John 4.18

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: John chapter: 4 verses: "18" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 1 enriched: false

Quoted in

G2758 - kenoo

John 4.18

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"16. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 17. The woman answered and said unto him, I have no husband. Jesus saith unto her, Thou saidst well, I have no husband:"

"18. for thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: this hast thou said 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, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"16. Jesus said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” 17. The woman answered, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You said well, ‘I have no husband,’"

"18. for you have had five husbands; and he whom you now have is not your husband. This you have said truly.”"

"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)

"16. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. 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)

"16. Jesus saith to her, 'Go, call thy husband, and come hither;' 17. the woman answered and said, 'I have not a husband.' Jesus saith to her, 'Well didst thou say, A husband I have not;"

"18. for five husbands thou hast had, and, now, he whom thou hast is not thy husband; this hast thou said truly.'"

"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 (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
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 for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.