John 4:18

18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”

John 4:18 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18 for you have had five husbands, and the one you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true."
New Living Translation (NLT)
18 for you have had five husbands, and you aren’t even married to the man you’re living with now. You certainly spoke the truth!”
The Message Bible (MSG)
18 You've had five husbands, and the man you're living with now isn't even your husband. You spoke the truth there, sure enough."
American Standard Version (ASV)
18 for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
18 You've had five husbands, and the man you have now isn't your husband. You've told the truth."
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
18 "For you've had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have said is true."
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands. And the man you have now is not your husband. What you have just said is very true."

John 4:18 Meaning and Commentary

John 4:18

For thou hast had five husbands
Which she either had had lawfully, and had buried one after another; and which was no crime, and might be: the Sadducees propose a case to Christ, in which a woman is said to have had seven husbands successively, in a lawful manner, ( Matthew 22:25-28 ) . Or rather, she had had so many, and had been divorced from everyone of them, for adultery; for no other cause it should seem did the Samaritans divorce; seeing that they only received the law of Moses, and rejected, at least, many of the traditions of the elders; and since they are particularly said F25

``not to be expert in the law of marriages and divorces:''

and the rather this may seem to be the case, as Dr. Lightfoot observes; since these husbands are mentioned, as well as he with whom she lived in an adulterous manner; and which suggests, that she had not lived honestly with them:

and he whom thou now hast, is not thy husband;
that is, not thy lawful husband, as the Persic version reads, and Nonnus paraphrases; being not married to him at all, though they cohabited as man and wife, when there was no such relation between them:

in that saidst thou truly;
or that which is truth: thus Christ the omniscient God, who knew her full well, and the whole of her past infamous conversation, and her present lewd and wicked way of living, exposes all unto her.


FOOTNOTES:

F25 T. Bab. Kiddushin, fol 76. 1.

John 4:18 In-Context

16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband.
18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet.
20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
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