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John 4:40

ESV So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.
NIV So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days.
NASB So when the Samaritans came to Jesus, they were asking Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.
CSB So when the Samaritans came to him, they asked him to stay with them, and he stayed there two days.
NLT When they came out to see him, they begged him to stay in their village. So he stayed for two days,
KJV So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days.
NKJV So when the Samaritans had come to Him, they urged Him to stay with them; and He stayed there two days.

What does John 4:40 mean?

One can only imagine how rattled the disciples must have been at this turn of events. Samaritans were ethnic and religious half-breeds. As a result, most Jews despised them and refused to have any unnecessary contact with them (John 4:9). And yet, in this episode, Jesus has spoken at length to someone who is not only Samaritan, but a woman (John 4:27). That same woman has brought many of the townspeople to meet Jesus (John 4:30), when none of the disciples did. And now Jesus is not only interacting with these people, but He is also staying for several days!

In part, This is Jesus putting into practice what He would command of the apostles after His ascension. In Acts 1:8, after rising from the dead, and just before ascending in Heaven, Jesus instructs His followers. He tells them to "be [His] witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." So far in the gospel of John, Jesus has traveled from Jerusalem to Judea and into Samaria. Here, He will be recognized as "the Savior of the world" (John 4:42).
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