John 4:23

Bible in Basic English (1941)

But the time is coming, and is even now here, when the true worshippers will give worship to the Father in the true way of the spirit, for these are the worshippers desired by the Father.

📖 Grammatical Analysis

Original Text

Ἀλλʼ ἔρχεται ὥρα, καὶ νῦν ἐστιν, ὅτε οἱ ἀληθινοὶ προσκυνηταὶ προσκυνήσουσιν τῷ Πατρὶ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ ἀληθείᾳ: καὶ γὰρ ὁ Πατὴρ τοιούτους ζητεῖ τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας αὐτόν.

Transliteration

But erchetai hōra, and now estin, when the alēthinoi proskynētai proskynēsousin tō Patri en pneumati and alētheia: kai gar the Patēr toioutous zētei tous proskynountas auton.

Grammar Details

• *erchetai*: present middle indicative, 3rd singular - comes/is coming
• *hōra*: nominative feminine singular - hour/time
• *estin*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - is
• *alēthinoi*: adjective, nominative masculine plural - true/genuine
• *proskynētai*: nominative masculine plural - worshipers
• *proskynēsousin*: future active indicative, 3rd plural - they will worship
• *Patri*: dative masculine singular - Father
• *en*: preposition + dative - in
• *pneumati*: dative neuter singular - spirit
• *alētheia*: dative feminine singular - truth
• *kai*: adverbial conjunction - and/also/even
• *gar*: postpositive conjunction - for/because
• *Patēr*: nominative masculine singular - Father
• *toioutous*: demonstrative pronoun, accusative masculine plural - such
• *zētei*: present active indicative, 3rd singular - seeks/is seeking
• *proskynountas*: present active participle, accusative masculine plural - worshiping
• *auton*: accusative masculine singular - him

Word Meanings

• *alēthinoi*: true/genuine/real/authentic
• *proskynētai*: worshipers/those who prostrate themselves
• *pneumati*: spirit/breath/wind
• *alētheia*: truth/reality/genuineness
• *zētei*: seeks/searches for/desires

