John 4:17
Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
To the Samaritan woman after she says she has no husband.
John 4:17 Thou hast well said, I have no husband:
John 4:17 You are right when you say you have no husband.
Correctly you say that you don't have a husband.
Greek
Greek Word Order
Honesty is good.
Lost in Translation
Biblical translators take a simple, straightforward statement and complicate it. And the recent NIV version is even worse.
Vocabulary (Greek word by word)
Καλῶς [48 verses](adv) "Well" is kalos, which means as an adverb means, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether" and "deservedly".
εἶπες [162 verses] (verb 2nd sg aor ind act) "Thou hast spoken" is eipon, which means "to speak", "to say", "to recite", "to address", "to mention", "to name", "to proclaim", "to plead", "to promise" and "to offer".
ὅτι [332 verses](adv/conj) "That" is hoti, which introduces a statement of fact "with regard to the fact that", "seeing that" and acts as a causal adverb meaning "for what", "because", "since" and "wherefore".
Ἄνδρα [10 verses](noun sg masc acc) "The men" is from aner, which means "a man" (as opposed to a god), "a man" (as opposed to a woman), "a husband", "a man in the prime of life" (as opposed to a youth) and "a man indeed".
οὐκ [269 verses](partic) "Not" is ou ( οὒ ) which is the negative adverb for facts and statements, negating both single words and sentences. The other negative adverb, μή applies to will and thought; οὐ denies, μή rejects; οὐ is absolute, μή relative; οὐ objective, μή subjective.
ἔχω: [181 verses](verb 1st sg pres ind act) "I have" is echo, which means "to have", "to hold", "to possess", "to keep", "to have charge of", "to have due to one", "to maintain", "to hold fast", "to bear", "to carry", "to keep close", "to keep safe" and "to have means to do". In aorist, "acquire", "get".
KJV — word by word
Thou -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
hast -- (WT) This helping verb "hast" indicates that the verb is the tense indicating an action completed in the past. This is not the tense of the verb here.
well -- As an adverb, the word translated as "well" means, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether" and "deservedly".
said, - The word translated as "said" means "to say" and "to speak". It is one of the two most common words translated "speak", "say" and "tell", but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.
missing "that" -- (MW) The untranslated word "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what", "because", "since" and "wherefore".
I -- This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb.
have - -- The word translated as "have" means to "have", "possess", "bear", "keep close", "have means to do", "to have due to one" or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.
no -- (WP) The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no", "not" or"no truly". When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. Here, it appears before the verb, not "husband".
husband:-- "Husband" is a noun that isn't the normal Greek word translated as "man" but a special word that indicates that manliness of "men", both for good and bad. In English, we would say "male". It emphasizes the adult man when compared to a youth or the mortality of a man when compared to the divinity of God. It is also used to mean "husband".
NIV — word by word
You -- This is from the second-person, singular form of the verb.
are -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "are" in the Greek source.
right -- (WF) As an adverb, the word translated as "well" means, "well", "rightly", "happily", "thoroughly", "altogether" and "deservedly". This word doesn't apply to the speaker but to what she said.
when -- (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as "when" in the Greek source.
you (IW) There is nothing that can be translated as a second "you" in the Greek source.
say, - The word translated as "said" means "to say" and "to speak". It is one of the two most common words translated "speak", "say" and "tell", but it has more a sense of addressing and proclaiming.
missing "that" -- (MW) The untranslated word "that" introduces a statement of fact or cause, "for what", "because", "since" and "wherefore".
you -- (WW) This is from the first-person, singular form of the verb. It should be "I" not "you".
have - -- The word translated as "have" means to "have", "possess", "bear", "keep close", "have means to do", "to have due to one" or "keep" and many specific uses. This verb isn't used to form past tenses as it is in English.
no -- (WP) The Greek word translated as "not" is the Greek negative used to deny objective facts, not opinions. It means "no", "not" or"no truly". When a negative precedes the verb, it affects the whole clause. When it precedes other words, its force is limited to those words. Here, it appears before the verb, not "husband".
husband:-- "Husband" is a noun that isn't the normal Greek word translated as "man" but a special word that indicates that manliness of "men", both for good and bad. In English, we would say "male". It emphasizes the adult man when compared to a youth or the mortality of a man when compared to the divinity of God. It is also used to mean "husband".