John 4:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

What then does the woman do? Hearing His words, "Give Me a drink," she very sensibly turns Christ's words into an occasion for a question.

"How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."

Why did she think that He was a Jew? Perhaps she recognized Him by His clothing or by His speech. But notice how cautious the woman is.

If caution was needed, it was needed by Jesus, not by her. According to her words, the Samaritans do not shun the Jews, but the Jews do not associate with the Samaritans.

Yet the woman, though free of this accusation herself, and thinking that another was subject to it, did not keep silent. She corrects what, in her view, was contrary to the Law.

By His appearance, perhaps by His clothing, by His bodily posture, and by His very speech, the Samaritan woman took the Lord for a Jew. Therefore she says to Him, "How is it that You, being a Jew," and so on. See how perceptive the woman was. If anyone needed to be cautious, it was the Lord, not she. For she did not say, "Samaritans have no dealings with Jews," but, "Jews have no dealings with Samaritans." Yet the woman does not stop there. Thinking that the Lord is doing something unlawful, she corrects what is taking place contrary to the law.

Questioning is the beginning of instruction, and perplexity about unknown things serves as the root of understanding them. Conversation usually begins in this way. For this reason the Savior wisely presents Himself as one who counts the customs of the Jews as nothing.

You see foreigners, for the Jews did not generally use their vessels. Since the woman was carrying a vessel to draw water, she marveled that a Jew asked her for a drink, which Jews usually did not do.

You see that they are foreigners. The Jews did not use their vessels at all.

Since the woman had brought a vessel with which to draw water, she was astonished that a Jew asked her for a drink, something Jews did not ordinarily do.

But He who wished to drink thirsted for faith from this woman.

"They have no dealings," that is, they have no fellowship, despising them as half-Jews. How did she know that He was a Jew? By His clothing, or also by His accent. But Jesus Christ, not as a mere Jew but also as God, disregarded this custom. By this He laid the beginning for winning not only the Samaritans, but all nations throughout the whole earth. The Samaritan woman, thinking that He was sinning, speaks openly to Him and reminds Him of the custom.

The holy woman, then, approached and drew with wisdom. Seeing the Master tired and thirsty, and hearing Him cry, "Woman, give Me a drink," she was not irritated.

Instead she said reproachfully, "And how can You, being a Jew, make a request of me?" She recalled the rule, but afterward with prudence promised the drink.

She did not say, "I will not give You, a foreigner, drink." She said, "How can You ask?" So once the Theotokos said to the angel, "How shall this be?" (Lk 1:34).

How does He who has no mother take me as mother, He who grants joy and redemption?

Thus, for me, the woman of Samaria from Sychar appears like the painter of two images: of the Church and of Mary.

Being discerning, and seeing from His clothing, His bearing, and His evident outward appearance that He was a Jew and a keeper of the law, she says, "I marvel. How do You ask drink of a Samaritan woman, when Jews have no dealings with Samaritans, as though with Gentiles?"

How did the Samaritan woman know that the Lord was a Jew? By His voice and pronunciation, just as the men of Gilead recognized the Ephraimites (Judg 12:6), and those in the high priest's courtyard recognized Peter.

Recognizing Him in this way, she was astonished that He asked water from her. "How," she said, "being a Jew, do You ask me, a Samaritan woman, for water to drink?"

The woman said only this. But the Evangelist added the reason, mentioning why the woman spoke so: because Jews do not join with or associate with Samaritans.

Did the Jews act rightly in this, or only according to custom and disagreement? The Law itself forbade the Jews to associate with pagans and enter into marriages with them (Lev 20:24).

Verse 9. Between the Samaritans and the Jews there was ancient enmity.

The Samaritans arose from the remnants of the ten tribes of Israel, whom Shalmaneser, king of Assyria, led into captivity, and from inhabitants of certain Babylonian regions who were resettled there.

These groups mingled with one another. Because lions attacked their land, they invited a Jewish priest to come to them and accepted the confession of the Jews (4 Kgs 17).

After the Jews returned from the Babylonian captivity, the Samaritans received them as brothers in faith and expressed a desire to take part in building the second Temple in Jerusalem.

They were rejected by the Jews. From that time enmity began between them, continuing until the fall of Judea and after it.

"How is it that You, being a Jew," and so forth. The Samaritan woman could have known that the one speaking with her was a Jew by His pronunciation.

The pure Jewish pronunciation differed from the mixed Samaritan pronunciation, and likewise from the Galilean. Compare Judg 12:6.

Perhaps she knew also by His appearance, clothing, and some other bodily posture. Compare Theophylact and Chrysostom.

"You ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman," and so forth. Knowing the mutual hatred and aversion between Jews and Samaritans, the woman is astonished.

How can the Lord wish to drink from her vessel, and, so to speak, from her hands, when the Jews consider it a sin to have any fellowship with Samaritans in food and drink?

Verse 9. The woman recognizes Jesus as a Jew more by His clothing than by His pronunciation, which could hardly be distinguished from two or three words.

The simple-hearted woman says, "How is it that You, being a Jew, ask a drink from me, a Samaritan woman? For Jews have no dealings with Samaritans."

Jewish righteousness permitted a Jew on the road, in necessity, to have dealings with a Samaritan and buy food from him.

But it by no means permitted him to ask anything from him or drink from his cup. Freely, Jews bought from Samaritans neither food, nor clothing, nor anything else, considering them unclean.

Contempt for the Samaritans arose because the Israelites who returned from captivity settled together with foreigners, adopted pagan customs from them, and even worshiped idols.