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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Joh_7:37-39
37Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, 'From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.'" 39But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
Joh_7:37 "on the last day, the great day of the feast" There is some question whether this was a seven-day feast (cf. Deu_16:13), or an eight-day feast (cf. Lev_23:36; Neh_8:17; II Maccabees 10:60, and Josephus). Apparently in Jesus' day it was an eight-day feast, however, on the last day water was not taken from the pool of Siloam and poured at the base of the altar as it was on the other seven days. We learn of the ceremony from the Tractate Sukkah of the Talmud, which quotes Isa_12:3 . This may have been a visualized prayer for rain for the crops.
▣ "If" This is third class conditional which means potential action.
▣ "anyone is thirsty" The universal invitation to faith in Jesus! See note at Joh_7:17
▣ "let him come to Me and drink" Jesus uses the same metaphor in Joh_4:13-15. This could possibly refer to Jesus as the Messianic Rock which provided water (cf. 1Co_10:4). It is obviously related to the OT invitation of Isa_55:1-3 and the cultural opportunity of the symbolic pouring out of water during the feast.
Some early ancient Greek manuscripts omit "to me" (cf. MSS P66, à *, and D). It is included in P66c, P75, à c, L, T, W, and it is implied by the context. The UBS4 gives its inclusion a "B" rating (almost certain). In John people are urged to trust Him. The gospel has a personal focus.
Joh_7:38 "He who believes in Me" Notice this is a present tense. This shows an emphasis on the continuing personal relationship involved in believing like John 15's "abiding." See Special Topic: Greek Verb Tenses used for Salvation at Joh_9:7.
▣ "as the Scripture said" It is hard to identify a specific Scripture for this quote. It could be Isa_12:3; Isa_43:19-20; Isa_44:3; Isa_58:11; Eze_47:1; Joe_3:18; Zec_13:1; or Joh_14:8, which refer metaphorically to eschatological water as a symbol of the presence of the Divine. In this case the promised water of the new age of agricultural blessing is altered to the metaphor of the internal nature of the new covenant. The Spirit will be active in the heart and mind (cf. Eze_36:27-38).
▣ "From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water" There have been several theories as to the pronoun antecedent.
1. Jesus Himself (cf. the early church fathers)
2. the individual believers who have trusted Christ
3. Jerusalem. In Aramaic, "his" can mean "her" and can refer to the city (this is the position of the rabbis, cf. Eze_47:1-12 and Zec_14:8)
There is a good brief, simplified discussion of the two theories based on how one punctuates Joh_7:37 b and 38a in NIDOTTE, vol. 1, p. 683.
Jesus has called Himself the living water (cf. Joh_4:10). Now in this context it is the Holy Spirit (cf. Joh_7:39) who provides and produces the living water in Jesus' followers. This is parallel to the Spirit's work of forming Christ in the believer (cf. Rom_8:29; Gal_4:19; Eph_4:13).
Joh_7:39 "for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified" Apparently this reflects John's later thinking (i.e., an editorial comment) on the significance of this statement (cf. Joh_16:7). It also shows the significance of Calvary and Pentecost both being viewed as a "glory" (cf. Joh_3:14; Joh_12:16; Joh_12:23; Joh_17:1; Joh_17:5). There are several scribal variants to try to explain what John meant by this brief statement.