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Thursday, July 10th, 2025
the Week of Proper 9 / Ordinary 14
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Read the Bible

Mace New Testament

John 4:4

but being obliged to pass 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.
Bible in Basic English
And it was necessary for him to go 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.
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 but being obliged to pass through Samaria, 5 he came to a city of Samaria, called Sychar, near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 now Jacob's well was there. Jesus therefore being wearied with his journey, sat him down by the well: it being about the sixth hour. 7 where a woman of Samaria being come to draw water, Jesus said to her, give me to drink. 8 for his disciples were gone away to the city to buy provisions. 9 but the woman of Samaria said to him, how is it that you who are a Jew, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan? (for the Jews have no friendly intercourse with the Samaritans.) 10 Jesus answered her, if you knew the dispensation of God, and who it is that says to you, give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water. 11 sir, said the woman, you have nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: whence then can you get that living water? 12 are you wiser than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, as well as his children, and cattle? 13 Jesus answered her, they that drink of this water, will be thirsty 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

Hebrews 9:22
and indeed according to the law almost every thing is purified with blood, without the effusion of which, there is no remission of sins.
Hebrews 11:4
'Twas by faith that Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he was declared righteous, God himself having testified that he accepted his offering, and after he died for his faith, he was not silent.
Revelation 13:8
all that dwell upon the earth will worship him, whose names are not written from the foundation of the world in the book of life of the lamb, that was slain.

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.


 
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