Limitless Word
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
John 4:40 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB So when the Samaritans came to him, they begged him to stay with them. He stayed there two days.
  • BSB So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.
  • NKJV So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
  • NASB So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
  • NLT When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days,

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 Samaritans urged Jesus to stay, and he remained two days among them. Jesus willingly crossed ethnic and religious barriers to bring the gospel to a despised people.

Overview

Jews normally avoided contact with Samaritans, yet Jesus accepts their invitation and lodges among them. His readiness to dwell with outsiders anticipates the worldwide reach of salvation. It foreshadows the gospel going to all nations, breaking down the dividing walls of hostility.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 11

  • Rev 3:20Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.
  • Luke 24:29But they constrained him, saying, Abide with us: for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent. And he went in to tarry with them.
  • Gen 32:26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.
  • Acts 16:15And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she constrained us.
  • Luke 19:5–10And when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchaeus, make haste, and come down; for to day I must abide at thy house.
  • Luke 8:38Now the man out of whom the devils were departed besought him that he might be with him: but Jesus sent him away, saying,
  • 2 Cor 6:1–2We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain.
  • Jer 14:8O the hope of Israel, the saviour thereof in time of trouble, why shouldest thou be as a stranger in the land, and as a wayfaring man that turneth aside to tarry for a night?
  • Song 3:4It was but a little that I passed from them, but I found him whom my soul loveth: I held him, and would not let him go, until I had brought him into my mother’s house, and into the chamber of her that conceived me.
  • Prov 4:13Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life.
  • Luke 10:39And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (3)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 4:40YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 4:40 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.