John 4:8

Joh 4:8. Γάρ, for) Had the disciples been present to have drawn for Him, Jesus would not have asked the woman.—[82] ἵνα) That they might buy food. When afterwards sent to teach, for the sake of teaching, they did not enter the Samaritan towns.

[82] μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ, His disciples) The Twelve were not at that time yet chosen; yet it is likely they were with Him in this journey. Not merely two, but all entered the town; the novelty of which circumstance seems to have stimulated the men, the more readily in consequence, afterwards to give ear to the woman.—V. g.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 4:8 . οἱ γὰρ μαθηταὶ … ἀγοράσωσι . This gives the reason for the request. Had the disciples been present they would have made the request: an indication of the relations already subsisting between the disciples and the Lord. Probably the five first called were still with Him. That the disciples had gone to buy in Sychar, shows either that the law allowed trading with Samaritans, or that Jesus and His disciples ignored the law. But the woman is surprised at the request of Jesus.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(8) For introduces His reason for asking this favour of her. The disciples had gone on. He was alone, and without the means of getting water for Himself (Joh_4:11).

Meat.—Better, food, as the former word is misleading in modern English. See Gen_1:29-30, and Deu_20:20, where herbs and fruits are termed “meat.” It will be remembered that the meat-offering did not consist of flesh, but of flour and oil and ears of corn (Leviticus 2).

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. to buy meat] i.e. food, not necessarily flesh. The meat-offering was fine flour and oil without any flesh. Lev_2:1. The Greek word here means ‘nourishment.’

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For his disciples were gone away,.... This is related, not so much to give a reason why Christ asked the woman for water, because his disciples were not present, to minister to him; but rather to show, that Christ took the opportunity, in their absence, to converse with her; partly to avoid the scandal and offence they might take, at his conversation with her, being a Samaritan; as it appears to have been astonishing to them, when they found him talking with her, Joh 4:27. And partly, that he might not put the woman to shame and blushing before them all; he chooses to tell her of the sins of her former life, in a private way. The disciples were gone

unto the city: to the city Sychar, which was hard by; and their business there, was

to buy meat: for though it is said, in the following verse, that the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans; yet this is not to be understood in the strictest sense; for they had dealings with them in some respects, as will be seen hereafter; particularly their food, eatables, and drinkables, were lawful to be bought of them, and used: it is said by R. Juda bar Pazi, in the name of R. Ame (g),

"a roasted egg of the Cuthites (or Samaritans), lo, this is lawful: says R. Jacob bar Acha, in the name of R. Lazar, the boiled victuals of the Cuthites (Samaritans), lo, these are free; this he says concerning boiled food, because it is not their custom to put wine and vinegar into it,''

for these were forbidden: hence it is often said (h), that

"the unleavened bread of the Cuthites (or Samaritans), is lawful, and that a man is allowed the use of it at the passover.''

And there was a time when their wine was lawful; for one of their canons runs thus (i);

"he that buys wine of the Cuthites (Samaritans), says, the two logs that I shall separate, lo, they are first fruits, &c.''

It is indeed said in one place, R. Eliezer (k).

"that, he that eats the bread of the Cuthites (or Samaritans), is as if he eat flesh; to when (who reported this) says (R. Akiba) be silent, I will not tell you what R. Eliezer thinks concerning it.''

Upon which the commentators serve (l), that this is not to be understood strictly; cause he that eats bread of the Samaritans, does deserve stripes according to the law, but according to the constitutions of the wise men; but these, Christ and his disciples had no regard to.

