New Living Translation
John 4:23
23But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way.
John 4:23 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
- New International Version (NIV)Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
- English Standard Version (ESV)But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him.
- New King James Version (NKJV)But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him.
Context of John 4:23
21Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem. 22You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.” 25The woman said, “I know the Messiah is coming—the one who is called Christ. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
Read all of John 4John 4:23 word by word
ἀλλ᾽ ἔρχεται ὥρα καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ· καὶ γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Butἀλλάalla · butG235
- the hourὥραhōra · hourG5610
- comethἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- nowνῦνnun · nowG3568
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- whenὅτεhote ho te hē te tō te · whenG3753
- theπροσκυνητήςproskunētēs · worshiperG4353
- trueἀληθινόςalēthinos · trueG228
- shall worshipπροσκυνέωproskuneō · to worshipG4352
- the Fatherπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
- inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
- spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
- in truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- seekethζητέωzēteō · to seekG2212
- suchτοιοῦτοςtoioutos · such as thisG5108
- himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
Cross-references for John 4:23
- John 5:25“And I assure you that the time is coming, indeed it’s here now, when the dead will hear my voice—the voice of the Son of God. And those who listen will live.
- John 12:23Jesus replied, “Now the time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory.
- Isaiah 1:10Listen to the Lord, you leaders of “Sodom.” Listen to the law of our God, people of “Gomorrah.”
- Isaiah 26:8Lord, we show our trust in you by obeying your laws; our heart’s desire is to glorify your name.
- Isaiah 29:13And so the Lord says, “These people say they are mine. They honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. And their worship of me is nothing but man-made rules learned by rote.
- Isaiah 48:1“Listen to me, O family of Jacob, you who are called by the name of Israel and born into the family of Judah. Listen, you who take oaths in the name of the Lord and call on the God of Israel. You don’t keep your promises,
- Isaiah 58:2Yet they act so pious! They come to the Temple every day and seem delighted to learn all about me. They act like a righteous nation that would never abandon the laws of its God. They ask me to take action on their behalf, pretending they want to be near me.
- Isaiah 66:1This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Could you build me a temple as good as that? Could you build me such a resting place?
- Jeremiah 7:7Then I will let you stay in this land that I gave to your ancestors to keep forever.
- Matthew 15:7You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you, for he wrote,
- Luke 18:11The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed this prayer: ‘I thank you, God, that I am not like other people—cheaters, sinners, adulterers. I’m certainly not like that tax collector!
- Romans 1:9God knows how often I pray for you. Day and night I bring you and your needs in prayer to God, whom I serve with all my heart by spreading the Good News about his Son.
- Romans 8:15So you have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”
- Galatians 4:6And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”
- Ephesians 6:18Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
- Philippians 3:3For we who worship by the Spirit of God are the ones who are truly circumcised. We rely on what Christ Jesus has done for us. We put no confidence in human effort,
Commentaries on John 4:23
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 23The true worshippers shall worship - in spirit - The worship of the Samaritans was a defective worship - they did not receive the prophetical writings: that of the Jews was a carnal worship, dealing only in the letter, and referring to the spirit and design, which were at a distance, by types and ceremonies. The Gospel of Christ showed the meaning of all these carnal ordinances, and the legal sacrifices, which had all their consummation in his offering of…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 23But the hour cometh, and now is - The old dispensation is about to pass away, and the new one to commence. “Already” there is so much light that God may be worshipped acceptably in any place. The true worshippers - All who truly and sincerely worship God. They who do it with the heart, and not merely in form. In spirit - The word “spirit,” here, stands opposed to rites and ceremonies, and to the pomp of external worship. It refers to the “mind,” the…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. 1-42At an ancient well in Samaria, Jesus offered himself as living water. This living water means the life that comes from God. Jesus spoke openly about who he was. When he revealed God’s truth, people had to respond. They either followed him or turned away. The Samaritan woman is very different from Nicodemus. She was a woman, not a man. She was a Samaritan, not a Jew. She had a sinful past, not a reputation for righteousness. She was an outsider, not a…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 21-2421-24. Woman, &c.--Here are three weighty pieces of information: (1) The point raised will very soon cease to be of any moment, for a total change of dispensation is about to come over the Church. (2) The Samaritans are wrong, not only as to the place, but the whole grounds and nature of their worship, while in all these respects the truth lies with the Jews. (3) As God is a Spirit, so He both invites and demands a spiritual worship, and already all is in…Read the comment
Topics related to John 4:23
In the dictionaries
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
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