Lectionary Calendar
Thursday, December 25th, 2025
Christmas Day
Attention!
Tired of seeing ads while studying? Now you can enjoy an "Ads Free" version of the site for as little as 10¢ a day and support a great cause!
Click here to learn more!

Read the Bible

Bible in Basic English

John 4:4

And it was necessary for him to go through Samaria.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Canaan;   Galilee;   Jesus, the Christ;   Roads;   Samaria;   Shechem;   Scofield Reference Index - Bible Prayers;   Thompson Chain Reference - Samaria;   Samaritans;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Galilee;   Samaria, Modern;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Judea;   Samaria;   Shechem;   Wells and Springs;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Galilee;   Jesus christ;   John, gospel of;   Judea;   Samaria, samaritans;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Woman;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Commentary;   Patience;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Samaria;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Aenon;   Galilee;   Gospels;   Jesus Christ;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Hour;   Jesus, Life and Ministry of;   John, the Gospel of;   Marriage;   Woman;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Messiah;   Mss;   Woman;   World;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - City;   Humanity of Christ;   Individuality;   John (the Apostle);   Ministry;   Palestine;   Peraea;   Reality;   Roads;   Samaria, Samaritans;   Sychar ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Samaria ;   36 Ought Must;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Mount samaria;   Samaria;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Sama'ria;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Samaria;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for May 9;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
He had to travel through Samaria;
King James Version (1611)
And hee must needs goe thorow Samaria.
King James Version
And he must needs go through Samaria.
English Standard Version
And he had to pass through Samaria.
New American Standard Bible
And He had to pass through Samaria.
New Century Version
But on the way he had to go through the country of Samaria.
Amplified Bible
Now He had to go through Samaria.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And He had to pass through Samaria.
Legacy Standard Bible
And He had to pass through Samaria.
Berean Standard Bible
Now He had to pass through Samaria.
Contemporary English Version
This time he had to go through Samaria,
Complete Jewish Bible
This meant that he had to pass through Shomron.
Darby Translation
And he must needs pass through Samaria.
Easy-to-Read Version
On the way to Galilee, he had to go through the country of Samaria.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And he must needes goe through Samaria.
George Lamsa Translation
He had to go through Samaritan territory.
Good News Translation
on his way there he had to go through Samaria.
Lexham English Bible
And it was necessary for him to go through Samaria.
Literal Translation
And it was needful for Him to pass through Samaria.
American Standard Version
And he must needs pass through Samaria.
Hebrew Names Version
He needed to pass through Shomron.
International Standard Version
Now it was necessary for him to go through Samaria.
Etheridge Translation
AND he needed that in going he should pass through among the Shomroyee;
Murdock Translation
And in going, he had occasion to pass through the midst of the Samaritans.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
For [it was so that] he must needes go through Samaria.
English Revised Version
And he must needs pass through Samaria.
World English Bible
He needed to pass through Samaria.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And he must needs go thro' Samaria. Then cometh he to a city of Samaria,
Weymouth's New Testament
His road lay through Samaria,
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And it bihofte hym to passe bi Samarie.
Update Bible Version
And he must surely pass through Samaria.
Webster's Bible Translation
And he must needs go through Samaria.
New English Translation
But he had to pass through Samaria.
New King James Version
But He needed to go through Samaria.
New Living Translation
He had to go through Samaria on the way.
New Life Bible
He had to go through the country of Samaria.
New Revised Standard
But he had to go through Samaria.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Now he must needs pass through Samaria.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And he was of necessity to pass through Samaria.
Revised Standard Version
He had to pass through Samar'ia.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And it was so that he must nedes goo thorowe Samaria.
Young's Literal Translation
and it was behoving him to go through Samaria.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
But he must nedes go thorow Samaria.
Mace New Testament (1729)
but being obliged to pass through Samaria,
THE MESSAGE
To get there, he had to pass through Samaria. He came into Sychar, a Samaritan village that bordered the field Jacob had given his son Joseph. Jacob's well was still there. Jesus, worn out by the trip, sat down at the well. It was noon.
Simplified Cowboy Version
Jesus was riding through Samaria and

