John 4:17

Study note

Setting — The Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well responds to Jesus’ prior command to summon her spouse. Jesus immediately acknowledges her admission before proceeding to his next statement.

The words — ἀπεκρίθη (apekrithē) translates to “answered” and ἔχω (echō) means “I have,” capturing her direct declaration of lacking a current husband.

The thread — The exchange progresses from Jesus’ request in John 4:16 to her response in John 4:17, which he validates before detailing her five past marriages and current arrangement in John 4:18.

Why it lands — The text requires a reader to state their actual condition without qualification before receiving correction. It demands unvarnished honesty about one’s relational reality as a necessary step toward further instruction.

Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.