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THE KING’S BUSINESS
Galilean pilgrims. Only the very strictest Jews, for example the Phari sees, went around by Persea. Josephus uses the very expression used here. He says, “Those who wished to go away quickly (i. e. from Galilee to Jerusalem) must needs (he uses exactly the same Greek word that John uses here and which is translated “must needs”) go through that coun try (i. e. Samaria) ; for m that road you may, in three days’ time go from Galilee to Jerusalem.” But there is a deeper significance in the “must needs” here than that of the mere necessity of a quick trip. There was a work for our Lord to do in Samaria, not only an individual sinner to be saved but a large company of Samaritans to be brought to faith in the Lord Jesus as the Saviour of the world. The name “Samaria” applied orig inally to the city built by Omri, king of Israel (1 Kings 16: 23, 24) but afterwards it came to be applied to the whole province of Samaria and is so meant here. Samaria, after the captivity of Israel was inhabited by a mixed population with a religion that was a mixture of the religion of Is-' rael and the religion of the countries from which the population were brought (2 Kings 17:23-34). They claimed, however, to be true Israelites, having Jacob for their father (v. 12) and professed to keep the Law oi Moses, having their own Samaritan Pentateuch. They were regarded with intense hatred by the people of Judea and returned hate with hate (cf. Luke 9: 51-54). Josephus says that they scattered dead men’s bones to pol lute the temple at Jerusalem, and it is also said that they gave the Jews false signals by beacon lights as to the time of the Passover. The Jews on their part regarded everything touched by a Samaritan as polluted, as swine’s flesh. And they were anathematized every year in all the Jewish syna gogues. Their testimony would not
be taken in a Jewish court. While out and out heathen were permitted to become Jewish proselytes, the Sa maritans were not so permitted. V. 5. “Then cometh He (rather, so He cometh) to d city of Samaria, which is (omit, which is) called Sy- char, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph.” The word “city” as used here does not mean city in our modern sense. It is sometimes used in the New Tes tament of “little walled villages with which every eminence is crowned” (cf. for example ch. 11:54; Matt. 2:23)..- The name Sychar was formerly re garded as an intentional corruption of Sichem or Shechem (cf. Acts 7:16). This name was taken as signifying either “drunken town” from the He brew word shekar( cf. Isa. 28:1) or “lying town” from the Hebrew word sheqer (cf. Hab. 2:18). But earlier writers as Eusebius distinguished Shechem and Sychar from one an other. By recent explorations, Sychar has been identified with the modern Askar, a village lying close to but dis tinguished from the ancient Shechem. V. 6. “Nozv Jacob’s well (rather, spring) zoos there. Jesus therefore (rather, so Jesus), being zvearied zvith His journey, sat thus on (rather, by) the well (rather, spring)-, and i omit, and) it was about the sixth hour.” The word which is translated “well” but which should , be translated “spring” is used twice in this verse and once in verse 14. In verses 11, 12. the Greek word is used which properly means well. In this case, it was a well supplied by the spring. The country round abounded in springs, but Tacob dug a well prob ably because he was a stranger in the land and to make himself independent oi the heathen neighbors with whom he wa£ surrounded. The well still exists; it is about half a mile south of Askar (or Sychar) and about a mile
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