John 4:7-15 Meaning: Jesus Offers Living Water at the Well
7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
8For his disciples had gone away into the city to buy food.
9The Samaritan woman therefore said to him, “How is it that you, being a Jew, ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
11The woman said to him, “Sir, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. So where do you get that living water?
12Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?”
13Jesus answered her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again,
14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”
7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink.
8For his disciples were gone away into the city to buy food.
9The Samaritan woman therefore saith unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? (For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans.)
10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou that living water?
12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
14but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall become in him a well of water springing up unto eternal life.
15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come all the way hither to draw.
7there cometh a woman out of Samaria to draw water. Jesus saith to her, `Give me to drink;'
8for his disciples were gone away to the city, that they may buy victuals;
9the Samaritan woman therefore saith to him, `How dost thou, being a Jew, ask drink from me, being a Samaritan woman?' for Jews have no dealing with Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said to her, `If thou hadst known the gift of God, and who it is who is saying to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water.'
11The woman saith to him, `Sir, thou hast not even a vessel to draw with, and the well is deep; whence, then, hast thou the living water?
12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?'
13Jesus answered and said to her, `Every one who is drinking of this water shall thirst again;
14but whoever may drink of the water that I will give him, may not thirst--to the age; and the water that I will give him shall become in him a well of water, springing up to life age-during.'
15The woman saith unto him, `Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come hither to draw.'
7A woman comes out of Samaria to draw water. Jesus says to her, Give me to drink
8(for his disciples had gone away into the city that they might buy provisions).
9The Samaritan woman therefore says to him, How dost thou, being a Jew, ask to drink of me who am a Samaritan woman? for Jews have no intercourse with Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said to her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that says to thee, Give me to drink, thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11The woman says to him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then hast thou the living water?
12Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle?
13Jesus answered and said to her, Every one who drinks of this water shall thirst again;
14but whosoever drinks of the water which I shall give him shall never thirst for ever, but the water which I shall give him shall become in him a fountain of water, springing up into eternal life.
15The woman says to him, Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst nor come here to draw.
Meaning in one sentence
Jesus crosses ethnic and gender barriers to ask a Samaritan woman for water, promising living water that becomes a spring of eternal life within.
Context
Jesus is traveling from Judea to Galilee, and John tells us he had to go through Samaria. Around noon, tired from the journey, he rests at Jacob's well near the town of Sychar. His disciples have gone into town to buy food. A Samaritan woman comes to draw water. This encounter would have been surprising on many levels: a Jewish man speaking publicly to a woman, especially a Samaritan. The hostility between Jews and Samaritans ran deep. Yet Jesus does more than ask for a drink. He turns the moment into a conversation about a gift God wants to give her. What begins as a simple request becomes an invitation to receive what no well can provide.
Key Words
Two words in this passage carry the weight of the whole encounter. The first is the word Jesus uses for what he offers: living water. The Greek term is hudōr zōn. The participle zōn (from zaō) means alive, active, fresh. This is not water carried from a well and stored in a jar. It is water that springs, moves, and gives life as it flows. Jacob's well held good water, but it was still water. Jesus is talking about something altogether different, something that lives.
The second word is the woman's simple word for bucket: antlēma. She says Jesus has nothing to draw with, and the well is deep. She can only think in terms of a rope and a jar. But the gift Jesus speaks of requires no bucket. He calls it a dōrea, a free gift, not earned or carried. And the water he gives becomes pēgē, a spring, that hallomenou, leaps up like water gushing from a hidden source. This is no ordinary water. It becomes a fountain inside a person, flowing toward eternal life.
How Christians Read This Verse
Commentators across traditions have seen layers in this exchange. Many note that Jesus crosses a cultural boundary not just by speaking to a Samaritan woman, but by asking to receive from her. Calvin saw this as Christ using a simple human need to open a door for grace. Matthew Henry emphasized that Jesus offered himself as the gift of God, and the woman's questions, however literal, showed an honest search. Modern readers from both Catholic and Protestant backgrounds often highlight the woman's spiritual progress: she moves from surprise to curiosity to a tentative request for the water. The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges defends the historicity of the narrative against claims it is allegory. Across these readings, a common thread remains: Jesus meets a person who has been marginalized and offers her the same gift he offers anyone who will ask.
A common misunderstanding
It is easy to assume the Samaritan woman completely misses the point, that she is spiritually dull or stubborn. In fact, she engages Jesus at every step. She notices that a Jew is speaking to her, asks honest questions, and ends the conversation asking for the water he offers. As one commentator puts it, her final request is not obtuseness giving way, it expresses a wondering desire after something she hardly understands.
Living This Out
You may feel as if your life is a well you have to keep drawing from, and it keeps running dry. A job, a relationship, a weekend, you go back to the same place for a drink that never lasts. Jesus does not scold you for being thirsty. He meets you exactly where you are, in the middle of your ordinary errands, and offers something that keeps springing up. This week, instead of going back to the same old well one more time, try telling him honestly: Give me this water. He knows what you mean, even if you do not fully understand it yet. And keep an eye out for people you would normally avoid. Jesus may be asking them for a drink, too.
Main takeaway: Jesus offers a gift that never runs dry, his own life, springing up in us to eternal life.
For Families
For ages 5, 8
Jesus was very thirsty. He asked a woman at a well for a drink. But then He told her He could give her water that would make her never be thirsty again! That water is Jesus Himself. He loves us and gives us life that never ends.
For ages 9, 12
When Jesus asked the Samaritan woman for water, He was breaking a lot of rules. Jews and Samaritans did not talk to each other, and men did not talk to strange women. But Jesus used this moment to talk about something much bigger. He offered her living water, not water you carry home, but a gift from God that satisfies your soul forever. She did not fully understand at first, but she was curious enough to ask for it. Jesus meets us in our everyday life and invites us to ask for what only He can give.
Questions People Ask
Why did Jesus ask a Samaritan woman for water?
Jesus had a real human need, he was thirsty. But he also wanted to start a conversation with someone who was considered an outsider. By asking her for water, he broke through the hostility between Jews and Samaritans and opened the door to offer her the gift of living water.
What is living water?
Living water is a metaphor for the life Jesus gives, the Holy Spirit, his grace, and eternal life. In the Greek, the phrase means water that is alive and flowing, like a spring, not still or stored. Jesus says this water becomes a fountain inside a person, springing up to eternal life.
Did the Samaritan woman understand what Jesus meant?
At first she thought he was talking about regular water that would save her a trip to the well. But she was genuinely curious and kept asking questions. By the end of the conversation she did not fully grasp it, but she was open enough to ask for this water. Her understanding grew as Jesus continued speaking.
Why were Jews and Samaritans hostile to each other?
The Samaritans were a mixed people who worshipped differently from the Jews. They accepted only the first five books of the Bible and built their own temple. The Jews considered them impure and would not associate with them. That makes Jesus' request even more striking.
What does it mean that the water springs up to eternal life?
The word for 'springs up' in Greek is hallomai, which means to leap or gush. The water Jesus gives is not a one-time drink. It becomes a permanent, active source of life inside a person, moving them toward eternal life with God. It is not just a future promise but a present reality.
For pastors & researchers
Greek interlinear, 8 commentaries & word study