John 4:24
New International Version
God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

New Living Translation
For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

English Standard Version
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Berean Standard Bible
God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

Berean Literal Bible
God is Spirit, and it behooves those worshiping Him to worship in spirit and truth."

King James Bible
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

New King James Version
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

New American Standard Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

NASB 1995
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

NASB 1977
“God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Legacy Standard Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Amplified Bible
God is spirit [the Source of life, yet invisible to mankind], and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Christian Standard Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and in truth.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

American Standard Version
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

Contemporary English Version
God is Spirit, and those who worship God must be led by the Spirit to worship him according to the truth.

English Revised Version
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
God is a spirit. Those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Good News Translation
God is Spirit, and only by the power of his Spirit can people worship him as he really is."

International Standard Version
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Majority Standard Bible
God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.”

NET Bible
God is spirit, and the people who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

New Heart English Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth."

Webster's Bible Translation
God is a Spirit: and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Weymouth New Testament
God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must bring Him true spiritual worship."

World English Bible
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
God [is] Spirit, and those worshiping Him should worship in spirit and truth.”

Berean Literal Bible
God is Spirit, and it behooves those worshiping Him to worship in spirit and truth."

Young's Literal Translation
God is a Spirit, and those worshipping Him, in spirit and truth it doth behove to worship.'

Smith's Literal Translation
God a Spirit: and they worshipping him must worship in spirit and truth.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
God is a spirit; and they that adore him, must adore him in spirit and in truth.

Catholic Public Domain Version
God is Spirit. And so, those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

New American Bible
God is Spirit, and those who worship him must worship in Spirit and truth.”

New Revised Standard Version
God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.”
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
For God is Spirit; and those who worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
For The Spirit is God, and it is fitting that those who worship him worship in The Spirit and in The Truth.”
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
God is spirit; and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Godbey New Testament
God is a Spirit, and it behooveth those who worship Him to worship in spirit and in truth.

Haweis New Testament
God is a Spirit: and they who worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Mace New Testament
God is a spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Weymouth New Testament
God is Spirit; and those who worship Him must bring Him true spiritual worship."

Worrell New Testament
God is a spirit; and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Worsley New Testament
God is a spirit, and they that worship Him, must worship in spirit and truth.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Jesus and the Samaritan Woman
23But a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for the Father is seeking such as these to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and His worshipers must worship Him in spirit and in truth.” 25The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When He comes, He will explain everything to us.”…

Cross References
John 1:1-3
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. / He was with God in the beginning. / Through Him all things were made, and without Him nothing was made that has been made.

1 John 1:5
And this is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you: God is light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.

1 John 4:8
Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love.

1 Corinthians 2:10-11
But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. / For who among men knows the thoughts of man except his own spirit within him? So too, no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

Romans 8:9
You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.

Galatians 5:25
Since we live by the Spirit, let us walk in step with the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:18
For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.

Philippians 3:3
For it is we who are the circumcision, we who worship by the Spirit of God, who glory in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh—

Hebrews 12:9
Furthermore, we have all had earthly fathers who disciplined us, and we respected them. Should we not much more submit to the Father of our spirits and live?

Revelation 22:6
Then the angel said to me, “These words are faithful and true. The Lord, the God of the spirits of the prophets, has sent His angel to show His servants what must soon take place.”

Genesis 1:2
Now the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

Exodus 3:14
God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’”

Deuteronomy 6:4
Hear, O Israel: The LORD our God, the LORD is One.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or height, for I have rejected him; the LORD does not see as man does. For man sees the outward appearance, but the LORD sees the heart.”


Treasury of Scripture

God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

a Spirit.

2 Corinthians 3:17
Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty.

1 Timothy 1:17
Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen.

must.

1 Samuel 16:7
But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart.

Psalm 50:13-15,23
Will I eat the flesh of bulls, or drink the blood of goats? …

Psalm 51:17
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

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John 4
1. Jesus talks with a woman of Samaria, and reveals his identity to her.
27. His disciples marvel.
31. He declares to them his zeal for God's glory.
39. Many Samaritans believe on him.
43. He departs into Galilee, and heals the ruler's son that lay sick at Capernaum.














God is Spirit
The phrase "God is Spirit" is profound in its simplicity and depth. The Greek word for "Spirit" here is "pneuma," which signifies breath, wind, or spirit. This term emphasizes the immaterial and invisible nature of God, distinguishing Him from the physical and tangible idols worshiped by many cultures of the time. In the historical context of the ancient Near East, where gods were often represented by physical idols, this declaration by Jesus to the Samaritan woman at the well was revolutionary. It underscores the transcendence and omnipresence of God, who is not confined to a particular location or form. This understanding calls believers to recognize that God is not limited by human constructs and is accessible to all, regardless of physical location or cultural background.

and His worshipers
The term "worshipers" in Greek is "proskunetes," which refers to those who show reverence and adoration. In the context of the New Testament, worship is not merely a ritualistic act but a heartfelt devotion and submission to God. Historically, worship in the Jewish tradition involved sacrifices and temple rituals. However, Jesus is indicating a shift from external rituals to an internal, spiritual worship. This aligns with the broader biblical narrative that emphasizes a personal relationship with God, as seen in the lives of figures like David, who worshiped God with a sincere heart.

