4:17a

“I have no husband,” the woman replied: The woman replied honestly that she had no husband. She was not legally married. Here are other ways to translate this sentence:

“I do not have a husband,” replied the woman
-or-
She answered, “I am not married.”

4:17b

Jesus said to her, “You are correct to say that you have no husband….”: Jesus quoted the woman’s words in 4:17a.

The verb said introduces a direct quotation that continues through 4:18c. Included in this quotation is another direct quotation. When Jesus spoke he included a quotation of what the woman said in 4:17a. It may be more natural to avoid having a direct quotation inside another direct quotation. For example:

Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say that you have no husband.” (New International Version)
-or-
“That’s right,” Jesus replied, “you’re telling the truth. You don’t have a husband….” (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
“What you say is right,” Jesus answered. “You have no husband.”

You are correct: Jesus was telling the woman that she was speaking the truth. He was agreeing with her. Here are other ways to translate this clause:

You are correct
-or-
You are speaking truly/accurately

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