veils Himself as the only-begotten Son, but this while avoiding the title of “Christ.” With the woman He boldly uses this term; but he does not dream of initiating into the mysteries of incarnation and redemption a soul which is yet only at the first elements of religious life and knowledge” (“‘ Commentary on the Gospel of John”).
27. Came—marvelled (j\Jav—eIavpatov). The tense of each verb is different: the aorist, came, marking as in a single point of time the disciples’ arrival, and the imperfect, they were wondering, marking something continued: they stood and con- templated him talking with the woman, and all the while were wondering at it.
He talked (éAdAev). The imperfect tense, he was speaking. So Rev.
The woman. Rev., correctly, @ woman. They were sur- prised, not at his talking with that woman, but that their teacher should converse with any woman in public. The Rab- binical writings taught that it was beneath a man’s dignity to converse with women. It was one of the six things which a Rabbi might not do. “ Let no one,” it is written, “ converse with a woman in the street, not even with his own wife.” It was also held in these writings that a woman was incapable of profound religious instruction. “ Rather burn the sayings of the law than teach them to women.”
28. Water.pot. See on ii. 6.
29. All things. Jesus’ insight in the one case convinced her that He knew everything, and to her awakened conscience it seemed as though He had ¢old everything.
Is not this the Christ (ujre éorw)? Rather, as Rev., can this be. The particle suggests a negative answer. Surely this cannot be, yet with some hope.
30. Then. Omit.