must worship Him
The word "must" here is translated from the Greek "dei," which implies necessity or obligation. This suggests that worshiping God in spirit and truth is not optional for believers but a fundamental requirement. The historical context of this passage involves a conversation about the proper place of worship—whether on Mount Gerizim, as the Samaritans believed, or in Jerusalem, as the Jews held. Jesus transcends this debate by focusing on the nature of worship rather than its location. This teaching is consistent with the prophetic tradition in the Old Testament, where God desires mercy and knowledge of Him rather than mere sacrifices (Hosea 6:6).

in spirit
The phrase "in spirit" indicates the inner, non-material aspect of worship. The Greek word "pneuma" again highlights the necessity of engaging with God beyond physical actions or locations. This aligns with the biblical theme that true worship involves the heart and soul, as seen in Deuteronomy 6:5, which commands love for God with all one's heart, soul, and strength. Worship "in spirit" calls believers to a genuine, heartfelt connection with God, facilitated by the Holy Spirit, who dwells within them.

and in truth
The term "truth" in Greek is "aletheia," which signifies reality, sincerity, and faithfulness. Worshiping "in truth" means aligning one's worship with the reality of who God is, as revealed in Scripture and through Jesus Christ. This phrase challenges believers to ensure that their worship is not based on human traditions or misconceptions but on the truth of God's Word. Historically, this was a corrective to both Jewish and Samaritan practices that had deviated from the heart of true worship. In a broader biblical context, truth is personified in Jesus, who declared Himself to be "the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6). Therefore, worshiping in truth involves a commitment to living according to the teachings and example of Christ.

(24) God is a Spirit.--Better, God is spirit. His will has been expressed in the seeking. But His very nature and essence is spirit, and it follows from this that all true worship must be spiritual. The appeal is here made to a doctrine of special prominence in the Samaritan theology. They had altered a number of passages in the Pentateuch, which seemed to them to speak of God in language properly applicable to man, and to ascribe to Him human form and feelings. But to believe in the spiritual essence of God contained its own answer both as to place and mode of worship.

The second "Him" ("they that worship Him") should be omitted, as the italics show.

Verse 24. - A still more explicit and comprehensive reason is given for the previous assertion, based on the essential nature of God himself in the fulness of his eternal Being. God is Spirit (Πνεῦμα ὁ Θεός; cf. John 1:1, Θεὸς η΅ν ὁ Λόγος, - the article indicates the subject, and the predicate is here generic, and not an indefinite; therefore we do not render it, "God is a Spirit"). The most comprehensive and far-reaching metaphor or method by which Jesus endeavoured to portray the fundamental essence of the Divine Being is "Spirit," not body, not ὕλη, not κόσμος, but that deep inner verity presented in self-conscious ego; the substantia of which mind may be predicated, and all its states and faculties. The Father is Spirit, the Son is Spirit, and Spirit is the unity of the Father and the Son. St. John has recorded elsewhere that "God is Light," and "God is Love." These three Divine utterances are the sublimest ever formed to express the metaphysical, intellectual, and moral essence of the Deity. They are unfathomably deep, and quite inexhaustible in their suggestions, and yet they are not too profound for even a little child or a poor Samaritaness to grasp for practical purposes. If God be Spirit, then they who worship him, the Spirit, must by the nature of the case, must by the force of a Divine arrangement, worship him, if they worship him at all, in spirit and in truth. The truth which our Lord uttered was not unknown in the Old Testament. From Genesis to Malachi, in the Psalms, in the historical books, in Judges, Samuel, and Kings, the Spirit and the spirituality of God are presupposed; but the Lord has generalized these teachings, cited them from darkness and neglect, combined them in one eternal oracle of Divine truth. The Galilaean Peasant has thus uttered the profoundest truth of ethic and religion - one which no sage in East or West had ever surpassed, and towards which the highest minds in all the ages of Christendom have been slowly making approach. Forms, postures, ceremonial, sacraments, liturgies, holy days, and places are not condemned, but they all are inefficacious if this prime condition be not present, and they can all be dispensed with if it be. Only the spirit of man can really touch or commune with the Spirit of spirits, and the history of the new dispensation is the history of a progress from forms to realities, from the sensuous to the spiritual, from the outward to the inward, from the earthly to the heavenly.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
God [is]
Θεός (Theos)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316: A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.

Spirit,
Πνεῦμα (Pneuma)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[His]
τοὺς (tous)
Article - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

worshipers
προσκυνοῦντας (proskynountas)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 4352: From pros and a probable derivative of kuon; to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

must
δεῖ (dei)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1163: Third person singular active present of deo; also deon deh-on'; neuter active participle of the same; both used impersonally; it is Necessary.

worship
προσκυνεῖν (proskynein)
Verb - Present Infinitive Active
Strong's 4352: From pros and a probable derivative of kuon; to fawn or crouch to, i.e. prostrate oneself in homage.

Him
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

spirit
πνεύματι (pneumati)
Noun - Dative Neuter Singular
Strong's 4151: Wind, breath, spirit.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[in] truth.”
ἀληθείᾳ (alētheia)
Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 225: From alethes; truth.


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NT Gospels: John 4:24 God is spirit and those who worship (Jhn Jo Jn)
John 4:23
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