Commentaries:
Robertson's Word Pictures (NT)
That which ye know not (o ouk oidate). Cf. Acts 17:23. "You know whom to worship, but you do not know him" (Westcott). The Samaritans rejected the prophets and the Psalms and so cut themselves off from the fuller knowledge of God.
We (hmeiv). We Jews. Jesus is a Jew as he fully recognizes (Matthew 15:24).
That which we know (o oidamen). Neuter singular relative as before. The Jews, as the chosen people, had fuller revelations of God (Psalms 147:19 f.; Romans 9:3-5). But even so the Jews as a whole failed to recognize God in Christ (John 1:11, John 1:26; John 7:28).
For salvation is from the Jews (oti h swthria ek twn Ioudaiwn estin). "The salvation," the Messianic salvation which had long been the hope and guiding star of the chosen people (Luke 1:69, Luke 1:71, Luke 1:77; Acts 13:26, Acts 13:47). It was for the whole world (John 3:17), but it comes "out of" (ek) the Jews. This tremendous fact should never be forgotten, however unworthy the Jews may have proved of their privilege. The Messiah, God's Son, was a Jew.
Other Robertson's Word Pictures (NT) entries containing John 4:22:
John 3:17
John 4:42
Acts 4:12
Romans 1:16
Romans 2:19
Revelation 7:10
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