(g) T. Hieros. Avoda Zara, fol. 44. 4. (h) T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 10. 1. & Cholin, fol. 4. 1. & Kiddushin, fol. 76. 1. (i) Misn. Demai, c. 7. sect. 4. Vid. Bartenora in ib. (k) Misna Sheviith, c. 8. sect. 10. Pirke Eliezer, c. 38. (l) Maimon. & Bartenora in Misn. ib.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

8 (For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)

Ver. 8. To buy meat] For our Saviour lived not upon alms; but although he became poor to make us rich, 2Co 8:9, yet had he a bag, and that so big as that it required a bearer, Joh 12:6, his friends and followers supplying him with money for his necessary uses and for relief of the poor.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Buy meat - Buy food.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

This is added, lest any should say, How came our Saviour in this discourse with the woman of Samaria? They were travelling upon the road, and came near to Sichem. Our Lord’s disciples were gone to the city to buy some food for them; in the mean time, our Saviour coming to the well, called Jacob’s well, sets him down, and this Samaritan woman cometh to that well to draw water; our Saviour, being thirsty, asks of her some water to drink; this giveth occasion to the following discourse.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

8. Unto the city—Of Shechem, by the shorter route, for his midday refreshment.

To buy—In Samaria they would find no hospitable entertainer; and they must purchase from the common purse, of which Judas was sooner or later the carrier.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For his disciples had departed into the city to buy food. This is stated as a reason why he asked water from the chance wayfarer, who had obviously with her the "water pot" and the antlhma (ver. 11), a word used for the rope with which the bucket or water jar was let down into the well. There are very discordant statements as to the degree of separation which the Jews insisted upon between themselves and Samaritans. The later rabbis greatly aggravated the feeling. They refused to eat the bread of Samaritans, as though it were more defiling than swine"s flesh; objected to drink their wine or vinegar; and, if this animosity at the time of Christ had been equally pronounced, would have limited the disciples in their choice of food to uncooked eggs, fruits, and vegetables, and possibly to meal and wine. But it seems, from the earlier rabbinical books (Edersheim quotes several, which modify Lightfoot"s authorities), that the meat of a Samaritan was lawful food if an Israelite had witnessed its killing, and that their bread, wine, etc., were not forbidden. We see no reason for thinking that Jesus was left absolutely alone on this occasion, and, from John"s habitual method of avoiding direct mention of himself, it becomes perfectly possible that he was there listening silently to all these gracious words. Moulton cannot doubt that the beloved disciple subsequently received the whole from the Lord"s own lips; but there is no reason to conclude that he must have been absent, and very much to suggest his quiet presence (Weiss, "Life of Christ," 2:34).

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For his disciples were gone - Else he needed not have asked her.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

8.] The disciples had probably taken with them the baggage, among which would be the ἄντλημα,—see ver. 11.

The Rabbis say that a Jew might not eat the bread or drink the wine of a Samaritan: but that appears from this verse to be exaggerated.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

8. οἰ γὰρ μαθηταὶ αὐτοῦ κτλ., “For His disciples had gone into the city (sc. Sychar, vv. 5, 39) to buy food.” Had they been with Him, they would have been the natural persons to draw water for their Master, and He would not have had need to ask of a stranger. Probably they carried with them an ἅντλημα, or skin-bucket, as part of their travelling equipment, in which water could be drawn. The woman notices that Jesus has no ἄντλημα (v. 11).

We do not know which of His disciples were with Jesus on this journey (see on 2:2), or how many there were. See further on v. 18.

Syr. sin. places this clause in its chronological order after πηγῇ (v. 6), a rearrangement of the text made for the sake of clearness;1 but the use of parenthesis is quite in Jn.’s style (see, e.g., 2:6).

τροφάς, victuals, only here in pl. number.

That the disciples should buy victuals in a Samaritan town shows that the barrier between Jew and Samaritan was not impassable. The rule as to food seems to have varied from time to time. One Rabbinical precept is, “Let no man eat the bread of the Cuthæans, for he that eateth their bread is as he that eateth swine’s flesh” (M. Shebhiith, viii. 10), and Samaritan wine was forbidden to a Jew. But, on the other hand, “the victuals of the Cuthæans are permitted if not mixed with wine or vinegar” (Jesus. Ab. Zar. v. 4), and their unleavened bread was allowed (Bab. Kidd. 76a).1 There was continuous traffic of Jews through Samaria—from Galilee to Jerusalem, and from Jerusalem to Galilee—and it is unlikely, except at moments of intense theological excitement, that a hungry traveller would have scrupled to buy bread in a Samaritan village, or that a Samaritan villager would have scrupled to sell it.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.