John 4:11

John 4:11 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)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?
• New International Version (NIV)“Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water?
• English Standard Version (ESV)The woman said to him, "Sir, you have nothing to draw water with, and the well is deep. Where do you get that living water?
• New King James Version (NKJV)The woman said to Him, “Sir, You have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. Where then do You get that living water?

Context of John 4:11

9The woman from Samaria said to him, ‘You are a Jew and I am a woman from Samaria. Why would you ask me to give you a drink?’ (The Jews usually do not talk to people who come from Samaria.) 10Jesus answered the woman, ‘You do not know what God could give to you. I asked you to give a drink to me. But you do not know who I am. If you did know, you would have asked me to give a drink to you. Then I would have given to you water that gives life.’ The woman said, ‘Sir, you have no bucket, and the well is deep. Where can you get this water that gives life? 12Jacob, our ancestor, gave this well to us. He, his sons and his sheep, goats and cows all drank its water. Are you saying that you are greater than Jacob?’ 13Jesus answered, ‘Everyone who drinks water from this well will get thirsty again.

John 4:11 word by word

λέγει αὐτῷ ἡ γυνή· κύριε, οὔτε ἄντλημα ἔχεις, καὶ τὸ φρέαρ ἐστὶν βαθύ· πόθεν οὖν ἔχεις τὸ ὕδωρ τὸ ζῶν;Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• The womanγυνήgunē · womanG1135
• saithλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• Sirκύριοςkurios · lord: masterG2962
• thou hastἔχωechō · to have/beG2192
• nothingοὔτεoute · neitherG3777
• to draw withἄντλημαantlēma · bucketG502
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• the wellφρέαρphrear · well/abyssG5421
• isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• deepβαθύςbathus · deepG901
• from whenceπόθενpothen · whenceG4159
• thenοὖνoun · therefore/thenG3767
• thatὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• livingζάωzaō · to liveG2198

Cross-references for John 4:11

• John 3:4Nicodemus asked, ‘How can a man be born when he is old? He cannot return into his mother's body. He cannot be born a second time.’
• 1 Corinthians 2:14If someone does not believe in God, they cannot accept the message that comes from God's Spirit. They think that God's message is silly. They cannot even understand those things. Only God's Spirit can explain them to people.

Commentaries on John 4:11

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 11Thou hast nothing to draw with - , Thou hast no bucket. Good water is not plentiful in the east; and travelers are often obliged to carry leathern bottles or buckets with them, and a line also, to let them down into the deep wells, in order to draw up water. If the well was in our Lord's time, as it was found by Mr. Maundrell, thirty-five yards deep, it would require a considerable line to reach it; and with such it is not likely that even the disciples…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 11Hast nothing to draw with - It seems that there were no means of drawing water affixed to the well, as with us. Probably each one took a pail or pitcher and a cord for the purpose. In traveling this was indispensable. The woman, seeing that Jesus had no means of drawing water, and not yet understanding his design, naturally inquired whence he could obtain the water. The well is deep - If the same one that is there now, it was about 100 feet deep.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 4-26Verses 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 Christ, having made himself a curse for us, submitted to it. Also…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 11Jacob’s well was more than 30 meters (about 100 feet) deep. A person needed a long rope and a container to draw water from it. The woman focused on the physical water in the well. She did not yet understand the deeper meaning of what Jesus was saying. At that time, she was still in spiritual darkness.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 9-129-12. How is it that thou--not altogether refusing, yet wondering at so unusual a request from a Jew, as His dress and dialect would at once discover Him to be, to a Samaritan. for, &c.--It is this national antipathy that gives point to the parable of the good Samaritan (Lu 10:30-37), and the thankfulness of the Samaritan leper (Lu 17:16, 18).Read the comment

Topics related to John 4:11

• Blindness
• Jacob
• Jesus, the Christ
• Samaria
• Shechem

In the dictionaries

• Dealing
• Ere
• God
• Hear
• Live
• Meat
• Messiah
• Samaritans
• Spirit
• Truth

Commentaries on John 4

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings