John 4:6

πηγή. Spring; John 4:14; Revelation 7:17; Revelation 8:10; Revelation 14:7; Revelation 16:4; Revelation 21:6; elsewhere in N.T. rare. Similarly φρέαρ, well, occurs John 4:11-12; Revelation 9:1-2; elsewhere only Luke 14:5. see on John 7:30. It still exists, but without spring-water, in the entrance to the valley between Ebal and Gerizim; one of the few undisputed sites. Samaria was now to receive the fulfilment of the promises in Genesis 49:22; Deuteronomy 33:28, and become the heir of the patriarchs. Jacob’s well was a pledge of this.

ἐκαθ. οὕτως ἐπὶ τ. π. Was sitting thus (just as He was) by (John 4:2) the spring. These details shew full information. He is willing at once to surrender His rest by day to the Samaritan woman, as His rest by night to Nicodemus (John 3:2) and His retirement on the mountain to the multitude (John 6:5). On ἐκ expressing result see Winer, pp. 459, 772.

ὡς ἕκτη. This case again is not decisive as to S. John’s mode of reckoning the hours. On the one hand, noon was an unusual hour for travelling and for drawing water, while evening was the usual time for the meal (John 4:8; John 4:31). On the other, a woman whose life was under a cloud (John 4:18) might select an unusual hour; and at 6 P.M. numbers would probably have been coming to draw, and the conversation would have been disturbed. Again, after 6 P.M. there would be rather short time for all that follows. These two instances (John 1:39 and this) lend no strong support to the antecedently improbable theory that S. John’s method of counting the hours is different from the Synoptists’.