Prior Book | Prior Chapter | Prior Verse | Next Verse | Next Chapter | Next Book | Viewing NASB and Amplified 2015 | |
NASB | John 4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly." |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | John 4:18 for you have had five husbands, and the man you are now living with is not your husband. You have said this truthfully." |
Bible Question: In St. John 4 Jesus tells the woman at the well that she has had five husbands and the one she now has it not her own. Most in our Bible study class have always surmised that the five were like the one she currently has "not her own" but the husbands of other women. However, some are of the opinion that she had been married five times. Is there biblical support to back either theory? Please send your response ASAP! Thanks! |
Bible Answer: scparham, Answer, Part 1 " The Samaritan Woman and the Five Husbands In order to grasp the full significance of the conversation with the Samaritan Woman it is necessary to have some background on the Samaritan people. Otherwise, small nuances are lost, just as a reader who knows nothing about American history or culture would not know why calling somebody an "Uncle Tom" or "Benedict Arnold" would be anything other than an odd nickname. Samaritans were the people who were left behind in the wake of the Assyrian conquest of the Kingdom of Israel in 722 BC. Israel and Judah split apart after the reign of Solomon. Ten tribes broke with Solomon's kingdom and formed the northern kingdom of Israel (1 Kings 12). This northern kingdom immediately fell into apostasy and idolatry, worshipping golden calves at Bethel and following the various Canaanite cults as they rejected and forgot the God of Israel. After centuries of warnings from the prophets, Israel was finally attacked and destroyed by Assyria in judgment (2 Kings 17). The Assyrian policy was to deport their conquered peoples and import foreigners to conquered lands so that the conquered populations were always at odds with each other in ethnic rivalry and therefore couldn't give the Assyrians trouble. In this case, the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Avva, Hamath, and Sephar-vaim and settled them in Israel, which was now called "Samaria." (2 Kings 17:24). And with the new settlers from five cities, came their baals and the worship they offered them. Thus, the deportation of the Ten Tribes and the importation of foreigners meant that what was left of the population in the now-decimated kingdom of Israel was a mixture both religiously and ethnically. The worship of Yahweh still lingered on, in corrupt form, but it was mingled with the worship of Baal (2 Kings 17:29-34). Because of this dubious ethnic and religious background, as well as Israel's apostasy before the Assyrian assault, the inhabitants of the southern kingdom (Judah) regarded Samaritans as half-breeds and as traitors to the covenant of Moses. Now it is an interesting fact that in condemning the worship of Baal, Hosea prophesied to Israel: "In that day, says the LORD, you will call me, ‘My husband,’ and no longer will you call me, ‘My Baal.’ For I will remove the names of the Baals from her mouth, and they shall be mentioned by name no more. And I will make for you a covenant on that day with the beasts of the field, the birds of the air, and the creeping things of the ground; and I will abolish the bow, the sword, and war from the land; and I will make you lie down in safety. And I will betroth you to me for ever; I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love, and in mercy" (Hosea 2:16-19). Israel, in other words, was assured by the prophets that it would someday return to the worship of the true God (a true worship preserved, despite their sins, by the elect tribe of Judah and the house of David). Israel would again call him "husband". from: Catholic Scripture Study www.catholicexchange.com |