Contextual Overview

4 And it was necessary for him to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town of Samaria which was named Sychar, near to the bit of land which Jacob gave to his son Joseph: 6 Now Jacob's fountain was there. Jesus, being tired after his journey, was resting by the fountain. It was about the sixth hour. 7 A woman of Samaria came to get water, and Jesus said to her, Give me some water. 8 For his disciples had gone to the town to get food. 9 The woman of Samaria said to him, Why do you, a Jew, make a request for water to me, a woman of Samaria? She said this because Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria. 10 In answer Jesus said, If you had knowledge of what God gives freely and who it is who says to you, Give me water, you would make your prayer to him, and he would give you living water. 11 The woman said to him, Sir, you have no vessel and the fountain is deep; from where will you get the living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the fountain and took the water of it himself, with his children and his cattle? 13 Jesus said to her, Everyone who takes this water will be in need of it again:

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

Matthew 10:5, Matthew 10:6, Luke 2:49, Luke 9:51, Luke 9:52, Luke 17:11

Reciprocal: 1 Kings 13:32 - in the cities 1 Kings 16:24 - the name of the city 1 John 5:11 - God

Cross-References

Genesis 4:16
And Cain went away from before the face of the Lord, and made his living-place in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
And Cain had connection with his wife and she became with child and gave birth to Enoch: and he made a town, and gave the town the name of Enoch after his son.
Genesis 4:19
And Lamech had two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
And Adah gave birth to Jabal: he was the father of such as are living in tents and keep cattle.
Genesis 15:17
Then when the sun went down and it was dark, he saw a smoking fire and a flaming light which went between the parts of the bodies.
Exodus 13:12
You are to put on one side for the Lord every mother's first male child, the first-fruit of her body, and the first young one of every beast; every male is holy to the Lord.
Leviticus 9:24
And fire came out from before the Lord, burning up the offering on the altar and the fat: and when all the people saw it, they gave a loud cry, falling down on their faces.
Numbers 16:35
Then fire came out from the Lord, burning up the two hundred and fifty men who were offering the perfume.
Numbers 18:12
All the best of the oil and the wine and the grain, the first-fruits of them which they give to the Lord, to you have I given them.
Numbers 18:17
But no such payment may be made for the first birth of an ox or a sheep or a goat; these are holy: their blood is to be dropped on the altar, and their fat burned for an offering made by fire, a sweet smell to the Lord.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And he must needs go through Samaria. Not the city, but the country of Samaria; for the way to Galilee from Judea, lay through the midst of Samaria; nor was there any other way, without going a great way about; see Luke 9:51; and which is also confirmed by Josephus c: and this accounts for his going through Samaria, consistently with his forbidding his apostles going in the way of the Gentiles, or into any of the cities of the Samaritans; since here was a necessity for it, or otherwise he himself would not have gone, where he forbid his disciples; though the prohibition may be understood, not of barely going into a Samaritan city; for it was lawful for them, notwithstanding that, to go into one of them, as appears from John 4:8; but of going to preach there,

Matthew 10:5. And besides this necessity, there was another thing that lay upon him, and obliged him to take this tour, and that is, the calling and conversion of a certain woman, and other Samaritans, whom the Father had given to him, and he was to redeem by his blood; and the time of whose effectual calling was now come; and therefore he must needs go this way, and at this particular time. The Arabic and Persic versions represent it, as a purpose and determination in his mind to go this way.

c Antiqu. Jud. 50:20. c 5. & in vita sua, p. 1019.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

And he must needs go through Samaria - Samaria was between Judea and Galilee. The direct and usual way was to pass through Samaria. Sometimes, however, the Jews took a circuitous route on the east side of the Jordan. See the notes at Matthew 2:22.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse John 4:4. And he must needs go through Samaria. — Or, It was necessary for him to pass through Samaria: for this plain reason, and no other, because it was the only proper road. Samaria lay northward of Judea, and between the great sea, Galilee, and Jordan; and there was therefore no going from Galilee to Jerusalem but through this province. Luke 17:11; Luke 17:11. From Jerusalem to Galilee through Samaria, according to Josephus, was three days' journey. See his own life.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile