Jesus is gently pointing out that the Samaritans, by only accepting the first five books of the Bible, lacked the fuller revelation of God found in the prophets, which included the promise of salvation through the Messiah. Therefore, their worship, though sincere, was based on incomplete knowledge, whereas the Jews, as custodians of all God's Word, possessed a clearer understanding of who God is and the salvation He would provide.
You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is in the midst of a conversation with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about worship. He has just revealed His identity as the Messiah and is contrasting the limited understanding of Samaritan worship, which relied only on the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation known by the Jews. This statement sets the stage for Jesus to declare that true worship isn't about location but about worshipping God in spirit and truth, a concept rooted in the Jewish heritage He now represents.
Jesus draws a stark contrast between the Samaritan woman's worship and Jewish worship. What was so fundamentally different?
Jesus confronts the Samaritan woman with a profound truth: 'You worship what you do not know.' The Samaritans, while acknowledging one God and accepting the first five books of Moses, lacked the fuller revelation found in the rest of the Old Testament, particularly the prophets. This meant their understanding of God's nature, His will, and His plan for salvation was incomplete and, in Jesus' words, ultimately unknown.
In contrast, Jesus states, 'we worship what we know.' This refers to the Jewish people, who, through the lineage of Abraham and the covenants of God, possessed the revealed Word of God. They had the Law and the Prophets, which pointed to God's character and His promises, including the coming Messiah. This wasn't just about knowing about God, but knowing God as He revealed Himself through His unfolding plan. Their worship, while imperfect in practice at times, was grounded in a foundation of divine knowledge that the Samaritans lacked.
Jesus declares, 'salvation is from the Jews.' Why such a specific origin for something meant for all humanity?
This statement, 'for salvation is from the Jews,' is a pivotal declaration. It doesn't mean salvation was exclusive to Jews, but that its source and delivery system were divinely appointed to originate with them. Jesus identifies Himself with His Jewish heritage, acknowledging that the promises of salvation, embodied in the Messiah, were given to the Jewish people through covenants made with Abraham and his descendants.
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The Old Testament prophets, known only to the Jews, foretold the coming Messiah and the salvation He would bring. The lineage of Jesus, the Messiah, was Jewish. Therefore, to understand salvation, one had to look to the God who revealed Himself to the Jews and the Messiah who would come from their nation. This wasn't about ethnic superiority, but about God's faithful unfolding of His redemptive plan, a plan that would ultimately extend to Gentiles through the Jewish Messiah.
Understand the original words
sōtēria · Greek Noun
The comprehensive work of God to deliver humanity from the penalty and power of sin, fulfilled supremely in the person and work of Jesus Christ.
alēthinos · Greek Adjective
Authentic, sincere, and divinely enabled worshippers who relate to God not merely through ritual or location, but through an internal transformation by the Holy Spirit.
pneuma · Greek Noun
Referring to the mode of worship that transcends external ordinances, facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who enables believers to connect with God in the inward man.
alētheia · Greek Noun
Refers to worship that is consistent with God's revealed character and the reality of Christ, devoid of hypocrisy, and aligned with the objective revelation of Scripture.
theos · Greek Noun
The Supreme Being, personal and transcendent, who is not limited by physical constraints or material location.
Jesus' statement 'salvation is from the Jews' highlights the historical context of the Jewish people being the custodians of God's revealed promises and the lineage through which the Savior would come, even amidst deep-seated animosity with the Samaritans.
c. 722 BC
Fall of Northern Kingdom of Israel
Assyria conquered the Northern Kingdom of Israel, deporting many Israelites and resettling the region with foreigners. These foreign settlers intermarried with the remaining Israelites, forming a mixed population.
c. 538 BC
Return from Babylonian Exile
Jews returned from Babylonian exile to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. The Samaritans, who had been resettled in the region, offered to help rebuild the Temple, but their offer was rejected by the returning Jewish leaders.
c. 4th Century BC
Samaritan Temple on Mount Gerizim
The Samaritans built their own temple on Mount Gerizim, solidifying their religious separation from the Jews and establishing Gerizim as their holy mountain for worship.
c. 129 BC
Destruction of Samaritan Temple
John Hyrcanus, a Jewish leader, destroyed the Samaritan temple on Mount Gerizim, intensifying the animosity between Jews and Samaritans.
