God & Savior

John 4:14

But whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a fount of water springing up to eternal life.”
John 4:14
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Study notes

Jesus tells the Samaritan woman that whoever drinks the water He gives will never thirst; it becomes a spring of water welling up to eternal life.

Explanation

Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at Jacob's well (4:4-13). She thinks of ordinary water, but Jesus speaks of the life He gives. Later in John, flowing water pictures the Holy Spirit (7:37-39).

Original language
  • ὕδατος (hudatos): water
    Greek · Noun, genitive, singular, neuter · Strong's G5204 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Water.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 7

  • διψήσει (dipsēsei): to thirst
    Greek · Verb, future, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · Strong's G1372 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Will thirst.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 14

  • πηγὴ (pēgē): flow
    Greek · Noun, nominative, singular, feminine · Strong's G4077 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Spring, fountain.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 27

  • ἁλλομένου (hallomenou): to spring
    Greek · Verb, present, middle or passive (deponent), participle, genitive, singular, neuter · Strong's G0242 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Welling up, leaping up.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 29

  • ζωὴν (zōēn): life
    Greek · Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · Strong's G2222 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Life.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 31

  • αἰώνιον (aiōnion): eternal
    Greek · Adjective, accusative, singular, feminine · Strong's G0166 · text: NA28 (as recorded in TAGNT)

    Eternal.

    Source: STEP Bible (Tyndale House, Cambridge), TAGNT: Translators Amalgamated Greek New Testament, STEPBible-Data commit ed476a8, John 4:14, word 32

Places
  • Sychar
    From the surrounding passage · Location: unknown

    Setting from John 4:5.

    A town in Samaria near Jacob's well.

Cross-references
  • John 7:37-39 · Same theme

    Rivers of living water: the Spirit.

  • Isaiah 55:1 · Background

    Come, all you who are thirsty.

  • Revelation 22:17 · Same theme

    Let the one who is thirsty come and take the water of life.

Sources

Original language and places

Reference data from open datasets, shown as published by their sources. Word-by-word English is a literal guide, not a translation.

Original language (Greek)

ὃς δ᾽ ἂν πίῃ ἐκ τοῦ ὕδατος οὗ ἐγὼ δώσω αὐτῷ, οὐ μὴ διψήσει εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ἀλλὰ τὸ ὕδωρ ὃ δώσω αὐτῷ γενήσεται ἐν αὐτῷ πηγὴ ὕδατος ἁλλομένου εἰς ζωὴν αἰώνιον.

  1. ὃςhos“who[ever]”
    Relative pronoun, nominative, singular, masculine · from ὅς, ἥ · “which” · Strong's G3739
  2. δ᾽d᾽“however”
    Conjunction · from δέ · “but/and” · Strong's G1161
  3. ἂνan“maybe”
    Particle · from ἄν · “if” · Strong's G0302
  4. πίῃpiē“may drink”
    Verb, 2nd aorist, active, subjunctive, 3rd person singular · from πίνω · “to drink” · Strong's G4095
  5. ἐκek“of”
    Preposition · “out from” · Strong's G1537
  6. τοῦtou“the”
    Article, genitive, singular, neuter · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  7. ὕδατοςhudatos“water”
    Noun, genitive, singular, neuter · from ὕδωρ, ὕδατος · “water” · Strong's G5204
  8. οὗhou“that”
    Relative pronoun, genitive, singular, neuter · from ὅς, ἥ · “which” · Strong's G3739
  9. ἐγὼegō“I myself”
    Personal pronoun, 1st person, nominative, singular · from ἐγώ · “I/we” · Strong's G1473
  10. δώσωdōsō“will give”
    Verb, future, active, indicative, 1st person singular · from δίδωμι · “to give” · Strong's G1325
  11. αὐτῷ,autō“to him,”
    Personal pronoun, dative, singular, masculine · from αὐτός · “he/she/it/self” · Strong's G0846
  12. οὐou“certainly”
    Particle, negative · “no” · Strong's G3756
  13. μὴmē“not”
    Particle, negative · from μή · “not” · Strong's G3361
  14. διψήσειdipsēsei“will thirst”
    Verb, future, active, indicative, 3rd person singular · from διψάω · “to thirst” · Strong's G1372
  15. εἰςeis“to”
    Preposition · “toward” · Strong's G1519
  16. τὸνton“the”
    Article, accusative, singular, masculine · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  17. αἰῶνα,aiōna“age,”
    Noun, accusative, singular, masculine · from αἰών · “an age” · Strong's G0165H
  18. ἀλλὰalla“Instead”
    Conjunction · from ἀλλά · “but” · Strong's G0235
  19. τὸto“the”
    Article, nominative, singular, neuter · from ὁ · “the/this/who” · Strong's G3588
  20. ὕδωρhudōr“water”
    Noun, nominative, singular, neuter · from ὕδωρ, ὕδατος · “water” · Strong's G5204
  21. ὃho“that”
    Relative pronoun, accusative, singular, neuter · from ὅς, ἥ · “which” · Strong's G3739
  22. δώσωdōsō“I will give”
    Verb, future, active, indicative, 1st person singular · from δίδωμι · “to give” · Strong's G1325
  23. αὐτῷautō“to him”
    Personal pronoun, dative, singular, masculine · from αὐτός · “he/she/it/self” · Strong's G0846
  24. γενήσεταιgenēsetai“it will become”
    Verb, future, middle (deponent), indicative, 3rd person singular · from γίνομαι · “to be” · Strong's G1096
  25. ἐνen“in”
    Preposition · “in/on/among” · Strong's G1722
  26. αὐτῷautō“him”
    Personal pronoun, dative, singular, masculine · from αὐτός · “he/she/it/self” · Strong's G0846
  27. πηγὴpēgē“a spring”
    Noun, nominative, singular, feminine · from πηγή · “flow” · Strong's G4077
  28. ὕδατοςhudatos“of water”
    Noun, genitive, singular, neuter · from ὕδωρ, ὕδατος · “water” · Strong's G5204
  29. ἁλλομένουhallomenou“welling up”
    Verb, present, middle or passive (deponent), participle, genitive, singular, neuter · from ἅλλομαι · “to spring” · Strong's G0242
  30. εἰςeis“into”
    Preposition · “toward” · Strong's G1519
  31. ζωὴνzōēn“life”
    Noun, accusative, singular, feminine · from ζωή · “life” · Strong's G2222
  32. αἰώνιον.aiōnion“eternal.”
    Adjective, accusative, singular, feminine · from αἰώνιος · “eternal” · Strong's G0166
  • Prepared by the God & Savior team. Not yet reviewed by an editor.
  • Greek words: STEP Bible (STEPBible.org), based on work at Tyndale House, Cambridge. CC BY 4.0. Source (version ed476a8)