Expositor's Bible Commentary Commentary John 4:24

"God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth." — John 4:24 (ASV)

“God is spirit” carries one of the four noun descriptions of God found in the NT (the other three are “God is light” [1Jn 1:5]; “God is love” [1Jn 4:8, 16]; and “God is a consuming fire” [Hebrews 12:29]). Jesus was endeavoring to convey to the woman that God cannot be confined to one place nor conceived of as a material being. Only “the Word become flesh” (cf. 1:14) could represent him adequately.