Are You greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank from it himself, as well as his sons and his livestock?”
Parallel translations
- WEB Are you greater than our father, Jacob, who gave us the well, and drank of it himself, as did his children, and his livestock?”
- KJV Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
- 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?”
- NASB You are not greater than our father Jacob, are You, who gave us the well and drank of it himself, and his sons and his cattle?”
- NLT And besides, do you think you’re greater than our ancestor Jacob, who gave us this well? How can you offer better water than he and his sons and his animals enjoyed?”
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
She asks whether Jesus is greater than Jacob, who gave the well. Her question, meant skeptically, ironically points toward Jesus' true superiority.
Overview
Invoking the patriarch Jacob, the woman doubts that Jesus could offer anything greater than the ancestral well. John's readers recognize the dramatic irony: Jesus is indeed far greater than Jacob. Her challenge sets up Jesus' contrast between perishable water and the water of eternal life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- Matt 12:42The queen of the south will rise up in the judgment with this generation, and will condemn it, for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, someone greater than Solomon is here.
- John 8:53Are you greater than our father, Abraham, who died? The prophets died. Who do you make yourself out to be?”
- Heb 3:3For he has been counted worthy of more glory than Moses, because he who built the house has more honor than the house.
- Isa 53:2–3For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no good looks or majesty. When we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.
- John 4:6Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being tired from his journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 4:12 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.