Jacob's Well
Archimandrite Nikifor’s Biblical Encyclopedia
, near Shechem or Sychar, became famous through the conversation the Lord held there with the Samaritan woman (John 4). The well still exists and has often been described by travelers. The origin of its name is evident from the Samaritan woman's question to Jesus: 'Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?' (John 4:12). A church once stood over the well, but only a few fragments of it remained in the source's day.
The well lies east of Mount Gerizim, at some distance from Nablus, or Shechem, and is surrounded by grain fields. It is cut into the rock and covered above by a stone vault with a very narrow opening, now almost entirely collapsed. In summer the well sometimes dries up, but in autumn and winter it contains a sufficient supply of clean water. It is a walk of thirty-five minutes from the city. If the widely held tradition is correct, this well marks the very parcel of ground Jacob bought for one hundred pieces of money from the sons of Hamor and upon which he erected an altar to the God of Israel (Gen 33:18-20).
This parcel was given to Joseph (Gen 48:22; John 4:5), and here his bones came to rest after many years of wandering (Josh 24:32). Joseph's supposed tomb is shown a few yards farther north, on the opposite side of the entrance to the Valley of Shechem.