John 4:12
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
John 4:12 in other translations
| BSB | Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock?” |
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| WEB | Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his children and his livestock?” |
| ASV | Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his sons, and his cattle? |
| YLT | Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who did give us the well, and himself out of it did drink, and his sons, and his cattle?' |
| DARBY | Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his sons, and his cattle? |
| BBE | Are you greater than our father Jacob who gave us the fountain and took the water of it himself, with his children and his cattle? |
| Webster | Art thou greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, and his children, and his cattle? |
What does John 4:12 mean?
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 4:9-12
9-12. How is it that thou--not altogether refusing, yet wondering at so unusual a request from a Jew, as His dress and dialect would at once discover Him to be, to a Samaritan. for, &c.--It is this national antipathy that gives point to the parable of the good Samaritan (Lu 10:30-37), and the thankfulness of the Samaritan leper (Lu 17:16, 18).
Barnes' Notes
Our father Jacob. The Samaritans were composed partly of the remnant of the ten tribes, and partly of people sent from Chaldea; still, they considered themselves descendants of Jacob.
Which gave us. This was doubtless the tradition, though there is no evidence that it was true.
And drank thereof, &c. This was added in commendation of the water of the well. A well from which Jacob, and his sons, and cattle had drank must be pure, and wholesome, and honoured, and quite as valuable as any that Jesus could furnish. Men like to commend that which their ancestors used as superior to anything else. The world over, people love to speak of that which their ancestors have done, and boast of titles and honours that have been handed down from them, even if it is nothing better than existed here--because Jacob's cattle had drunk of the water.
Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 4:4-26
There was great hatred between the Samaritans and the Jews. Christ's road from Judea to Galilee lay through Samaria. We should not go into places of temptation but when we needs must; and then must not dwell in them, but hasten through them. We have here our Lord Jesus under the common fatigue of travellers. Thus we see that he was truly a man. Toil came in with sin; therefore Christ, having made himself a curse for…
John 4:12 in the original Greek
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Cross references for John 4:12
- John 8:53
Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead? and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?
- Matthew 12:42
The queen of the south shall rise up in the judgment with this generation, and shall condemn it: for she came from the uttermost parts of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and, behold, a greater than Solomon is here.
- Hebrews 3:3
For this man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house.
- Isaiah 53:2-3
For he shall grow up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground: he hath no form nor comeliness; and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.
- John 4:6
Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour.
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Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Context
- John 4:11
The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
- John 4:12
Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
- John 4:13
Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:
John 4:12 in other languages
| Spanish Reina-Valera 1909 | ¿Eres tú mayor que nuestro padre Jacob, que nos dió este pozo, del cual él bebió, y sus hijos, y sus ganados? |
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| French Bible J.N. Darby 1885 | Es-tu plus grand que notre père Jacob qui nous a donné le puits; et lui-même en a bu, et ses fils, et son bétail? |
| German Elberfelder 1871 | Du bist doch nicht größer als unser Vater Jakob, der uns den Brunnen gab, und er selbst trank aus demselben und seine Söhne und sein Vieh? |
| Latin Clementine Vulgate | Numquid tu major es patre nostro Jacob, qui dedit nobis puteum, et ipse ex eo bibit, et filii ejus, et pecora ejus? |