Jesus answered And in his answer shows her that he was not under the power of such common prejudices; If thou knewest the gift of God Which he is now bestowing on mankind by his Son; meaning the Holy Spirit and its fruits, styled, as here, δωρεα του Θεου, the gift of God, Acts 8:20, and η δωρεα, the gift, Acts 11:17; and who it is that saith unto thee, Give me to drink How great a person he is who is now conversing with thee. Instead of scrupling to grant him so small a favour, thou wouldest have asked Συ αν ητησας, thou surely wouldest have asked; of him, and he Without objecting to thee on account of the people unto whom thou belongest; would readily have given thee living water Water incomparably better than that which thou art drawing. By this our Lord intended to signify his ability and readiness to communicate those influences and graces of the Holy Spirit, which refresh the soul that earnestly desires them, as water refreshes a thirsty person. The influences of the Holy Spirit are termed living water also, John 8:38; and water of life, Revelation 21:6; and Revelation 22:1; Revelation 22:17; and clean water, Ezekiel 36:26-27. The phrase, living water, frequently signifying, in the language of Judea, only springing water, or running water, in opposition to that which stagnates, the woman mistook his meaning and replied, Thou hast nothing to draw with Ουτε αντλημα εχεις, thou hast not a bucket, nor any other instrument wherewith thou canst draw the water; and this well The only spring hereabout; is deep: from whence then hast thou Whence canst thou obtain; that living water Of which thou speakest? Or, what is the extraordinary supply which thou declarest may be had from thee? Mr. Maundrell tells us, that the well, now shown as Jacob's, is thirty- five yards deep. Art thou greater “Art thou a person of greater power, or more in favour with God; than our father Jacob That thou canst procure water by supernatural means? He was obliged to dig this well, in order to provide drink for himself and his family: canst thou create water?” Although this woman speaks of Jacob as the father, or progenitor of the Samaritans, they were in truth not his progeny, but the descendants of those nations which the king of Assyria placed there in the room of the Israelites, whom he carried away captive, 2 Kings 17:24; who gave us the well In Joseph their supposed father; and drank thereof himself So even he, great and holy as he was, had no better water than this. Observe here, reader, the reason why men are indifferent about the inestimable gift of God here spoken of, the Holy Spirit, and either do not sincerely and earnestly apply to God in prayer for it, or apply without success, is not their knowledge, and their preservation thereby from enthusiasm, but their ignorance, and their being destitute of all true religion through that ignorance. If, as Jesus says of this woman, they knew this gift of God, knew its nature, excellence, necessity, and attainableness, and together therewith the way of attaining it; and that Christ has received it for them, and how willing, as well as able, he is to bestow it, they surely would ask it of him, and he would not fail to give them this living water.
Related Commentaries of John 4:10
John 4:10-12
10 Jesus answered and said unto her,If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?
12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?