John 4:18 BSB — MannaFest

John 4:18

In fact, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. You have spoken truthfully.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.

KJV

For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.

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Commentary

3 voices

Origen of Alexandria

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (253)

(tom. xiii. c. 8) And what more proper place than Jacob's well, for exposing the unlawful husband, i. e. the perverse law? For the Samaritan woman is meant to figure to us a soul, that has subjected itself to a hind of law of its own, not the divine law. And our Saviour wishes to marry her to a lawful husband, i. e. Himself; the Word of truth which was to rise from the dead, and never again to die.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

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, Mat 22:

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

Thou hast had five husbands - It is not clear that this woman was a prostitute: she might have been legally married to those five, and might have been divorced through some misbehavior of her own, not amounting to adultery; for the adulteress was to be put to death, both by the Jewish and Samaritan law, not divorced: or she might have been cast off through some caprice of her husband; for, in the time of our Lord, divorces were very common among the Jews, so that a man put away his wife for any fault.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
πέντε	pente	Five	G4002 →
γὰρ	gar	for	G1063 →
ἄνδρας	andras	husbands	G435 →
ἔσχες,	esches	you have had,	G2192 →
καὶ	kai	and	G2532 →
νῦν	nun	now	G3568 →
ὃν	hon	he whom	G3739 →
ἔχεις	echeis	you have	G2192 →
οὐκ	ouk	not	G3756 →
ἔστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
σου	sou	your	G4771 →
ἀνήρ·	anēr	husband;	G435 →
τοῦτο	touto	this	G3778 →
ἀληθὲς	alēthes	truly	G227 →
εἴρηκας.¶	eirēkas	you have spoken.	G2046 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Romans 7:3
So then, if she is joined to another man while her husband is still alive, she is called an adulteress; but if her husband dies, she is free from that law and is not…
leads to
- Exodus 20:14
  You shall not commit adultery.
- Matthew 5:32
  But I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, brings adultery upon her. And he who marries a divorced woman commits adultery.
- Mark 10:6–12
  However, from the beginning of creation, ‘God made them male and female.’
Through
Mark 10:12
And if a woman divorces her husband and marries another man, she commits adultery.”
leads to
- 1 Corinthians 7:11
  But if she does, she must remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband. And a husband must not divorce his wife.
- 1 Corinthians 7:13
  And if a woman has an unbelieving husband and he is willing to live with her, she must not divorce him.
Through
Jeremiah 3:20
But as a woman may betray her husband, so you have betrayed Me, O house of Israel,” declares the LORD.
leads to
- Isaiah 48:8
  You have never heard; you have never understood; for a long time your ears have not been open. For I knew how deceitful you are; you have been called a rebel from birth.
Through
Ruth 4:10
Moreover, I have acquired Ruth the Moabitess, Mahlon’s widow, as my wife, to raise up the name of the deceased through his inheritance, so that his name will not disappear from among his brothers…
leads to
- Deuteronomy 25:6
  The first son she bears will carry on the name of the dead brother, so that his name will not be blotted out from Israel.
- Ephesians 5:25
  Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her

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About John

Jesus and the Woman of Samaria — Gustave Doré (engraving), public domain

John: the study guide →Read chapter 4 →The featured study →

Continue: John 4 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About John

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About John