So the woman left her waterpot and went into the city, and *said to the people,
Parallel translations
- WEB So the woman left her water pot, and went away into the city, and said to the people,
- KJV The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
- BSB Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people,
- NKJV The woman then left her waterpot, went her way into the city, and said to the men,
- NLT The woman left her water jar beside the well and ran back to the village, telling everyone,
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 leaves her water jar and goes back to the town. Her abandoned jar signals that she has found something greater than the water she came for.
Overview
Leaving the water pot behind suggests her priorities have shifted from physical water to the living water she has found in Christ. She hurries to tell others, becoming an eager witness. Her transformation models how an encounter with Jesus moves a person to bring others to him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 5
- John 4:7A woman of Samaria came to draw water. Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink.”
- Matt 28:8They departed quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, and ran to bring his disciples word.
- Luke 24:33They rose up that very hour, returned to Jerusalem, and found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them,
- Mark 16:8–10They went out, and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had come on them. They said nothing to anyone; for they were afraid.
- Luke 24:9returned from the tomb, and told all these things to the eleven, and to all the rest.
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 4:28 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.