The woman at the well

[TheHem]

I have a question regarding the scripture in John 4. This Samaritan woman replies to Jesus in vs. 12 Are you greater than our ancestor Jacob…

My question is…how can she claim Jacob as an ancestor when she is a Samaritan? I was chatting with a friend and she said that it possibly had to do with Jacob marrying a non-Jew.

 

[NotWorthy]

The Samaritans were originally part of the twelve tribes of Israel (10 of them, as a matter of fact) before the Assyrians sent most of them into exile and brought tribes from 5 other defeated countries into the country to water down their culture.

When Israel broke up in Civil war after the death of Solomon, ten of the northern tribes formed Israel - the two southerns tribes (Judah and Benjamin) formed the country of Judah. Yes, I know it’s confusing. Israel (12 tribes) became Israel (10 tribes) and Judah (2 tribes). When remnants of the 10 tribes were allowed to return to Israel, they inter-mixed with the other 5 countries refugees and formed Samaria.

Their Holy Scriptures were the same five books of the Pentetauch. The well that the woman was at was dug by Jacob in the book of Genesis. The Samaritans didn’t buy into the OT prophets, probably because all the OT prophets spent all their time chastising them. It’s hard to buy into someone’s prophecies when they tell you that you are an abomination. That’s why, when the woman called Jesus “a Prophet”, she was referring to the prophet that Moses was talking about who would be greater than him.

 

[Nita]

You can read about the origin of those called “Samaritans” (in Jesus’ time) in 2 Kings 17:24-41.

Here are a few of the verses - but it’s better to read the whole passage.

*2 Kings 17:24 And the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-va’im, and placed them in the cities of Sama’ria instead of the people of Israel; and they took possession of Sama’ria, and dwelt in its cities.

2 Kings 17:27 Then the king of Assyria commanded, “Send there one of the priests whom you carried away thence; and let him go and dwell there, and teach them the law of the god of the land.” 17:28 So one of the priests whom they had carried away from Sama’ria came and dwelt in Bethel, and taught them how they should fear the LORD.

2 Kings 17:32 They also feared the LORD, and appointed from among themselves all sorts of people as priests of the high places, who sacrificed for them in the shrines of the high places. 17:33 So they feared the LORD but also served their own gods, after the manner of the nations from among whom they had been carried away. *

Nita

 

[TheHem]

thanks for posting this interesting info!!

 

[NotWorthy]

Here’s something from another article I was reading last night. It may repeat what’s been said, but it also helps to flesh it out:

The Samaritan Pentateuch only includes in its canon the first 5 books of the Old Testament which are attributed to Moses and is the sacred book of the Samaritans, a group of forced immigrants to the Levant who intermarried with the remnants of Israelites who had not been exiled by the Assyrians. This collection of 5 different tribal peoples adopted the worship of Yahweh sometime between the late 8th and 6th century BC and built a Temple on Mt. Gerizim, near Shechem [modern Nablus] in Samaria [what had been the nation of Northern Israel; see http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/2kings/2kings17.htm#v5”]2 Kings 17:5-6

, 24-41].