# John 4.18

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**Book:** [John](/codex/john-the-apostle/) · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

## Immediate context (±2 verses)

**ASV** ([ASV](/codex/asv/))
> 16. Jesus saith unto her, <span class="rl-speech">Go, call thy husband, and come hither.</span> 17. The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, <span class="rl-speech">Thou saidst well, I have no husband:</span>
>
> **18. <span class="rl-speech">for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said truly.</span>**
>
> 19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (John 4:16-20, ASV)

**WEB** ([WEB](/codex/web/))
> 16. Jesus said to her, <span class="rl-speech">“Go, call your husband, and come here.”</span> 17. The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, <span class="rl-speech">“You said well, ‘I have no husband,’</span>
>
> **18. <span class="rl-speech">for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”</span>**
>
> 19. The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. 20. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship.” (John 4:16-20, WEB)

**KJV** ([KJV](/codex/kjv/))
> 16. Jesus saith unto her, <span class="rl-speech">Go, call thy husband, and come hither.</span> 17. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
>
> **18. For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.**
>
> 19. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (John 4:16-20, KJV)

**YLT** ([YLT](/codex/ylt/))
> 16. Jesus saith to her, <span class="rl-speech">'Go, call thy husband, and come hither;'</span> 17. the woman answered and said, 'I have not a husband.' Jesus saith to her, <span class="rl-speech">'Well didst thou say, A husband I have not;</span>
>
> **18. <span class="rl-speech">for five husbands thou hast had, and, now, he whom thou hast is not thy husband; this hast thou said truly.'</span>**
>
> 19. The woman saith to him, 'Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet; 20. our fathers in this mountain did worship, and ye, ye say that in Jerusalem is the place where it behoveth to worship.' (John 4:16-20, YLT)

## Setting

- **Speaker:** John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
- **Audience:** later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
- **Location:** first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
- **Time period:** events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

## Theological reading

## Key words

_No Strong's-tagged lexicon matches found in this passage. (Lexicon coverage is curated, ~159 of the most apologetically-loaded Greek/Hebrew terms.)_

## Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the **most literal English translations available** (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the **public domain in the United States**, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

- **[ASV](/codex/asv/)** (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
- **[WEB](/codex/web/)** (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
- **[KJV](/codex/kjv/)** (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
- **[YLT](/codex/ylt/)** (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See [Bibles](/codex/bibles/) for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.

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## Quoted in

**Concepts:**

- [Jesus Said](/codex/jesus-said/), via [John 4](/codex/john-4/)
- [OT Sexual-Violence Laws](/codex/ot-sexual-violence-laws/), via [John 4.7-30](/codex/john-4-7-30/)
- [Psychology of Lowered Defenses](/codex/psychology-of-lowered-defenses/), via [John 4.7-26](/codex/john-4-7-26/)

**Lexicon:**

- [G2758 - kenoo](/codex/g2758-kenoo/)

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