What Does John 4:50 Mean in the King James?
Jesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken unto him, and he went his way.
The analysis reads the King James wording.
King James Version The King James Version, first published in 1611. Selah Verse shows the standard text.
THE KEY
The father begins his journey before he can verify the change: Jesus speaks his son’s life as already present, and trust moves on that word.
THE MEANING
Right now, the word reaches farther than the father’s sight: his son is living while he is still at a distance. Trust takes the form of movement as the father sets out before the reunion confirms what he has heard.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
It undoes the assumption that trust can begin only after evidence arrives: here, the father trusts the word while the result is still out of sight.
THE ROOT
ἐπίστευσεν
episteusen
GROWS FROM
πιστευ-
pisteu-
To trust, place confidence in, or entrust oneself.
“believed” in this verse is episteusen. The sentence pairs his trust with his going: this is confidence he acts on, not just agreement with a claim. Greek words from the same family hold trust, steadiness, and being trustworthy together.
ALSO GROWS
pistis: Trust
πίστις
The noun names the reliance that the father places on Jesus’ spoken word.
pistos: Firm, steady
πιστός
This related word brings out the steadiness carried by trust when sight has not yet confirmed the outcome.
ζῇ
zēi
GROWS FROM
ζάω
zaō
To live, to be alive.
“liveth” in this verse is zēi. The verb is present tense: Jesus says the son lives, rather than promising that he will live later. The father’s trust responds to life spoken as present, while he is still far from his son.
ALSO GROWS
zōē: Life
ζωή
The related noun makes explicit the life already named in Jesus’ words.
zōopoieō: Make alive, give life
ζῳοποιέω
This related verb shows the family’s active sense of life; here, the claim is that the son is living.
THE PATTERN
A spoken word reaches beyond sight, and trust responds before the result becomes visible.
He sent his word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.THE THREAD
And Jesus said unto the centurion, Go thy way; and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee. And his servant was healed in the selfsame hour.The same Greek trust word appears as Jesus speaks healing across a distance. John shows the father setting out on the word; Matthew makes the distance and the servant’s healing in that same hour explicit.
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