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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - John 7:38 - 7:38
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
He that believeth on me (ho pisteuōn eis eme). Nominative absolute as is not uncommon.
The scripture (hē graphē). No precise passage can be quoted, though similar idea in several (Isa 55:1; Isa 58:11; Zec 13:1; Zec 14:8; Eze 47:1; Joe 3:18). Chrysostom confines it to Isa 28:16 by punctuation (only the nominative absolute as the Scripture).
Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water (potamoi ek tēs koilias autou reusousin hudatos zōntos). Some ancient Western writers connect pinetō of Joh 7:37 with ho pisteuōn in Joh 7:38. By this arrangement autou (his) with koilias is made to refer to Christ, not to the believer. Burney argues that koilia is a mistranslation of the Aramaic (fountain, not belly) and that the reference is to Eze 47:1. C.C. Torrey refers to Zec 14:8. But the Eastern writers refer autou (his) to the believer who not only quenches in Christ his own thirst, but becomes a source of new streams for others (Joh 4:14). It is a difficult question and Westcott finally changed his view and held autou to refer to Christ. Reusousin is future active indicative of reō, old verb, to flow, here only in the N.T.