28. Reliquit ergo hydriam suam 28. The woman therefore left mulier, et abiit in civitatem, her waterpot, and went her way et dicit illis hominibus: into the city, and saith to the men there: 29. Venite, et videte hominem 29. Come, and see a man who qui dixit mihi omnia has told me all things quaecumque feci: numquid ipse whatsoever I have done. Is not est Christus? he the Christ? 30. Exierunt ergo de civitate, 30. They went therefore out of et veniebant ad eum. the city, and came unto him. 28‐30. The discourse being interrupted by the arrival of the disciples, the woman, forgetful or indifferent regarding the errand which had brought her to the well, *went her way into the city*, and soon returned with a number of her fellow‐citizens. 31. Interea rogabant eum 31. In the meantime the discipuli, dicentes: Rabbi, disciples prayed him, saying: manduca. Rabbi, eat. 32. Ille autem dicit eis: Ego 32. But he said to them: I cibum habeo manducare, quem have meat to eat which you vos nescitis. know not. 33. Dicebant ergo discipuli ad 33. The disciples therefore invicem: Numquid aliquis said one to another: Hath any attulit ei manducare? man brought him to eat? 34. Dicit eis Iesus: Meus 34. Jesus saith to them: My cibus est ut faciam voluntatem meat is to do the will of him eius qui misit me, ut that sent me, that I may perficiam opus eius. perfect his work. 31‐34. Meanwhile the disciples invite Jesus to eat, to whom He replies that He has meat to eat which they know not, that meat being, as He explains in verse 34, to do the will of Him that sent Him. It was no time for attending to the wants of His human nature; He had more serious work in hand in the conversion of the Samaritans. 35. Nonne vos dicitis quod 35. Do not you say, there are adhuc quatuor menses sunt, et yet four months, and then the messis venit? Ecce dico vobis: harvest cometh? Behold I say Levate oculos vestros, et to you, lift up your eyes, and videte regiones, quia albae see the countries, for they sunt iam ad messem. are white already to harvest. 35. *There are yet four months, and then the harvest cometh.* Maldonatus, followed by Father Coleridge, takes this to be a proverb(43) meaning that there is no need of hurry—that the matter in question is still far off. As, however, there is no evidence that such a proverb was current among the Jews, it is much better to understand the verse thus: You say what is true, that it is still four months till the harvest of nature; but lift up your eyes, and behold the harvest of grace in the men of Sichar who are approaching.