The Samaritan Woman at the Well: A Covenant Study of the Lost Tribes of Israel
- Charles
- Aug 2
- 8 min read
Introduction
The encounter between Yeshua and the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well (John 4:1–42) is more than a simple story of personal redemption; it is a prophetic drama unveiling the restoration of the House of Israel. This meeting at Sychar reveals the Messiah’s mission to gather the scattered tribes, heal ancient divisions, and reestablish covenant fellowship with a people long divorced yet not forgotten. Through covenant language, historical context, and prophetic symbolism, this study examines the Samaritan woman as a representative of the lost tribes of Israel and the implications of this encounter for the New Covenant.
Historical and Covenant Context
The Division of the Kingdom
After Solomon’s reign, the united kingdom of Israel fractured into two: the southern kingdom (House of Judah) and the northern kingdom (House of Israel, or Ephraim). The northern tribes built an alternative center of worship at Mount Gerizim, rejecting Jerusalem and the temple. Their idolatry and rebellion led to Assyrian exile in 722 BCE, scattering the northern tribes among the nations.
The Samaritans were descendants of this mixed population: remnants of the House of Israel intermingled with foreign peoples settled by the Assyrians (2 Kings 17:24–41). Despite syncretism, they retained a form of Torah observance, a longing for Messiah, and a connection to Jacob’s well. They were despised by the Jews of Judah, who viewed them as corrupted half-breeds and covenant breakers.
Covenant Divorce and Promise of Restoration
YHWH declared through Hosea that He would divorce the northern kingdom for their unfaithfulness:
“You are not My people, and I am not your God.” (Hosea 1:9)
Yet in the same breath, He promised restoration:
“In the place where it was said to them, ‘You are not My people,’ there they shall be called sons of the living God.” (Hosea 1:10)
The Samaritan woman embodies this prophetic tension. She stands as one cast off yet still sought by the Bridegroom. Yeshua’s approach to her at Jacob’s well enacts the promise that the scattered sheep of Israel would hear His voice and return.
Jacob’s Well and the Betrothal Motif
In Scripture, wells are covenant and betrothal settings. Isaac’s bride (Rebekah), Jacob’s bride (Rachel), and Moses’ bride (Zipporah) were all found at wells. A man meeting a woman at a well evokes marriage covenant imagery. By intentionally engaging the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well, Yeshua invokes this motif: He is the Bridegroom seeking His estranged bride.
Jacob’s well itself is significant. Jacob is the father of both houses—Judah and Israel. Meeting at his well signifies Yeshua coming to gather the whole covenant family.
The Five Husbands and the Present Oppression
Yeshua tells the woman:
“You have had five husbands, and the one you have now is not your husband.” (John 4:18)
This is more than a comment on her personal life; it is prophetic. The “five husbands” mirror the five dominating powers over the northern kingdom after the Assyrian exile (Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome). The “one who is not your husband” represents the current occupying power—Rome—under which Israel lives without covenant identity.
This interpretation aligns with the woman as a symbol of the lost tribes. Her personal history becomes a microcosm of the national story: unfaithfulness, foreign domination, and longing for restoration.
Living Water and the New Covenant
When Yeshua offers her “living water,” He is offering more than personal salvation. Living water in Scripture is covenant renewal. In Jeremiah 2:13, YHWH rebukes Israel for forsaking Him, “the fountain of living waters.” In Ezekiel 36:25–27, the promise of sprinkling clean water accompanies the New Covenant:
“I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean... I will put My Spirit within you.”
By offering living water, Yeshua is extending the New Covenant to the northern tribes. His words fulfill Jeremiah and Ezekiel’s prophecies of covenant restoration: cleansing, Spirit empowerment, and reunion with the Bridegroom.
Spirit and Truth versus Sacred Geography
The woman raises the centuries-old debate between Mount Gerizim and Jerusalem:
“Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” (John 4:20)
Yeshua responds with a radical shift:
“The hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father... true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (John 4:21–23)
Here, He announces the transcendence of sacred geography. The New Covenant is not tied to Mount Gerizim or Jerusalem but to the Spirit and Truth Himself. This directly addresses the northern tribes who were cut off from the temple: access to the Father is now through Messiah, not a location.
“I Who Speak to You Am He” – The Revelation of the Bridegroom
The woman speaks of Messiah coming:
“I know that Messiah is coming... when He comes, He will tell us all things.” (John 4:25)
Yeshua answers plainly:
“I who speak to you am He.” (John 4:26)
This is one of the rare direct self-revelations of Yeshua’s Messianic identity. He reveals Himself not to the Sanhedrin or priests, but to a Samaritan woman—a representative of the lost tribes. This is covenant pursuit: the Bridegroom comes first to the estranged bride to declare, “I am He.”
The Harvest and the Two Days
When the woman brings her village to see Yeshua, He tells His disciples:
“Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest.” (John 4:35)
The Samaritans in their white garments approaching the well visually enact this prophecy. Yeshua stays with them two days, echoing Hosea 6:2:
“After two days He will revive us; on the third day He will raise us up, that we may live before Him.”
The “two days” symbolize the two millennia of Gentile and northern-tribe restoration leading to the third day—the full resurrection and kingdom restoration
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Prophetic Layers of the Encounter
Covenant Betrothal: The well scene echoes bridal covenant imagery, identifying Yeshua as the Bridegroom.
National Restoration: The woman symbolizes the House of Israel; her personal story mirrors the northern tribes’ history.
Living Water: The offer of living water signals New Covenant renewal and Spirit outpouring.
Worship in Spirit and Truth: Access to the Father transcends location; the covenant is written on hearts, not tied to geography.
Direct Revelation: Yeshua’s plain declaration to a Samaritan underscores His mission to gather the lost sheep of Israel.
Harvest Imagery: The white-robed Samaritans prefigure the great ingathering of the scattered tribes and nations.
Implications for Covenant Identity
This encounter shatters ethnic and religious barriers. The Samaritan woman’s restoration signifies that covenant identity is not based on lineage alone but on receiving the Bridegroom and the Ten Words written on the heart. The New Covenant restores the scattered tribes and welcomes sojourners grafted into Israel.
For believers today, this story underscores that no one is too far scattered or too mixed to be redeemed. The Bridegroom seeks His bride wherever she is, offering living water to the thirsty and restoring covenant fellowship to the estranged.
Reflection
The Samaritan woman’s story is our story. We are all, in some sense, the lost tribes—scattered, estranged, longing for covenant home. Yeshua meets us at the well of our thirst and offers living water, not because of our worthiness but because of His covenant love. His willingness to cross cultural, religious, and moral barriers to reach this woman reveals the heart of the New Covenant: relentless pursuit, restoration, and betrothal.
The “five husbands” remind us of the oppressions and idols we have given ourselves to; the “one who is not your husband” speaks of the systems we live under without covenant identity. Yet the Bridegroom comes, offering a different water, a different life. The harvest fields remind us that our restoration is not only personal but communal—the Bridegroom gathers a bride from every tribe, including those once called “not My people.”
Conclusion
The Samaritan woman at the well is not a side story but a central revelation of Messiah’s mission. She embodies the lost tribes of Israel and the covenant promise of restoration. Jacob’s well becomes the meeting place of past promises and present fulfillment; living water flows from the Bridegroom to the bride; Spirit and Truth replace sacred geography; and the white fields of harvest announce the ingathering of all Israel.
Through this encounter, Yeshua declares that no divorce, no scattering, and no foreign oppression can nullify His covenant love. The New Covenant reaches to the ends of the earth, calling the lost tribes and sojourners alike to drink deeply of living water and return to the Bridegroom who says, “I who speak to you am He.”
Inductive Study: The Samaritan Woman at the Well (John 4:1–42)
Read the Passage:
John 4:1–42
Observation: What Does the Text Say?
What details are given about the setting?
Where does the meeting take place and why is that significant?
What time of day does the woman come to the well?
What does Yeshua ask the Samaritan woman to do, and how does she respond?
How many husbands does Yeshua say the woman has had, and what does this reveal about her situation?
What does Yeshua offer her, and how does He describe it?
What question does the woman raise about worship, and how does Yeshua answer?
What happens after the woman leaves her jar and goes back to the town?
Interpretation: What Does It Mean?
Jacob’s Well and Covenant Imagery
Why is Jacob’s well significant in relation to the history of both the House of Judah and the House of Israel?
How does meeting a woman at a well connect to covenant and betrothal themes in the Torah (Rebekah, Rachel, Zipporah)?
The Samaritan Woman as a Symbol of the Lost Tribes
In what ways might the Samaritan woman represent the House of Israel (northern tribes) scattered in exile?
How does Hosea’s prophecy about “not My people” and “sons of the living God” (Hosea 1:9–10) relate to this encounter?
The Five Husbands and the Current Oppression
How could the “five husbands” symbolize the dominating nations over the northern kingdom after exile (Assyria, Babylon, Persia, Greece, Rome)?
What does the “one who is not your husband” signify in the context of covenant relationship?
Living Water and the New Covenant
What is the meaning of “living water” in Scripture (Jeremiah 2:13; Ezekiel 36:25–27)?
How does Yeshua offering living water connect to the promise of the Spirit and covenant renewal?
Worship in Spirit and Truth
Why is Yeshua’s response to the debate over Mount Gerizim versus Jerusalem so radical?
How does worship “in spirit and truth” reveal the New Covenant reality?
The Two-Day Stay and Hosea 6:2
What is the prophetic significance of Yeshua staying with the Samaritans for two days?
How might this relate to the “two days” of revival and the “third day” of resurrection in Hosea 6:2?
Application: How Does It Apply to Us?
Personal Restoration
In what ways do we identify with the Samaritan woman—estranged, thirsty, longing for covenant home?
What “husbands” or false sources of security has Yeshua exposed in your life?
Covenant Identity
How does this passage challenge the idea that covenant identity is tied to geography, lineage, or ritual?
How does Yeshua’s offer of living water shape your understanding of the New Covenant?
Mission and Harvest
Yeshua says the fields are “white for harvest” as the Samaritans approach. How does this vision affect your view of sharing the gospel with the lost?
Who in your life might be a “Samaritan,” overlooked or considered outside, whom the Bridegroom is seeking?
Scripture Cross-References:
Hosea 1:9–10: Promise of restoring those once called “not My people.”
Jeremiah 2:13: YHWH as the fountain of living waters.
Ezekiel 36:25–27: Cleansing and Spirit outpouring tied to covenant renewal.
Hosea 6:2: Revival after two days, resurrection on the third day.
John 10:16: “Other sheep I have… they will hear My voice; there will be one flock and one Shepherd.”
Reflection Questions:
How does understanding the Samaritan woman as a symbol of the lost tribes expand the meaning of this passage beyond personal salvation?
What does this encounter reveal about the heart of Yeshua toward the scattered and forgotten?
How does worship in Spirit and Truth call you to shift your relationship with God away from place or ritual to heart and covenant loyalty?
What does it mean for you personally to drink deeply of the “living water” Yeshua offers?
📥 Download the Inductive Study Companion
To deepen your understanding of this teaching, download the companion worksheet and answer key:
Instructions:
Use the worksheet as a printed or digital guide to reflect on each question with Bible in hand.
After completing your responses, consult the answer key for insight, clarity, and further scripture references.
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