John 4:6 / "sixth hour" "It was about noon", "It was about the sixth hour"

C. Michael Dudash, "Living Water." Copyrighted by the artist. Permission requested.

    The "sixth hour" "It was about noon", "It was about the sixth hour" in John 4:6 means it was about noon and was the way Jews told time back then. Each hour was roughly two hours long, starting from sunrise. The timing might highlight when the woman went to the well, which was unusual as most people went when it was cooler. It could also symbolize a moment in her life when she felt passion and difficulty or suggest that she avoided others, particularly Jews. In Christianity, number six represents human imperfection and sin as God created man on the sixth day in Genesis. Hence, the reference to the sixth hour may imply the woman's sinfulness and need for Jesus' salvation and redemption.