Matthew Poole and continuators on John 4:19

19 The woman saith unto him , Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet .

Whose Office is to reveal the will of God, and to whom God revealeth secret things. One to whom the Lord maketh known himself in a Vision, and speaketh in a Dream, Num. 12.6. The womans Reply seemeth to signifie both: Her acknowledgment of Christ as a Prophe[illegible: 1 letter], upon his telling her secret things, justifieth her looking upon him, as one to whom God revealed things not known ordinarily to men; and that this report of her meaning appeareth by what she said, vers. 9. to her Fellow-Citizens, Come see a man which hath told me all things that ever I did: but the following Verse, in which she entreth into a discouese with our Saviour, about the Controversie betwixt the Iews and the Samaritans about Worship, lets us know, that she looked upon him as a Prophet in the more ordinary sense, as Prophet signifies one influenced by God, to reveal his mind and will unto Men; and indeed, there was no Prophet in the former sense, but was also in the latter; tho there were many Prophets in the latter sense, sent of God, and enabled to reveal the will of God unto Men, who were not influenced so far, as to foretel things to come. The difference betwixt an Hypocrite, and one truly brought to a sense of Sin, is very conspicuous in the example of this Woman; she doth not deny her sin, as Cain, Gehazi, and Ananias and Saphira; neither doth she discover any anger upon the discovery of it, as the Scribes and Pharisees, the wicked Princes of Israel and Iudah, and Herod did: Neither doth she go about to excuse or mitigate her sin, but she applieth her self to Christ as a Prophet, to teach her what to do. The example also of this Woman, informs us what use we ought to make of Prophets to guide us into the right way, and faithfully to acquaint us with the will of God.

Marginal references: Luk. 7.16. & 24.19. Chap. 6.14.