John 4:19–24
Jesus tells the Samaritan woman the Father seeks worshipers in spirit and truth
Study it word by word19The woman says to him, “Sir, I see that you are a prophet.
20Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where one must worship.”
21Jesus says to her, “Believe me, woman, an hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father.
22You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews.
23But an hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father seeks such people as those who worship him.
24God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
In its context
17The woman answered and said to him, “I have no husband.” Jesus says to her, “You have said well, ‘I have no husband’;
18for you have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband. What you have said is true.”
…
25The woman says to him, “I know that Messiah is coming (the one called Anointed); when he comes, he will declare all things to us.”
26Jesus says to her, “I am he, the one who is speaking to you.”
Its words in the original
- λέγειlegei· say
Say, speak; in the passive, "be called".
- γυνήgynē· woman, wife
Woman; with a possessive, wife.
- ΚύριεKyrie· Lord, lord
Lord, master, owner. Said of God, the Lord; in Old Testament quotations it stands for the name YHWH.
- θεωρῶtheōrō· see, watch
Look at, watch, observe.
- προφήτηςprophētēs· prophet
Prophet: someone who speaks on God's behalf.
- εἶei· be
Be, exist.
- πατέρεςpateres· father, Father
Father; also ancestor.
- ὄρειorei· mountain
Mountain, hill.
- προσεκύνησανprosekynēsan· worship, bow down
Bow down before someone, bend to the ground as a sign of reverence; when it is before God, worship.
- ἹεροσολύμοιςHierosolymois· Jerusalem
Jerusalem, the city of the temple and capital of Judah.
- τόποςtopos· place
Place.
- ὅπουhopou· where
Where, wherever.
- δεῖdei· bind, tie
Bind, tie.
- ἸησοῦςIēsous· Jesus
Jesus, the Greek form of the Hebrew Yehoshua (Joshua), which means "YHWH saves". It is the name the angel told Joseph to give him (Matthew 1:21).
- ΠίστευέPisteue· believe
Believe, trust.
- ἔρχεταιerchetai· come, go
Come, arrive; go.
- ὥραhōra· hour
Hour; also moment, time.
- οὔτεoute· neither, nor
Neither, nor.
- οἴδατεoidate· know
Know, understand; also see.
- σωτηρίαsōtēria· salvation
Salvation.
- ἸουδαίωνIoudaiōn· Jew, Judean
Jew, Judean: one of the people of Judah; in the New Testament it often means the leaders of the people.
- ἀληθινοὶalēthinoi· true
True, genuine, real.
- προσκυνηταὶproskynētai· worshiper
Worshiper; one who worships God.
- πνεύματιpneumati· spirit, Spirit
Spirit; also wind and breath. With "holy", the Holy Spirit of God.
- ἀληθείᾳalētheiai· truth
Truth.
- τοιούτουςtoioutous· such
Such, of this kind.
- ζητεῖzētei· seek
Look for, seek; try to.
- θεόςtheos· God, god
God. In the plural or in another sense, "gods".