He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.”
Parallel translations
- WEB He who believes in me, as the Scripture has said, from within him will flow rivers of living water.”
- KJV He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.
- BSB Whoever believes in Me, as the Scripture has said: ‘Streams of living water will flow from within him.’”
- NASB The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ”
- NLT Anyone who believes in me may come and drink! For the Scriptures declare, ‘Rivers of living water will flow from his heart.’”
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 promises that from the one who believes in Him will flow rivers of living water, as Scripture said. Faith in Christ brings an overflowing, life-giving work of the Spirit.
Overview
Drawing on Old Testament imagery of water and life, Jesus declares that believers will become channels of the Spirit's life-giving power. This promise points to the abundant, satisfying, and outward-flowing reality of the Spirit given to those united to Christ. The next verse clarifies that this living water is the Holy Spirit, granted after Jesus' glorification.
Cross-references & the web
Theme
- Living Water"Rivers of living water" — the Spirit.
Cross-references · 14
- John 4:14but whoever drinks of the water that I will give him will never thirst again; but the water that I will give him will become in him a well of water springing up to eternal life.”
- Isa 44:3For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and streams on the dry ground. I will pour my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your offspring:
- Isa 58:11and Yahweh will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in dry places, and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters don’t fail.
- Isa 12:3Therefore with joy you will draw water out of the wells of salvation.
- John 4:10Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God, and who it is who says to you, ‘Give me a drink,’ you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water.”
- Prov 10:11The mouth of the righteous is a spring of life, but violence covers the mouth of the wicked.
- Zech 14:8It will happen in that day, that living waters will go out from Jerusalem; half of them toward the eastern sea, and half of them toward the western sea; in summer and in winter will it be.
- Prov 18:4The words of a man’s mouth are like deep waters. The fountain of wisdom is like a flowing brook.
- Gal 5:22–23But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith,
- Isa 59:21“As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says Yahweh. “My Spirit who is on you, and my words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart out of your mouth, nor out of the mouth of your offspring, nor out of the mouth of your offspring’s offspring,” says Yahweh, “from henceforth and forever.”
- Ezek 47:1–12He brought me back to the door of the house; and behold, waters issued out from under the threshold of the house eastward; (for the forefront of the house was toward the east;) and the waters came down from under, from the right side of the house, on the south of the altar.
- Job 32:18–19For I am full of words. The spirit within me constrains me.
- Deut 18:15Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
- Eph 5:9for the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth,
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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 7:38 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.