Referenced Verses

• Phil 3:3 : 3 For we are the circumcision, who give worship to God and have glory in Jesus Christ, and have no faith in the flesh:
• Gal 4:6 : 6 And because you are sons, God has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, saying, Abba, Father.
• John 5:25 : 25 Truly I say to you, The time is coming, it has even now come, when the voice of the Son of God will come to the ears of the dead, and those hearing it will have life.
• John 12:23 : 23 And Jesus said to them in answer, The hour of the glory of the Son of man has come.
• Matt 15:7-9 : 7 You false ones, well did Isaiah say of you, 8 These people give me honour with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 9 But their worship is to no purpose, while they give as their teaching the rules of men.
• John 1:17 : 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and the true way of life are ours through Jesus Christ.
• Eph 6:18 : 18 With prayers and deep desires, making requests at all times in the Spirit, and keeping watch, with strong purpose, in prayer for all the saints,
• Rom 8:26 : 26 And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say;
• 1 Pet 2:9 : 9 But you are a special people, a holy nation, priests and kings, a people given up completely to God, so that you may make clear the virtues of him who took you out of the dark into the light of heaven.
• Jude 1:20-21 : 20 But you, my loved ones, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, and making prayers in the Holy Spirit, 21 Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for life eternal through the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ.
• John 4:21 : 21 Jesus said to her, Woman, take my word for this; the time is coming when you will not give worship to the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
• Luke 18:11-13 : 11 The Pharisee, taking up his position, said to himself these words: God, I give you praise because I am not like other men, who take more than their right, who are evil-doers, who are untrue to their wives, or even like this tax-farmer. 12 Twice in the week I go without food; I give a tenth of all I have. 13 The tax-farmer, on the other hand, keeping far away, and not lifting up even his eyes to heaven, made signs of grief and said, God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
• John 16:32 : 32 See, a time is coming, yes, it is now here, when you will go away in all directions, every man to his house, and I will be by myself: but I am not by myself, because the Father is with me.
• Rom 1:9 : 9 For God is my witness, whose servant I am in spirit in the good news of his Son, that you are at all times in my memory and in my prayers,
• Rom 8:15 : 15 For you did not get the spirit of servants again to put you in fear, but the spirit of sons was given to you, by which we say, Abba, Father.
• Josh 24:14 : 14 So now, go in fear of the Lord, and be his servants with true hearts: put away the gods worshipped by your fathers across the River and in Egypt, and be servants of the Lord.
• 1 Sam 12:24 : 24 Only go in the fear of the Lord, and be his true servants with all your heart, keeping in mind what great things he has done for you.
• 1 Chr 29:17 : 17 And I am conscious, my God, that you are the searcher of hearts, taking pleasure in righteousness. As for me, with an upright heart I have freely given all these things; and I have seen with joy your people who are here to make their offerings freely to you.
• Ps 17:1 : 1 <A Prayer. Of David.> Let my cause come to your ears, O Lord, give attention to my cry; give ear to my prayer which goes not out from false lips.
• Ps 32:2 : 2 Happy is the man in whom the Lord sees no evil, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
• Ps 51:6 : 6 Your desire is for what is true in the inner parts: in the secrets of my soul you will give me knowledge of wisdom.
• Ps 147:11 : 11 The Lord takes pleasure in his worshippers, and in those whose hope is in his mercy.
• Prov 15:8 : 8 The offering of the evil-doer is disgusting to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright man is his delight.
• Song 2:14 : 14 O my dove, you are in the holes of the mountain sides, in the cracks of the high hills; let me see your face, let your voice come to my ears; for sweet is your voice, and your face is fair.
• Isa 1:10-15 : 10 Give ear to the word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; let your hearts be turned to the law of our God, you people of Gomorrah. 11 What use to me is the number of the offerings which you give me? says the Lord; your burned offerings of sheep, and the best parts of fat cattle, are a weariness to me; I take no pleasure in the blood of oxen, or of lambs, or of he-goats. 12 At whose request do you come before me, making my house unclean with your feet? 13 Give me no more false offerings; the smoke of burning flesh is disgusting to me, so are your new moons and Sabbaths and your holy meetings. 14 Your new moons and your regular feasts are a grief to my soul: they are a weight in my spirit; I am crushed under them. 15 And when your hands are stretched out to me, my eyes will be turned away from you: even though you go on making prayers, I will not give ear: your hands are full of blood.
• Isa 10:20 : 20 And it will be in that day that the rest of Israel, and those of Jacob who have come safely through these troubles, will no longer go for help to him whose rod was on their back, but their faith will be in the Lord, the Holy One of Israel.
• Isa 26:8-9 : 8 We have been waiting for you, O Lord; the desire of our soul is for the memory of your name. 9 In the night the desire of my soul has been for you; early will my spirit be searching for you; for when your punishments come on the earth, the people of the world will get the knowledge of righteousness.
• Isa 29:13 : 13 And the Lord said, because this people come near to me with their mouths, and give honour to me with their lips, but their heart is far from me, and their fear of me is false, a rule given them by the teaching of men;
• Isa 43:21 : 21 Even the people whom I made to be the witnesses of my praise.
• Isa 48:1-2 : 1 Give ear to this, O family of Jacob, you who are named by the name of Israel, and have come out of the body of Judah; who take oaths by the name of the Lord, and make use of the name of the God of Israel, but not truly and not in good faith. 2 For they say that they are of the holy town, and put their faith in the God of Israel: the Lord of armies is his name.
• Isa 58:2 : 2 Though they make prayer to me every day, and take pleasure in the knowledge of my ways: like a nation which has done righteousness, and has not given up the rules of their God, they make requests to me for the right orders, it is their delight to come near to God.
• Isa 58:8-9 : 8 Then will light be shining on you like the morning, and your wounds will quickly be well: and your righteousness will go before you, and the glory of the Lord will come after you. 9 Then at the sound of your voice, the Lord will give an answer; at your cry he will say, Here am I. If you take away from among you the yoke, the putting out of the finger of shame, and the evil word; 10 And if you give your bread to those in need of it, so that the troubled one may have his desire; then you will have light in the dark, and your night will be as the full light of the sun: 11 And the Lord will be your guide at all times; in dry places he will give you water in full measure, and will make strong your bones; and you will be like a watered garden, and like an ever-flowing spring. 12 And your sons will be building again the old waste places: you will make strong the bases of old generations: and you will be named, He who puts up the broken walls, and, He who makes ready the ways for use. 13 If you keep the Sabbath with care, not doing your business on my holy day; and if the Sabbath seems to you a delight, and the new moon of the Lord a thing to be honoured; and if you give respect to him by not doing your business, or going after your pleasure, or saying unholy words; 14 Then the Lord will be your delight; and I will put you on the high places of the earth; and I will give you the heritage of Jacob your father: for the mouth of the Lord has said it.
• Isa 66:1-2 : 1 The Lord says, Heaven is the seat of my power, and earth is the resting-place for my feet: what sort of house will you make for me, and what place will be my resting-place? 2 For all these things my hand has made, and they are mine, says the Lord; but to this man only will I give attention, to him who is poor and broken in spirit, fearing my word.
• Jer 3:10 : 10 But for all this, her false sister Judah has not come back to me with all her heart, but with deceit, says the Lord.
• Jer 4:2 : 2 And you will take your oath, By the living Lord, in good faith and wisdom and righteousness; and the nations will make use of you as a blessing, and in you will they take a pride.
• Jer 7:7-9 : 7 Then I will let you go on living in this place, in the land which I gave to your fathers in the past and for ever. 8 See, you put your faith in false words which are of no profit. 9 Will you take the goods of others, put men to death, and be untrue to your wives, and take false oaths, and have perfumes burned to the Baal, and go after other gods which are strange to you; 10 And come and take your place before me in this house, which is named by my name, and say, We have been made safe; so that you may do all these disgusting things? 11 Has this house, which is named by my name, become a hole of thieves to you? Truly I, even I, have seen it, says the Lord. 12 But go now to my place which was in Shiloh, where I put my name at first, and see what I did to it because of the evil-doing of my people Israel.
• Ezek 22:30 : 30 And I was looking for a man among them who would make up the wall and take his station in the broken place before me for the land, so that I might not send destruction on it: but there was no one.