Lectionary Calendar
Sunday, May 18th, 2025
the Fifth Sunday after Easter
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

New Life Version

John 4:4

He had to go through the country of 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 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 He had to go through the country of Samaria. 5 So He came to a town in Samaria called Sycar. It was near the piece of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob's well was there. Jesus was tired from traveling so He sat down just as He was by the well. It was about noon. 7 A woman of Samaria came to get water. Jesus said to her, "Give Me a drink." 8 His followers had gone to the town to buy food. 9 The woman of Samaria said to Him, "You are a Jew. I am of Samaria. Why do You ask me for a drink when the Jews have nothing to do with the people of Samaria?" 10 Jesus said to her, "You do not know what God has to give. You do not know Who said to you, ‘Give Me a drink.' If you knew, you would have asked Him. He would have given you living water." 11 The woman said to Him, "Sir, the well is deep. You have nothing to get water with. Where will You get the living water? 12 Are You greater than our early father Jacob? He gave us the well. He and his children and his cattle drank from it." 13 Jesus said to her, "Whoever drinks 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

Genesis 4:16
Then Cain went away from the face of the Lord, and stayed in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Genesis 4:17
Cain lay with his wife and she was going to have a child and she gave birth to Enoch. Cain built a city and gave it the name of Enoch, the name of his son.
Genesis 4:19
Lamech took two wives for himself. The name of one was Adah. And the name of the other was Zillah.
Genesis 4:20
Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and have cattle.
Genesis 15:17
When the sun had gone down and it was very dark, a fire pot of smoke and a burning fire passed between these parts of animals.
Exodus 13:12
There you must give to the Lord the first male to be born. And all the first male animals born belong to the Lord.
Leviticus 9:24
Then fire came from the Lord and burned up the burnt gift and the fat parts on the altar. When the people saw it, they cried out and bowed down with their faces to the ground.
Numbers 16:35
Then fire came from the Lord and destroyed the 250 men who had brought the special perfume.
Numbers 18:12
I give to you all the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the first-fruits of what they give to the Lord.
Numbers 18:17
But do not free the first-born of a bull or sheep or goat. For they are holy. You will put their blood on the altar and burn their fat as a gift by fire, a pleasing 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