Jesus *said to her, “I am He, the One speaking to you.”
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus said to her, “I am he, the one who speaks to you.”
- KJV Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
- BSB Jesus answered, “I who speak to you am He.”
- NKJV Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He. ”
- 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 to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.”
- Mark 14:61–62But he stayed quiet, and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
- Rom 10:20–21Isaiah is very bold, and says, “I was found by those who didn’t seek me. I was revealed to those who didn’t ask for me.”
- John 9:35–37Jesus heard that they had thrown him out, and finding him, he said, “Do you believe in the Son of God?”
- Matt 26:63–64But Jesus held his peace. The high priest answered him, “I adjure you by the living God, that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
- Luke 13:30Behold, there are some who are last who will be first, and there are some who are first who will be last.”
- Matt 20:15Isn’t it lawful for me to do what I want to with what I own? Or is your eye evil, because I am good?’
- Matt 16:20Then he commanded the disciples that they should tell no one that he was Jesus the Christ.
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 4:26 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.