Bible Strands
John 4:40
So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus remains in the Samaritan town after a woman’s testimony prompts many locals to believe in Him. The Samaritans approach Jesus directly to request His continued presence.
The words — ἠρώτων (ērōtōn) literally means they were asking, and ἦλθον (ēlthon) means they came, showing a deliberate movement toward Jesus following initial belief.
The thread — This request mirrors the disciples’ plea in Luke 24:29 to stay the night, the Lord’s promise in Revelation 3:20 to dine with those who open to Him, and Jacob’s demand in Genesis 32:26 for a blessing before release.
Why it lands — The text records a direct invitation for Jesus to remain, requiring the reader to decide whether to extend a similar request for His prolonged presence in their own life.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
Cross-references
- Revelation 3:20 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and dine with him, and he with Me.
- Luke 24:29 But they pleaded with Him, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening and the day is almost over.” So He went in to stay with them.
- Genesis 32:26 Then the man said, “Let me go, for it is daybreak.” But Jacob replied, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”
- Luke 8:38 The man whom the demons had left begged to go with Jesus. But He sent him away, saying,
- Luke 19:5 When Jesus came to that place, He looked up and said, “Zacchaeus, hurry down, for I must stay at your house today.”
- Acts 16:15 And when she and her household had been baptized, she urged us, “If you consider me a believer in the Lord, come and stay at my house.” And she persuaded us.
- 2 Corinthians 6:1 As God’s fellow workers, then, we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain.
- Proverbs 4:13 Hold on to instruction; do not let go. Guard it, for it is your life.
- Song of Solomon 3:4 I had just passed them when I found the one I love. I held him and would not let go until I had brought him to my mother’s house, to the chamber of the one who conceived me.
- Jeremiah 14:8 O Hope of Israel, its Savior in times of distress, why are You like a stranger in the land, like a traveler who stays but a night?