Jacob’s well is mentioned only once in the Bible in John chapter 4, though the land is mentioned in Genesis 33. In the Genesis account, Jacob bought a piece of land for a hundred pieces of money in the city of Shechem. This eventually became the capital of Samaria and tradition has long held the idea that the well here belonged to Jacob. When Jesus entered Samaria, “he came to a town of Samaria called Sychar, near the field that Jacob had given to his son Joseph” (John 4:5 ESV). “Jacob’s well was there; so Jesus, wearied as he was from his journey, was sitting beside the well” (vs. 6).
Wells have always been an important source of clean drinking water. Wells are found in abundance throughout the Bible. When enemies wanted to weaken people and their economy, they would stop up their wells. Jacob’s well is still providing clean water to this day, thousands of years after it was hand dug. Wells are essential for life.
Jacob’s well would be the scene for Jesus’ discussion with the Samaritan woman about Jesus being living water. The woman asked, “Are you greater than our father Jacob? He gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did his sons and his livestock” (vs. 12). Jesus informed her that people who drink at Jacob’s well will get thirsty again. But, he said, “The water that I will give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life” (vs. 14). We know the rest of the story; how the woman came to believe in Jesus as the source of living water (salvation). We are honored to partner with an organization to bring both physical water and living water to lost and thirsty people across the world!