Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”
- BSB Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
- NKJV Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He. ”
- NASB Jesus *said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”
- NLT Then Jesus told her, “I Am the Messiah!”
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
Jesus plainly tells her, 'I am he,' identifying himself as the Messiah. This is one of his clearest self-revelations, given to a Samaritan woman.
Overview
Jesus openly claims to be the awaited Christ, a disclosure he rarely makes so directly. The Greek 'I am' may also echo the divine name, hinting at his deeper identity. That he reveals himself first and so clearly to a Samaritan woman magnifies the breadth and grace of his mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- John 8:24I said therefore unto you, that ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am he, ye shall die in your sins.
- Mark 14:61–62But he held his peace, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?
- Rom 10:20–21But Esaias is very bold, and saith, I was found of them that sought me not; I was made manifest unto them that asked not after me.
- John 9:35–37Jesus heard that they had cast him out; and when he had found him, he said unto him, Dost thou believe on the Son of God?
- Matt 26:63–64But Jesus held his peace. And the high priest answered and said unto him, I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God.
- Luke 13:30And, behold, there are last which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last.
- Matt 20:15Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?
- Matt 16:20Then charged he his disciples that they should tell no man that he was Jesus the Christ.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 4:26 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.