📖 Biblical Definition
"Springs of living water" — or more precisely, "the fountain of living waters" — is YHWH’s self-description in Jeremiah’s great covenant indictment: "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water" (Jeremiah 2:13). The imagery contrasts the inexhaustible flowing spring (the LORD Himself) with the cracked, manmade cistern (every idol substitute). Christ takes up the imagery with the Samaritan woman: "the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life" (John 4:14); and at the Feast of Tabernacles: "out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38). Drink at the Spring.
📜 Webster 1828 Definition
YHWH (and Christ) as the source-spring of life-giving water.
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Hebrew maqor mayim chayyim — "fountain of living waters." YHWH's self-description in Jeremiah 2:13: "my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Christ takes up the image in John 4 (the well of water springing up to everlasting life within the believer) and John 7 (rivers of living water flowing out from the believer's belly — identified as the Spirit).
📖 Key Scripture
Jeremiah 2:13 — "For my people have committed two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water."
John 4:13-14 — "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life."
John 7:37-38 — "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the saith hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water."
⚠️ Modern Corruption
Both Jewish and Christian readers can drift into broken-cistern self-help; only the source-spring water never runs out.
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Jeremiah names two evils: forsaking the spring AND hewing broken cisterns. Self-help spirituality, self-improvement religion, self-curated identity — all are broken cisterns. They look like they hold water; they leak.
Recover the source: living water comes only from the source-spring. Drink there; the well becomes within you; rivers flow from you.
🔗 Greek & Hebrew Roots
Hebrew maqor mayim chayyim.
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['Hebrew', 'H4726', 'maqor', 'fountain, source, spring']
['Hebrew', 'H4325', 'mayim', 'waters']
['Hebrew', 'H2416', 'chai', 'living, alive']
Usage
"Forsook the spring; hewed broken cisterns."
"Drink of the spring; well becomes within."
"Rivers of living water from the believer's belly."