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 Samaritan woman asked him, “How can a Jewish man like you ask a Samaritan woman like me for a drink of water?” (Jews, of course, don’t associate with Samaritans.) 10Jesus replied to her, “If you only knew what God’s gift is and who is asking you for a drink, you would have asked him for a drink. He would have given you living water.” The woman said to him, “Sir, you don’t have anything to use to get water, and the well is deep. So where are you going to get this living water? 12You’re not more important than our ancestor Jacob, are you? He gave us this well. He and his sons and his animals drank water from it.” 13Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks this water will become 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 him, “How can anyone be born when he’s an old man? He can’t go back inside his mother a second time to be born, can he?”
• 1 Corinthians 2:14A person who isn’t spiritual doesn’t accept the teachings of God’s Spirit. He thinks they’re nonsense. He can’t understand them because a person must be spiritual to evaluate them.

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