“Jesus 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.”
My Notes
What Does John 4:10 Mean?
Jesus speaks to the Samaritan woman at the well with words that reveal his identity: if thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink — you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.
The irony: the woman came to draw water. Jesus asks her for water. And the real offer is reversed: if you knew who was asking, you would ask him. The giver and the receiver are inverted.
"The gift of God" — Jesus himself is the gift. The living water he offers is not separate from his person. He is the gift. The water and the giver are the same.
"Living water" — water that is alive, flowing, never stagnant. Unlike the well water that satisfies temporarily, the living water Jesus offers creates a spring inside the person that flows perpetually (v.14).
Reflection Questions
- 1.What does the woman not recognizing Jesus at the well represent about spiritual blindness?
- 2.How is Jesus both the asker and the giver in this exchange?
- 3.What is 'living water' — and how does it differ from what the world offers?
- 4.If you truly knew who was speaking to you, what would you ask for?
Devotional
If thou knewest the gift of God. The woman did not know who was sitting at the well with her. She saw a tired Jewish traveler. She did not see the gift of God wrapped in human skin.
And who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink. The one asking for water is the one who has water to give. The one who appears thirsty is the source of living water. The irony is the revelation.
Thou wouldest have asked him, and he would have given thee living water. The asking is the access. If she had known who he was, she would have asked. And if she had asked, he would have given. The living water was available. The knowledge of who was offering was the missing piece.
The gift of God. That is what Jesus calls himself — a gift. Not a demand. Not an obligation. A gift. The living water is offered freely to someone who came to a well because she was thirsty.
How many times have you sat next to Jesus and not known it? How many times has the gift of God been right there — offering living water — and you did not recognize who was speaking?
If you knew. If you really knew who it is that speaks to you — in Scripture, in prayer, in the quiet moments when something beyond you stirs inside — you would ask. And he would give.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Jesus answered and said unto her,.... In a very serious manner, in a different way from hers:
if thou knewest the gift…
The gift of God - The word “gift,” here denotes “favor.” It may refer to Jesus Himself, as the gift of God to the world,…
If thou knewest the gift of God - Δωρεαν signifies a free gift. A gift is any thing that is given, for which no…
We have here an account of the good Christ did in Samaria, when he passed through that country in his way to Galilee.…
the gift of God What He is ready to give thee, what is now held out to thee, thy salvation. For -knewest" read hadst…
Cross References
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