What does Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs) mean in the Bible?
Samareites means Samaritan, a person associated with Samaria. The word carries historical boundary weight in the New Testament, but it must not be turned into ethnic contempt or a moral category.
Greek · G4541
Σαμαρείτης
A Samarite, i.e. inhabitant of Samaria
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Σαμαρείτης G4541
Pronunciation Samareítēs
What does Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs) mean in the Bible?
Samareites means Samaritan, a person associated with Samaria. The word carries historical boundary weight in the New Testament, but it must not be turned into ethnic contempt or a moral category.
Reader summary
Full entry for Σαμαρείτης (G4541) · Open the biblical lexicon
Questions this entry answers
How does the BSB render G4541?
The BSB source-word alignment has 9 aligned rows for this entry. Common renderings include a Samaritan (2), Samaritan (2), Samaritans (2), of [the] Samaritans (1), of the Samaritans (1).
Where does Σαμαρείτης (Samareítēs) appear in Scripture?
The source-word alignment first shows this entry at Matthew 10:5. Its strongest book concentrations include John (4), Luke (3), Acts (1), Matthew (1).
What This Word Actually Means
Samareites means Samaritan, a person associated with Samaria. The word carries historical boundary weight in the New Testament, but it must not be turned into ethnic contempt or a moral category. Jesus' ministry encounters Samaritan villages, a Samaritan in a mercy parable, a Samaritan leper who returns in thanksgiving, the Samaritan woman and town in John 4, a hostile accusation in John 8, and gospel preaching in Samaritan villages in Acts.
The pastoral value is not that Samaritans are naturally better or worse than others. It is that Jesus exposes and crosses human hostilities, receives faith where others may not expect it, and sends witness beyond familiar boundaries.
How the Bible Uses It
Samareites appears in mission boundaries, travel conflict, mercy teaching, John 4's Samaritan witness, hostile insult, and Acts' gospel expansion in Samaritan villages.
- Matt.10.5
These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go onto the road of the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans.
Jesus' initial mission instruction names Samaritan towns as outside the Twelve's immediate route, showing stage and scope in mission.
- Luke.9.52
He sent messengers on ahead, who went into a village of the Samaritans to make arrangements for Him.
A Samaritan village becomes part of Jesus' journey context, where rejection and disciple response must be handled carefully.
- Luke.10.33
But a Samaritan on a journey came upon him, and when he saw him, he had compassion.
The Samaritan in the parable shows compassion, overturning expectations in Jesus' teaching about neighbor love.
- John.4.9
“You are a Jew,” said the woman. “How can You ask for a drink from me, a Samaritan woman?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
The woman names the Jew-Samaritan barrier as Jesus asks her for a drink.
- John.4.39
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.”
Many Samaritans believe because of the woman's testimony, showing witness crossing a known boundary.
- John.4.40
So when the Samaritans came to Him, they asked Him to stay with them, and He stayed two days.
The Samaritans ask Jesus to stay, and He remains two days, giving concrete shape to His welcome.
- John.8.48
The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”
Samaritan is used in a hostile accusation against Jesus, so readers must not adopt the insult as truth.
- Acts.8.25
And after Peter and John had testified and spoken the word of the Lord, they returned to Jerusalem, preaching the gospel in many of the Samaritan villages.
Peter and John preach the gospel in many Samaritan villages, showing gospel expansion beyond Jerusalem.
Source Word Evidence
BSB source-word alignment connects this entry to exact verse rows, English rendering, source form, transliteration, and parsing.
How English Renders It a Samaritan 2× Luke 17:16, John 8:48
Samaritan 2× Luke 10:33, Acts 8:25
Samaritans 2× John 4:39, John 4:40
of [the] Samaritans 1× Matthew 10:5
of the Samaritans 1× Luke 9:52
with Samaritans 1× John 4:9
Show sample aligned rows
Matthew 10:5 Σαμαριτῶν to of [the] Samaritans Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Luke 9:52 Σαμαριτῶν to of the Samaritans Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural Luke 10:33 Σαμαρίτης to Samaritan Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Luke 17:16 Σαμαρίτης to a Samaritan Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular John 4:9 Σαμαρίταις to with Samaritans Noun - Dative Masculine Plural John 4:39 Σαμαριτῶν to Samaritans Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural John 4:40 Σαμαρῖται to Samaritans Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural John 8:48 Σαμαρίτης to a Samaritan Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular Acts 8:25 Σαμαριτῶν to Samaritan Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural
Usage map
A compact distribution from source-word alignment before the full evidence tables.