Early 1st Century AD
Jewish Expectation of the Messiah
There was a strong and widespread expectation among Jews for the coming of the Messiah, who would restore Israel and bring salvation.
c. AD 25-30— this verse
Jesus encounters the Samaritan woman at Jacob's Well
Jesus, traveling through Samaria, speaks with a Samaritan woman. This conversation directly addresses the historical and theological differences between Jewish and Samaritan worship, culminating in Jesus' revelation that salvation is from the Jews and that true worship is in spirit and truth.
This passage highlights the unique privileges of Israel, including the covenants, the law, the worship, and most importantly, the lineage of the Messiah, underscoring why salvation is 'of the Jews' as Jesus states.
Isaiah 2:2-3These verses prophesy that the 'mountain of the house of the LORD' will be established, and that nations will stream to it to learn God's ways, with instruction going forth from Zion, reinforcing the idea of God's revelation originating from the Jewish people.
Micah 4:2This passage echoes Isaiah, foretelling that many nations will come and say, 'Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD,' and that the word of the LORD will go forth from Jerusalem, further establishing the Jewish people as the source of divine knowledge.
John 1:11This verse states that Jesus came to his own people, but they did not receive him, which contextualizes Jesus' statement about salvation being 'of the Jews' within the broader narrative of his rejection by his own nation despite their unique role.
Acts 4:12This verse declares that there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved, directly connecting salvation to Jesus, who, as John 4:22 emphasizes, originates from the Jewish people.
ellicottJohn 4:22: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
(22) For salvation is of the Jews. —This verse has sorely tried critics who seek to construct the Gospel out of their judgments of what it should be. It can be no difficulty to those who seek to form their judgments from the Gospel as it is. Assume that the Gospel belongs to the Greek thought of the close of the second century, and the verse must be omitted, though it is certainly part of the origin…
vincentJohn 4:22: "Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews."
Ye know not what (ὁ οὐκ οἴδατε)Literally, what ye know not. Rev., rightly, that which ye know not. Compare Acts 17:23, where the correct reading is ὃ, what, instead of ὃν, whom: "what therefore ye worship in ignorance." This worship of the unknown is common to vulgar ignorance and to philosophic culture; to the Samaritan woman, and to the Athenian philosophers. Compare John 7:28; John 8:19,…
Jesus is gently pointing out that the Samaritans, by only accepting the first five books of the Bible, lacked the fuller revelation of God found in the prophets, which included the promise of salvation through the Messiah. Therefore, their worship, though sincere, was based on incomplete knowledge, whereas the Jews, as custodians of all God's Word, possessed a clearer understanding of who God is and the salvation He would provide.
Jesus is in the midst of a conversation with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about worship. He has just revealed His identity as the Messiah and is contrasting the limited understanding of Samaritan worship, which relied only on the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation known by the Jews. This statement sets the stage for Jesus to declare that true worship isn't about location but about worshipping God in spirit and truth, a concept rooted in the Jewish heritage He now represents.
Jesus is in the midst of a conversation with a Samaritan woman, challenging her preconceived notions about worship. He has just revealed His identity as the Messiah and is contrasting the limited understanding of Samaritan worship, which relied only on the Pentateuch, with the fuller revelation known by the Jews. This statement sets the stage for Jesus to declare that true worship isn't about location but about worshipping God in spirit and truth, a concept rooted in the Jewish heritage He now represents.
"You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people…" — Jesus is gently pointing out that the Samaritans, by only accepting the first five books of the Bible, lacked the fuller revelation of God found in the prophets, which included the promise of salvati…
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Last reviewed October 2026
