22---20.
ΠΕ ο] , 3”. ημιν παντα. 35
σοι.
” 32 A ὅτι μετὰ γυναικὸς ἐλάλει: οὐδεὶς μέντοι εἶπε, "Τί Lyteis;” ἢ,
“Ti λαλεῖς pet αὐτῆς; 28. ᾿Αφῆκεν οὖν τὴν ὑδρίαν αὐτῆς
πόλιν, καὶ λέγει τοῖς ἀνθρώποις, 20.
1 εθαυµ.αζον in ΒΑΒΟΡαΚΙ.; Τ.Μ. in
great statement rather overwhelms and bewilders the woman. ᾿Ιλιγγίασε πρὸς πὸ τῶν ῥηθέντων tos, Euthymius, after Chrysostom. Somewhat helplessly she appeals to the final authority, οἶδα ὅτι Μεσσίας . . . πάντα. The Samaritan expectation of a Messiah was based on their knowledge of Deut. xviii., and other allusions in the Pentateuch, and on their familiarity with Jewish ideas. He was ‘known as Hashab or Hathab, the Con- verter, or as El Muhdy, the Guide. For the sources of information, see Westcott’s Introd. to Gospels, chap. ii., note 2. ‘It appears from Josephus (Ant., xviii. 4, 1) that in the later years of the procurator- ship of Pilate, there was an actual rising of the Samaritans, who assembled on Mount Gerizim, under the influence of these Messianic expectations. | Who can say that they may not have been originally set in motion by the event recorded in the Fourth Gospel?” San- day. It was His prophetic endowment which this woman especially believed in, ‘He will tell us all” ; and for Him she was willing to wait.—Ver. 26. The woman’s despairing bewilderment is at once dissipated by the announcement ἐγώ eit, 6 λαλῶν σοι. ‘I that speak to thee am He.” This declaration He was free to make among a people with whom He could not be used for political ends. 61. think, too, there will be felt to be something not only very beautiful, but very characteristic of our Lord, in His declaring Himself with greater plainness of speech than He had Him- self hitherto done even to the Twelve, to this dark-minded and sin-stained woman, whose spiritual nature was just awakening to life under His presence and His words” (Stanton, ¥ewish and Christian Messiah, p. 275).—Ver. 27. But just at this critical juncture, ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ‘on this,’ came His disciples καὶ ἐθαύμασαν. The imperfect better buits the sense; ‘they were wonder- ing”: the cause of wonder being ὅτι μετὰ γυναικὸς ἐλάλει, ‘‘that He was speaking with a woman”; this being forbidden to Rabbis. ‘* Samuel dicit : non Salutant feminam omnino.” ‘ The wise