John 4:25

Jesus’ explanation would have made sense to this woman who lived life on a very physical level. Nevertheless she did not pretend to comprehend all this spiritual talk. One thing she understood clearly, and she believed Jesus would agree with her about this. Messiah was coming, and when He arrived He would reveal divine mysteries and clarify all these matters. The Samaritans anticipated Messiah’s arrival, as the Jews did, but they viewed Him primarily as a teacher (Deuteronomy 18:15-19). [Note: See Edersheim, 1:402-3, for other things the Samaritans believed.] They usually referred to Him as the Taheb (probably meaning "the Restorer" or possibly "he who returns"). [Note: Carson, p. 226.] The writer translated the meaning of "Messiah" for his readers (cf. John 1:38; John 1:41).