“(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
My Notes
What Does John 7:39 Mean?
John 7:39 is the narrator's parenthetical explanation of Jesus's promise of living water — a theological aside that both clarifies the metaphor and creates tension by pointing to something that hasn't happened yet.
"But this spake he of the Spirit" — the Greek touto de eipen peri tou pneumatos (but this he said concerning the Spirit) identifies the rivers of living water as the Holy Spirit. The metaphor is decoded: the resource that flows from the believer's innermost being is the Spirit of God.
"Which they that believe on him should receive" — the Greek hou emellon lambanein hoi pisteusantes eis auton (which those believing in him were about to receive) indicates that the Spirit's indwelling is both future (at that moment) and connected to belief. The faith is the condition. The Spirit is the gift.
"For the Holy Ghost was not yet given" — the Greek oupō gar ēn pneuma (for the Spirit was not yet) is startling in its brevity. The Greek literally says "the Spirit was not yet" — the word "given" is implied, not present in the oldest manuscripts. The Spirit existed, of course, but hadn't yet been given in the new covenant sense — the permanent, indwelling, personally-possessed presence that would characterize the post-Pentecost church.
"Because that Jesus was not yet glorified" — the Greek hoti Iēsous oudepō edoxasthē (because Jesus was not yet glorified) ties the Spirit's coming to Jesus's glorification. In John's theology, "glorification" encompasses the cross, resurrection, and ascension as a single event. The Spirit cannot come until Jesus is glorified — the giving of the Spirit is the fruit of the finished work. The cross makes Pentecost possible.
The verse reveals the sequential logic of salvation history: Jesus must die, rise, and ascend before the Spirit can be given. The living water Jesus promised flows from a source that hasn't yet been opened — the source that will be opened when Jesus is "lifted up" (3:14, 12:32).
Reflection Questions
- 1.The Spirit couldn't come until Jesus was glorified on the cross. How does connecting Pentecost to Calvary change your understanding of what the Spirit actually represents?
- 2.John says 'the Spirit was not yet' — the disciples had to wait. What are you currently waiting for from God that might depend on a sequence you can't see yet?
- 3.You live after Pentecost — the Spirit has been given. Are you living as if the rivers are available, or as if you're still waiting for something?
- 4.The Spirit flows from the 'glorification' of Jesus — which includes His suffering. How does knowing that the deepest spiritual resource comes from Christ's pain change how you view your own suffering?
Devotional
The Spirit was not yet. Because Jesus was not yet glorified.
John interrupts the narrative to explain something the crowd couldn't have understood: the rivers of living water Jesus promised were the Holy Spirit. But the Spirit couldn't come yet. Not because God was withholding. Because the sequence wasn't complete. Jesus had to be glorified first — and in John's Gospel, glorification means the cross.
This connection changes everything about how you understand both the cross and the Spirit. The Spirit isn't a consolation prize for Jesus leaving. The Spirit is the fruit of what Jesus accomplished by dying. The living water flows because the source was opened on Calvary. Pentecost is the consequence of Good Friday. The rivers that flow from your innermost being are sourced in a wound.
The phrase "the Spirit was not yet" also reveals something about living before and after Pentecost. The Old Testament saints had the Spirit's presence and power, but not the indwelling that characterizes the new covenant. What Jesus promises in John 7:38 — rivers flowing from within you — is something genuinely new. Something that required the cross to make possible. Something the prophets longed for and the disciples had to wait for.
You live on the other side of that waiting. The Spirit has been given. Jesus has been glorified. The sequence is complete. The rivers are available. Which means the question for you isn't whether the resource exists — it's whether you're drawing from it. The Spirit was not yet given then. But now? Now the Spirit is yours. The water is flowing. The only question is whether you're drinking.
Commentary
Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.
Many of the people therefore,.... Of the common people, and it may be chiefly those that came out of the country:
when…
Of the Spirit - Of the Holy Spirit, that should be sent down to attend their preaching and to convert sinners. For the…
Was not yet given - Δεδομενον, given is added by the Codex Vaticanus, (B.) the Syriac, all the Persic, later Syriac with…
In these verses we have,
I. Christ's discourse, with the explication of it, Joh 7:37-39. It is probable that these are…
this spake he of the Spirit S. John's interpretation is to be accepted, whatever may be our theory of inspiration, (1)…
Cross References
Related passages throughout Scripture