans were so much interested in Christ, they urged him to spend some time with them. He did so, delaying his journey for two days.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 4:40. When therefore the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would abide with them: and he abode there two days. Mark the contrast between Judea repelling and Samaria inviting: a dead and petrified orthodoxy may be more proof against the word of life than heresy.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
The openness of these Samaritans contrasts with the hostility of so many of Jesus’ Jewish hearers (cf. Joh 1:11). It required considerable humility for these Samaritans to invite a Jewish rabbi to stay with them (Joh 4:9). During the following two days many more Samaritans than just those who visited Jesus by Jacob’s well became believers in Him. They did so because of Jesus’ words that confirmed what the woman had said about Him. They produced certain knowledge in the Samaritans ("we know," Joh 4:42). Their faith received a firmer foundation than just the witness of another believer. It rested on personal contact with Jesus. The joint testimony of believers and the word of God is a powerful evangelistic combination. These simple Samaritans understood what sophisticated Nicodemus could not (cf. Mat 11:25).
The title "Savior of the world" is unique to John occurring only here and in 1Jn 4:14 (cf. Joh 1:29; Joh 1:34; Joh 3:17). John’s original readers would have been familiar with the title because the Greeks and Romans gave it to several of their gods and emperors. [Note: Carson, p. 232.] Nevertheless Jesus was the true Savior of the world whom these Samaritans recognized as such. The Old Testament spoke of God in this role (e.g., Psa 35:9; Jon 2:9). Jesus was God in action saving the world. This does not mean that everyone will experience eternal salvation, the doctrine of universalism, but that Jesus has made everyone savable, and those who believe on Him obtain salvation.
"It is interesting to trace our Lord’s movements that brought Him to Samaria. He was in Jerusalem (Joh 2:23) and then came into Judea (Joh 3:22). From Judea He went into Samaria (Joh 4:4), and the Samaritans declared Him to be ’the Savior of the world.’ This is a perfect parallel to Act 1:8 -’And ye shall be witnesses unto Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ Our Lord has set the example. If we follow, He will give us the harvest." [Note: Wiersbe, 1:302.]
This was the first instance of cross-cultural evangelism that the Gospel evangelists recorded in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus’ ministry to Gentiles came later, according to their records. Jesus later charged the church to continue cross-cultural evangelism (Act 1:8). Still later Philip evangelized in Samaria with great success, perhaps in this very region (Act 8:4-8). Jesus’ ministry here was not only reaping but sowing. Philip reaped what Jesus had sowed.