John 4 · Verse 50

John 4:50

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.
John 4:50, King James Version

John 4:50 in other translations

BSB“Go,” said Jesus. “Your son will live.” The man took Jesus at His word and departed.
WEBJesus said to him, “Go your way. Your son lives.” The man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.
ASVJesus saith unto him, Go thy way; thy son liveth. The man believed the word that Jesus spake unto him, and he went his way.
YLTJesus saith to him, ‘Be going on; thy son doth live.' And the man believed the word that Jesus said to him, and was going on,
DARBYJesus says to him, Go, thy son lives. And the man believed the word which Jesus said to him, and went his way.
BBEAnd Jesus said, Go in peace; your son is living. The man had faith in the word which Jesus said to him and went away.
WebsterJesus saith to him, Go; thy son liveth. And the man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he departed.

What does John 4:50 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 4:48-54

48-54. Except ye see signs, &c.--He did believe, both as his coming and his urgent entreaty show; but how imperfectly we shall see; and our Lord would deepen his faith by such a blunt and seemingly rough answer as He made to Nicodemus.

Read the full comment on John 4:48-54 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 50. Go thy way. This was a kind and tender address. It was designed to convince him that he could word a miracle though not personally present.

Thy son liveth. Thy son shall recover; or he shall be restored to health, according to thy request.

The man believed. The manner in which Jesus spoke it, and the assurance which he gave, convinced the man that he could heal him there as well as to go to Capernaum to do it. This is an instance of the power of Jesus to convince the mind, to soothe doubts, to confirm faith, and to meet our desires. He blesses not always in the manner in which we ask, but he grants us our main wish. The father wished his son healed by Jesus going down to Capernaum. Jesus healed him, but not in the way in which he asked it to be done. God will hear our prayers and grant our requests, but often not in the precise manner in which we ask it. It is his to judge of the best way of doing us good.

(h) "Go thy way" Mt 8:13, Mk 7:29,30, Lk 17:14

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 50 Go thy way; thy son liveth - Had our Lord gone with him, as he wished, his unbelief could not have been fully removed; as he would have still thought that our Lord's power could not reach from Cana to Capernaum: in order to destroy his unbelief at once, and bring him into the fullness of the faith of his supreme power, he cures him, being apparently absent, by that energy through which he fills both the heavens and the earth. Here it may be observed, our blessed Lord did what this man requested him to do, but not in the way in which he wished it to be done. God will save all to the uttermost who call upon him, but not in the way in which they may desire. Eternal life is the free gift of God, and he has a right to give it as he pleases; and he always gives his gifts in that way in which his glory is best promoted, and our eternal interest secured. The man believed the word - And yet it appears that he had suspended his faith upon a certain condition: "If I find on my return that my son is healed, I will believe that Jesus is the Messiah."

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 4:43-54

The father was a nobleman, yet the son was sick. Honours and titles are no security from sickness and death. The greatest men must go themselves to God, must become beggars. The nobleman did not stop from his request till he prevailed. But at first he discovered the weakness of his faith in the power of Christ. It is hard to persuade ourselves that distance of time and place, are no hinderance to the knowledge…

Read the full comment on John 4:43-54 →

John 4:50 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ΛέγειLegeiSaysG3004
αὐτῷautōto himG846
ὁho<the>G3588
Ἰησοῦς·IēsousJesus;G2424
πορεύου,poreuoudo go,G4198
ὁhotheG3588
υἱόςhuiossonG5207
σουsouof youG4771
ζῇ.zēalives.G2198
ἐπίστευσενepisteusenBelievedG4100
ὁhotheG3588
ἄνθρωποςanthrōposmanG444
τῷtōin theG3588
λόγῳlogōwordG3056
ὃνhonthatG3739
εἶπενeipensaidG2036
αὐτῷautōto himG846
ὁho<the>G3588
Ἰησοῦς,IēsousJesus,G2424
καὶkaiandG2532
ἐπορεύετο.eporeuetohe was going.G4198

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 4:50

  • Matthew 8:13

    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.

  • Romans 4:20-21

    He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief; but was strong in faith, giving glory to God; And being fully persuaded that, what he had promised, he was able also to perform.

  • Mark 7:29-30

    And he said unto her, For this saying go thy way; the devil is gone out of thy daughter. And when she was come to her house, she found the devil gone out, and her daughter laid upon the bed.

  • Luke 17:14

    And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.

  • Acts 14:9-10

    The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed, Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.

  • John 11:40

    Jesus saith unto her, Said I not unto thee, that, if thou wouldest believe, thou shouldest see the glory of God?

  • Mark 9:23-24

    Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.

  • Hebrews 11:19

    Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure.

  • 1 Kings 17:13-15

    And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son. For thus saith the Lord God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the Lord sendeth rain upon the earth. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Go.
11:40; 1Ki 17:13-15; Mt 8:13; Mr 7:29,30; 9:23,24; Lu 17:14
Ac 14:9,10; Ro 4:20,21; Heb 11:19

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 4:49

    The nobleman saith unto him, Sir, come down ere my child die.

  • John 4:50

    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.

  • John 4:51

    And as he was now going down, his servants met him, and told him, saying, Thy son liveth.

Read all of John 4

John 4:50 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dícele Jesús: Ve, tu hijo vive. Y el hombre creyó á la palabra que Jesús le dijo, y se fué.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Jésus lui dit: Va, ton fils vit. Et l’homme crut la parole que Jésus lui avait dite, et s’en alla.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Jesus spricht zu ihm: Gehe hin, dein Sohn lebt. Und der Mensch glaubte dem Worte, das Jesus zu ihm sagte, und ging hin.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dicit ei Jesus: Vade, filius tuus vivit. Credidit homo sermoni quem dixit ei Jesus, et ibat.