In the fourth chapter of St. Johns Gospel, the central point of the long dialogue between Jesus and the Samaritan woman can be described as the statement: “the hour is coming when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth” (proskynēsousin tō Patri en pneumati kai alētheia) (John 4:24). Most translations render this phrase as “worship in spirit and truth.” But what exactly does this “worship in spirit and truth” mean? Many complex and sometimes obscure interpretations have been offered.
“Spirit” and “truth” are often understood as referring to the Holy Trinity: the Son (Jesus, whom the Johannine tradition presents as the Truth of God incarnate-that is, the fullness of divine revelation and covenantal fidelity) and the Holy Spirit. Accordingly, true worship “in spirit and truth” may be interpreted as a movement toward the Father through Jesus, in the power of the Holy Spirit. However, apart from this theological reading, it is worthwhile to consider another interpretation that is both reasonable and more accessible.
In the expression “worship in spirit and truth,” the words “spirit” and “truth” are usually taken as two qualifiers of worship. Yet, when we examine the Greek original closely, we find that both nouns (pneumati and alētheia) share a single preposition (en) and are connected by the conjunction (kai). Structurally, these nouns function adjectivally, qualifying the nature of worship. In Greek linguistic usage, such a construction-where two nouns convey a single unified idea-is known as Hendiadys. The biblical scholar Ethelbert William Bullinger defines Hendiadys as “the expression of one idea through two formally coordinate terms joined by ‘and,’ instead of a noun and adjective or a verb and an adverb. One component specifies the other.” Numerous examples of this figure of speech can be found in Sacred Scripture (cf. Genesis 3:16; 4:4; Psalms 63:5; 113:4).
In light of this, the phrase may be more accurately translated as: “the hour is coming when true worshippers will worship in a truly spiritual manner.” Compared to the conventional rendering “in spirit and truth,” this translation-“to worship truly in spirit”-appears clearer and more direct in conveying the intended meaning.
What, then, is meant by “truly spiritual worship”? First, it must be spiritual in the fullest sense. It is the experience in which the human spirit encounters God, who is Spirit. In such worship, external formalities or attachment to particular places lose their absolute significance. Second, this worship is a continuous and living movement: it flows from a person renewed in the Holy Spirit, passes through Jesus Christ, and is directed toward the Father. Its ultimate goal is participation in the very being and life of God.
This revelation concerning true worship was not only a corrective to the ritualistic tendencies of Jesus’ own time, but it remains equally relevant today. Even now, many become entangled in external formalism, losing the inner spirit and vitality of worship, while clinging rigidly to rituals and forms. Through the narrative of the Samaritan woman, the Evangelist offers a profound and beautiful message: God seeks worshippers who worship without hypocrisy, without mere external display, and without claims of superiority-worshippers who adore Him in genuine spirit and truth.
Rev. Dr. Tom Olikkarott
