John 4:6

The Greek words that John used to describe this well were pege (here), meaning a spring, and phrear (John 4:11-12), meaning a cistern. Evidently Jacob’s well was both. It was a hole that someone had dug in the ground that a spring fed. The site is still a popular tourist attraction, and the deep spring still flows. Edersheim estimated (in 1886) that the well was originally about 150 feet deep. [Note: Ibid., 1:404.]

The sixth hour when Jesus arrived would have been noon. Even though Jesus was the eternal Word, He became fully man and shared the fatigue and thirst that all travelers experience (cf. Hebrews 4:15-16).