John 4:16

16 He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back."

John 4:16 Meaning and Commentary

John 4:16

Jesus saith unto her
Observing that she continued an ignorant scoffer at him, and his words, determined to take another method with her; and convince her, that he was not a common and ordinary person she was conversing with, as she took him to be; and also what a sinner she was, and what a vicious course of life she had lived; so that she might see that she stood in need of him, as the gift of God, and Saviour of men; and of the grace he had been speaking of, under the notion of living water: saying to her,

go, call thy husband, and come hither;
go directly from hence to the city of Sychar, and call thy husband, and come back hither along with him again: this Christ said, not to have him come to teach and instruct him, and as if he would more readily and easily understand him, and that he might be with her, a partaker of the same grace; but to bring on some further conversation, by which she would understand that he knew her state and condition, and what a course of life she now lived, and so bring her under a conviction of her sin and danger, and need of him and his grace.

John 4:16 In-Context

14 but whoever drinks the water I will give him will never be thirsty again! On the contrary, the water I give him will become a spring of water inside him, welling up into eternal life!"
15 "Sir, give me this water," the woman said to him, "so that I won't have to be thirsty and keep coming here to draw water."
16 He said to her, "Go, call your husband, and come back."
17 She answered, "I don't have a husband." Yeshua said to her, "You're right, you don't have a husband!
18 You've had five husbands in the past, and you're not married to the man you're living with now! You've spoken the truth!"
Complete Jewish Bible Copyright 1998 by David H. Stern. Published by Jewish New Testament Publications, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.