Jesus answered and said unto her,
If you knew the gift of God, and who it is that said to you, Give me to drink; you would have asked of him, and he would have given you living water.
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Cornelius a Lapide
AD 1637
Jesus answered, &c. If thou knewest the gift of God. This gift is (1.) common, what God has given to every Prayer of Manasseh , "if thou knowest that I am Christ, the Saviour of the world." 2. Especial to thyself, what God now manifests to thee through Me, that through My conversation thou mayest have an opportunity of salvation, that thou mayest believe in Me, and so be justified and saved. So Maldonatus.
Thou perchance wouldst have asked, Greek, σὺ άν ήτησας αυ̉τὸν, i.e, thou surely wouldst have asked. For α̉ν here is an expletive and confirmatory particle. The Vulgate, however, has forsitan, perchance, to denote the free will of the asker.
And He would have given, &c. Christ leads her from earthly water to spiritual water. Let religious and apostolical men do likewise. Observe, as a stagnant lake, or pool, is termed dead, because it moves not; Song of Solomon , on the contrary, flowing water is called living water, especially that which leaps forth, as it we...
Enquiry is the beginning of learning, and to those who are ignorant upon any subject, doubt concerning it is the root of understanding. This commencement the discourse aims at: wherefore the Saviour wisely hints, that He accounts of no value the customs of the Jews.
Thou didst know the gift of God; i.e. the favour now offered thee by my presence, of believing in me.
And he would have given thee living water, meaning divine graces; but the woman understood him literally of such water as was there in the well. (Witham)
Concerning which, he says, the Saviour has declared, "If thou knewest who it is that asks, thou wouldst have asked from Him, and He would have given you to drink living, bubbling water."
First, He shows that she is worthy to hear and not to be overlooked, and then He reveals Himself. For she, as soon as she had learned who He was, would straightway hearken and attend to Him; which none can say of the Jews, for they, when they had learned, asked nothing of Him, nor did they desire to be informed on any profitable matter, but insulted and drove Him away. But when the woman had heard these words, observe how gently she answers:
