SEV Biblia, Chapter 4:35
¿No decís vosotros que an hay cuatro meses y la siega viene? He aquí os digo: Alzad vuestros ojos, y mirad el campo, porque ya estn blancas para la siega.
Clarke's Bible Commentary - John 4:35
Verse 35. There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest?] In Palestine, the harvest did not begin till after the passover, which was fixed on the 14th of the month Nisan, which answers to our March, and sometimes extends into April. The barley harvest was the first; after that the wheat; and both were finished by Pentecost. For, in the feast of Pentecost, the first fruits of all the harvest were carried to the temple, and waved before the Lord. See Lev. xxiii. 11. The four months, of which our Lord speaks here, must be computed, according to M. Toynard, from Shebat, which was the eleventh month of the sacred year, and which commenced that year on the 13th of January: from that, till the beginning of the wheat harvest, which began about a month after the passover, there were exactly four months. The passover was that year on the 15th of Nisan, or March 28; and Pentecost took place on the 17th of May. We may therefore suppose that it was about the 13th of January, or beginning of the month Shebat, that John the Baptist was cast into prison, and that Christ retired into Galilee. The fixing of this epoch is of considerable importance. See Calmet's Com. on this place. The following method of dividing the seasons among the Jews is thus stated in Bava Metsia, fol. 106. "Half Tisri, all Marheshvan, and half Cisleu, is [rz zera. SEED-TIME. Half Cisleu, whole Tebeth, and half Shebat, is Prwj choreph, WINTER. Half Shebat, whole Adar, and half Nisan, is rwq kor, the WINTER SOLSTICE. Half Nisan, all Ijar, and half Sivan, is ryxq katsir, HARVEST. Half Sivan, all Tammuz, and half Ab, is yyq kyits, SUMMER. Half Ab, all Elul, and half Tisri, is wj chum, the great HEAT." The Jews sowed wheat and spelt in Tisri and Marheshvan; and barley in Shebat and Adar. Now let us reckon tetramhnon, the four months, backwards, from the beginning of the barley harvest, or the middle of the month Nisan, and we shall go back to the middle of the month Cisleu, which will fall in with the beginning of our December, whence it will be easy to conjecture what feast that was, mentioned chap. v. 1, viz.
the passover. See Lightfoot; and see the note on chap. v. 1.
After all that learned men have said on this passage, it does not appear that our Lord meant any thing by it more than an illustration of his present subject. Though there were ordinarily four months from seed-time to harvest, and that a man, after he had sowed his seed, must wait patiently till the regular and natural harvest came, yet it was not the case now: the seed of life which he had sown but a few hours ago had already brought forth much fruit; therefore he says, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, over which it is likely the Samaritans were then coming in troops, guided by the woman who had already received the light of the Gospel of peace.
The fields-are white already to harvest.] Multitudes of Samaritans are coming to believe on me, and to be saved unto eternal life. Probably they had a kind of white raiment.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 35. Say not ye, there are yet four months , etc.] Our Lord had been in Jerusalem and Judea, about eight months from the last passover, and there remained four more to the next passover: and then cometh harvest ? barley harvest, which began at that time. Now as the passover was in the middle of the month Nisan, which was about the latter end of our March; reckoning four months back from thence shows, that it was about the latter end of our November, or beginning of December, that Christ was in Samaria, and at Jacobs well. Some think, that this does not refer to the then present time, as if there were so many months from thence to the next harvest, but to a common way of speaking, that there were four months from seed time to harvest; during which time there was a comfortable hope, and longing expectation of it: but this will, by no means, agree either with the wheat or barley harvest. The wheat was sown before this time, and the barley a good while after. Half Tisri, Marcheshvan, and half Cisleu, were, [rz , seed time f211 The earliest they sowed their wheat was in Tisri, which answers to our September and October; i.e. to half one, and half the other. The month of Marcheshvan, which answers to October and November, was the principal month for sowing it f212 : hence that paraphrase on ( Ecclesiastes 11:2): give a good part of thy seed to thy field in Tisri, and do not refrain from sowing even in Cisleu.
As for the barley, that was sown in the months of Shebet and Adar, and usually in the latter f213 ; the former of which answers to January and February, and the latter to February and March. And we read of their sowing seventy days before the passover, which was within six weeks of the beginning of barley harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields : pointing to the lands which lay near the city of Sychar: for they are white already to harvest ; alluding to the corn fields, which, when ripe, and near harvest, look white: hence we read of blh hd , the white field: which the Jews say is a field sown with wheat or barley, and so called to distinguish it from a field planted with trees; though it may be rather, that it is so called from its white look when ripe. So the three Targums paraphrase ( Genesis 49:12): his hills (his valleys, or fields, as Onkelos) rwwjy , are white with corn, and flocks of sheep.
Christ here speaks not literally; for the fields could not be white at such a distance from harvest; but spiritually, of a harvest of souls; and has regard to the large number of Samaritans that were just now coming out of the city, and were within sight, and covered the adjacent fields: and these he calls upon his disciples to lift up their eyes and behold; and suggests to them, that it was not a time for eating and drinking, but for working, since here was such a number of souls to be gathered in: and thus as from corporeal food he proceeded to treat of spiritual food; so from a literal harvest he goes on to speak of a spiritual one, and encourages his disciples to labour in it, by the following arguments.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 27-42 - The disciples wondered that Christ talked thus with a Samaritan. Ye they knew it was for some good reason, and for some good end. Thus when particular difficulties occur in the word and providence of God, it is good to satisfy ourselves that all is well that Jesus Christ says an does. Two things affected the woman. The extent of his knowledge Christ knows all the thoughts, words, and actions, of all the children of men. And the power of his word. He told her secret sins with power She fastened upon that part of Christ's discourse, many would think sh would have been most shy of repeating; but the knowledge of Christ into which we are led by conviction of sin, is most likely to be soun and saving. They came to him: those who would know Christ, must mee him where he records his name. Our Master has left us an example, tha we may learn to do the will of God as he did; with diligence, as thos that make a business of it; with delight and pleasure in it. Chris compares his work to harvest-work. The harvest is appointed and looke for before it comes; so was the gospel. Harvest-time is busy time; all must be then at work. Harvest-time is a short time, and harvest-wor must be done then, or not at all; so the time of the gospel is season, which if once past, cannot be recalled. God sometimes uses very weak and unlikely instruments for beginning and carrying on a goo work. Our Saviour, by teaching one poor woman, spread knowledge to whole town. Blessed are those who are not offended at Christ. Thos taught of God, are truly desirous to learn more. It adds much to the praise of our love to Christ and his word, if it conquers prejudices Their faith grew. In the matter of it: they believed him to be the Saviour, not only of the Jews but of the world. In the certainty of it we know that this is indeed the Christ. And in the ground of it, for we have heard him ourselves.
Greek Textus Receptus
ουχ 3756 PRT-N υμεις 5210 P-2NP λεγετε 3004 5719 V-PAI-2P οτι 3754 CONJ ετι 2089 ADV τετραμηνον 5072 A-NSN εστιν 2076 5748 V-PXI-3S και 2532 CONJ ο 3588 T-NSM θερισμος 2326 N-NSM ερχεται 2064 5736 V-PNI-3S ιδου 2400 5628 V-2AAM-2S λεγω 3004 5719 V-PAI-1S υμιν 5213 P-2DP επαρατε 1869 5657 V-AAM-2P τους 3588 T-APM οφθαλμους 3788 N-APM υμων 5216 P-2GP και 2532 CONJ θεασασθε 2300 5663 V-ADM-2P τας 3588 T-APF χωρας 5561 N-APF οτι 3754 CONJ λευκαι 3022 A-NPF εισιν 1526 5748 V-PXI-3P προς 4314 PREP θερισμον 2326 N-ASM ηδη 2235 ADV
Vincent's NT Word Studies
35. Say not ye. In what follows, Jesus is contrasting the natural harvest-time with the spiritual, which was immediately to take place in the ingathering of the Samaritans. Ye is emphatic, marking what the disciples expect according to the order of nature. As you look on these green fields between Ebal and Gerizim, ye say, it is yet four months to harvest. There are four months (tetramhnon estin). Properly, it is a space of four months. Only here in the New Testament.Harvest (qerismov). See on Luke x. 2.
White (leukai). See on Luke ix. 29.
Already unto harvest. Spiritual harvest. The crowd of Samaritans now pouring out toward the well was to Jesus as a ripe harvest-field, prefiguring the larger harvest of mankind which would be reaped by His disciples. By the best texts the already is joined with the next verse, and the kai, and, at the beginning of that verse is omitted: Already he that reapeth receiveth, etc.
Wages (misqon). See on 2 Pet. ii. 13.
Unto life eternal. This is explained either, which shall not perish but endure unto eternal life, or into life eternal, as into a granary. Compare ver. 14.
Together (omou). The construction is peculiar: that both the sower may rejoice together and the reaper. Together signifies not in common, but simultaneously. So quickly does the harvest follow the gospel-seed sown among the Samaritans, that the sower and the reaper rejoice together.
