The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I don’t get thirsty, neither come all the way here to draw.”
Parallel translations
- KJV The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.
- BSB The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
- NKJV The woman said to Him, “Sir, give me this water, that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.”
- NASB The woman *said to Him, “Sir, give me this water so that I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw water.”
- NLT “Please, sir,” the woman said, “give me this water! Then I’ll never be thirsty again, and I won’t have to come here to get water.”
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
The woman asks for this water so she will not thirst or have to keep coming to the well. She is still thinking in physical terms, yet now drawn toward what Jesus offers.
Overview
Her request shows partial openness even as she misunderstands the spiritual meaning. She desires relief from her daily labor at the well. Jesus will gently move her from this surface request to confronting her real need by raising the matter of her life.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- John 6:34They said therefore to him, “Lord, always give us this bread.”
- Rom 8:5For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
- Ps 4:6Many say, “Who will show us any good?” Yahweh, let the light of your face shine on us.
- Rom 6:23For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
- John 17:2–3even as you gave him authority over all flesh, he will give eternal life to all whom you have given him.
- Jas 4:3You ask, and don’t receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it for your pleasures.
- John 6:26Jesus answered them, “Most certainly I tell you, you seek me, not because you saw signs, but because you ate of the loaves, and were filled.
- 1 Jn 5:20We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life.
- 1 Cor 2:14Now the natural man doesn’t receive the things of God’s Spirit, for they are foolishness to him, and he can’t know them, because they are spiritually discerned.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 4:15 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.