New Living Translation
John 4:24
24For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
John 4:24 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
- New International Version (NIV)God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
- English Standard Version (ESV)God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."
- New King James Version (NKJV)God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Context of John 4:24
22You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 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. For 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.” 26Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”
Read all of John 4John 4:24 word by word
πνεῦμα ὁ θεός, καὶ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτὸν ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ δεῖ προσκυνεῖν.¶Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
Cross-references for John 4:24
- 2 Corinthians 3:17For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.
- 1 Timothy 1:17All honor and glory to God forever and ever! He is the eternal King, the unseen one who never dies; he alone is God. Amen.
- 1 Samuel 16:7But the Lord said to Samuel, “Don’t judge by his appearance or height, for I have rejected him. The Lord doesn’t see things the way you see them. People judge by outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”
- Psalms 50:13Do I eat the meat of bulls? Do I drink the blood of goats?
- Psalms 51:17The sacrifice you desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.
- Psalms 66:18If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.
- Isaiah 57:15The high and lofty one who lives in eternity, the Holy One, says this: “I live in the high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble. I restore the crushed spirit of the humble and revive the courage of those with repentant hearts.
- Matthew 15:8‘These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.
- 2 Corinthians 1:12We can say with confidence and a clear conscience that we have lived with a God-given holiness and sincerity in all our dealings. We have depended on God’s grace, not on our own human wisdom. That is how we have conducted ourselves before the world, and especially toward you.
Commentaries on John 4:24
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 24God is a Spirit - This is one of the first, the greatest, the most sublime, and necessary truths in the compass of nature! There is a God, the cause of all things - the fountain of all perfection - without parts or dimensions, for he is Eternal - filling the heavens and the earth - pervading, governing, and upholding all things: for he is an infinite Spirit! This God can be pleased only with that which resembles himself: therefore he must hate sin and…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 24God is A spirit - This is the second reason why men should worship him in spirit and in truth. By this is meant that God is without a body; that he is not material or composed of parts; that he is invisible, in every place, pure and holy. This is one of the first truths of religion, and one of the sublimest ever presented to the mind of man. Almost all nations have had some idea of God as gross or material, but the Bible declares that he is a pure spirit…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. 24in spirit and in truth: In Greek, one preposition (a connecting word) is used for both words. This shows that spirit and truth form one united idea. True worship happens when God’s Spirit makes God’s truth known to a person. Worship is not only about a place or a ceremony. It is about responding to God with the help of his Spirit and according to what is true about him. Jesus himself is the Truth (14:6). The Spirit is also called the Spirit of truth…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 4:24
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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