First aligned row Matthew 10:5
Aligned rows 9
Books represented 4
Matthew 1 Luke 3 John 4 Acts 1
Source forms
Σαμαριτῶν 4x Samaritōn Matthew 10:5, Luke 9:52, John 4:39, Acts 8:25
Σαμαρίτης 3x Samaritēs Luke 10:33, Luke 17:16, John 8:48
Σαμαρῖται 1x Samaritai John 4:40
Σαμαρίταις 1x Samaritais John 4:9
Parsing patterns
Noun - Genitive Masculine Plural 4x Matthew 10:5, Luke 9:52, John 4:39, Acts 8:25
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular 3x Luke 10:33, Luke 17:16, John 8:48
Noun - Dative Masculine Plural 1x John 4:9
Noun - Nominative Masculine Plural 1x John 4:40
Using This Word Well
Be careful not to...
- Use Samaritan texts to confront contempt without turning the people into a sermon device.
- When teaching mission expansion, honor both Jesus' staged instructions and the later spread of the gospel.
Avoid claiming...
- Do not claim Samaritan identity is a moral category.
- Do not claim John 8:48 endorses the hostile accusation spoken against Jesus.
Evidence Summary
Greek word. a Samarite, i.e. inhabitant of Samaria
Strong's G4541
Lexical occurrences 0 verses Greek text appearances 9 times Verse guides 0 guides
Study link Luke 10:25-37 Source Gloss
a Samarite, i.e. inhabitant of Samaria
Extended definition
:--Samaritan.
Greek Text Appearances
Textus Receptus witness, full corpus Greek token appearances from Scrivener 1894 Textus Receptus in the full New Testament corpus.
9 Greek text appearances shown. Linked morphology labels have verse guides.
Matthew 10:5 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
Σαμαρειτῶν samareitwn
a Samaritan
Read verse Luke 9:52 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
Σαμαρειτῶν, samareitwn
a Samaritan
Read verse Luke 10:33 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Σαμαρείτης samareithv
a Samaritan
Read verse Luke 17:16 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Σαμαρείτης. samareithv
a Samaritan
Read verse John 4:9 Noun Dative Plural Masculine
Σαμαρείταις.) samareitaiv
a Samaritan
Read verse John 4:39 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
Σαμαρειτῶν samareitwn
a Samaritan
Read verse John 4:40 Noun Nominative Plural Masculine
Σαμαρεῖται, samareitai
a Samaritan
Read verse John 8:48 Noun Nominative Singular Masculine
Σαμαρείτης samareithv
a Samaritan
Read verse Acts 8:25 Noun Genitive Plural Masculine
Σαμαρειτῶν samareitwn
a Samaritan
Read verseFull New Testament corpus: 260 chapters, 7,957 verses, 140,628 tokens. Data source: honza/textus-receptus (data only), with authority check against byztxt/greektext-textus-receptus.
Sampled Scripture Occurrences
Representative Scripture witnesses for this entry: passage, original form, and sense in context.
Biblical Witnesses
A despised outsider shown as exemplifying mercy and neighborly love
One of ten lepers healed, distinguished by gratitude and faith in Jesus
Inhabitants of a village rejecting Jesus due to ethnic and religious tensions
Word Origins
Σαμαρείτης is built from this root:
Part of These Phrases
Compound and idiomatic phrases that include this word. Follow a link to study the phrase and how its parts work together.
For the Preacher and Teacher
The core insight of Samareites is that the New Testament refuses to let inherited hostility control the reach of mercy and witness. Sometimes Samaritan language marks a boundary in a mission sequence. Sometimes it exposes the rejection Jesus and His messengers face. In Luke 10, a Samaritan becomes the unexpected neighbor who shows compassion. In John 4, Samaritan belief grows through a woman's testimony and Jesus' stay.
In Acts, apostolic preaching reaches Samaritan villages. The word must be handled with care because it names real people, not a sermon prop. Jesus does not erase history by pretending boundaries never existed; He overrules contempt by mercy, truth, and mission.
Anchor passage
John.4.39
Doctrinal connections
- Matthew.10.5: mission instructions can have stages without denying later gospel reach.
- Luke.10.33: Jesus uses a Samaritan to expose what neighbor mercy looks like.
- John.4.9: the Jew-Samaritan barrier is named rather than ignored.
- John.4.39: many Samaritans believe through the woman's testimony.
- John.4.40: Jesus stays with the Samaritans who ask Him to remain.
- Acts.8.25: apostolic witness extends through many Samaritan villages.
Samareites is a proper noun or people identifier. Its meaning is referential, and the passage decides whether the term appears in mission limitation, compassion, faith, insult, or gospel expansion.
From Old to New Testament
The Samaria background sits within Israel's divided history, but the New Testament shows Jesus and His witnesses bringing mercy and proclamation across that historic divide.
Sources
MorphGNT Strong's Dictionary XML — CC0 1.0 Public Domain
Open Scriptures Hebrew Bible (morphhb/OSHB) — CC BY 4.0
Open Scriptures Hebrew Lexicon — CC BY 4.0
Berean Standard Bible (BSB) source-word alignment - CC0 Public Domain