City of Samaria John 4:1-9 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

THE SAMARITANS

The way Israel is divided, you have Judea in the south, and Galilee in the north.  In the middle of the country is Samaria.  The first 42 verses of this chapter deal with an incident that occurred in Samaria with a woman at Jacob’s well.  In this lesson we will study a little geography and a little history so you will know more about the background and location of this place and the reason for the woman’s surprise when Jesus asked her for a drink of water.

1. The Region – Samaria – Originally, a city founded by Omri as the capital of Israel, the ten northern tribes, 1 Ki. 16:23-24, 2 Ki. 3:1. Besieged and captured by Shalmaneser,  king of Assyria, during the reign of  Hoshea, while Hezekiah was king in Judah, 2 Ki. 18:9-12. The region was known as Samaria by this time and foreigners were brought in after the capture, 2 Ki. 17:24-32 (notice, “cities of Samaria”).
2. The City– Sychar – A city inSamaria, southeast of the original city of Samaria, near Mt. Ebal.  OT ref. Gen. 33:18-20 (Shechem); Gen 48:22; Josh. 24:32.
3. The Well – Jacob’s – v.12, 17-18 centuries old.
4. The Time of Day – 6^th hour is “noon.” See Matt. 20:3, 5, and 6.  The disciples had gone to get lunch, v. 8.

The Jews had no dealings with the Samaritans, v. 9, because of the idolatry and intermarriage with foreigners after the Assyrian “Diasporas.”  Thus, the Jews of Galilee and Judea broke off dealings with the Samaritans, Matt. 10:5-6; Lk. 9:51-54.

Now this sets the stage for what happens next when the woman at the well gets saved.