JACOB’S FOUNTAIN

The “well” or “fountain” where Jesus Christ, while resting, conversed with a Samaritan woman. (John 4:5-30) It is considered to be Bir Yaʽqub, situated about a mile and a half (2.4 kilometers) SE of Nablus (Shechem). Jacob’s fountain is a deep well, the water level of which never rises to the top. Measurements made in the last century indicate the well’s depth to be about seventy-five feet (c. 23 meters). It is approximately eight feet (2.4 meters) wide, although narrowing at the top. The circumstance that the well is usually dry from about the end of May until the autumn rains has given rise to the view that its water is derived from rain and percolation. But others believe that the well is also spring fed and therefore could also be called a “fountain.”

The Bible does not directly state that Jacob dug the well. However, it does indicate that Jacob had property in this vicinity. (Gen. 33:18-20; Josh. 24:32; John 4:5) And the Samaritan woman told Jesus that “Jacob . . . gave us the well and [he] . . . together with his sons and his cattle drank out of it.” (John 4:12) So Jacob likely dug it or had it dug, perhaps to provide water for his large household and flocks, thereby preventing trouble with his neighbors, who doubtless already owned the other water sources in the region. Or, he may have needed a better and more permanent supply of water when other wells in the area dried up.

[Caption on page 864]

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A woman draws water from the Bir Yaʽqub, thought to represent Jacob’s fountain. (The well is depicted here as it appeared before being glamorized as a shrine)