John 7:38

ὁ πιστεύων. Nominativus pendens; comp. John 6:39; John 15:2.

καθὼς εἶπεν ἡ γρ. As the scripture said; as if some passage to this effect had recently been read. see on John 2:22. The phrase undoubtedly refers to the words that follow: but inasmuch as no such text is found in Scripture, some have tried to force the phrase into connexion with what precedes, as if the meaning were ‘He that believeth on me in the way that Scripture prescribes.’ Although the exact words are not found in Scripture there are various texts of similar import: Isaiah 44:3; Isaiah 58:11; Zechariah 13:1; Zechariah 14:8, &c. But none of them contain the very remarkable expression ‘out of his belly.’ Godet contends for Exodus 17:6 and Numbers 20:11, and thinks that ‘out of it’ (Heb. ‘from within him’) is the source of ἐκ τῆς κοιλίας αὐτοῦ, and ‘abundant waters’ of ποταμοὶ ὕδατος, while ‘I will stand’ may possibly be alluded to in ‘Jesus was standing.’ In the LXX. there is no resemblance to the Greek here. Ποταμοί stands first with great emphasis; rivers out of his belly shall flow, rivers of living water; in marked contrast to the ewer of water poured each day of the Feast. (For the form ῥεύσουσιν see Winer, p. 109.) Note how, as so often in S. John, the conclusion of one thought is the starting-point of another. As in John 6:35, ‘coming to Christ’ is equivalent to ‘believing on Christ;’ and believing on Him is far in advance of thirsting for spiritual satisfaction, for a man may thirst and refuse to believe. But the believer cannot end in satisfying his own thirst; he at once becomes a fount whence others may derive refreshment. Whether he wills to be a teacher or no, the true Christian cannot fail to impart the spirit of Christianity to others. Thus we have three stages; (1) thirsting; (2) coming or believing; (3) being filled and supplying others.