And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard [him] ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42 KJV)
and they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy speaking: for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42 ASV)
and they said to the woman, [It is] no longer on account of thy saying that we believe, for we have heard him ourselves, and we know that this is indeed the Saviour of the world. (John 4:42 DBY)
They said to the woman, “Now we believe, not because of your speaking; for we have heard for ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world.” (John 4:42 WEB)
and said to the woman—’No more because of thy speaking do we believe; for we ourselves have heard and known that this is truly the Saviour of the world–the Christ.’ (John 4:42 YLT)
Interlinear
And <te> said <lego> unto the woman, <gune> <hoti> Now <ouketi> we believe, <pisteuo> not <hoti> because <dia> of thy <sos> saying: <lalia> for <gar> we have heard <akouo> him ourselves, <autos> and <kai> know <eido> that <hoti> this <houtos> is <esti> indeed <alethos> the Christ, <Christos> the Saviour <soter> of the world. <kosmos> (John 4:42 KJV)
Matthew Poole’s Commentary
Ver. 42. Several things may be the occasion of faith, which are neither the principal efficient causes, nor the proper instrumental cause of it. The principal efficient cause of the faith of these Samaritans was, undoubtedly, the finger of God upon their souls, enlightening their minds with the saving knowledge of the gospel, and bowing their wills to the obedience of it. The proper instrumental cause was their hearing the words of Christ; but the occasion of this was what the woman had told them: so as, though they in a sense believed because of what she had said, because that occasioned their coming out to see and hear Christ; yet the proper instrumental cause was their hearing Christ, God upon their hearing him working in their hearts an ability and a willingness to receive and to close with Christ. Thus the church gives us the first occasion of receiving the Scriptures, and believing them to be the word of God: we, having them put into our hands by the church, read them, and find such impresses and stamps of Divinity in them, that we conclude, from our reason very probably, that they are more than human writings; but never firmly and fixedly receive them as such, until persuaded of it by the Holy Spirit. These Samaritans do not only own Christ as a prophet, nor do they only suspect that he must be the Messias, but they profess to know that he was the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
British Family Bible
— Now we believe, — for we have heard him ourselves, They say to her, We give entire credit to your report; but your assertion is no longer the ground of our belief. We believe it because we ourselves have heard Him, and can maintain, each of us on his own proper knowledge and conviction, that this person is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world. How greatly it were to be wished that all, who now name the name of Christ, were like to these Samaritans; that they all were animated with that full-grown confidence of faith, which, in a visit of two days, our great Master’s preaching had raised to such strength and maturity in the honest hearts of these Samaritans. These persons heard the doctrines of this Divine teacher for the short space of two days: we, in the writings of the Evangelists, have a complete summary of his whole ministry: joined to the detail of his numerous miracles, we have the delineation of his admirable character, his piety, his fortitude, his patience, his resignation. In the figured language of the Apostles, we ourselves have heard Him preach; we have seen him crucified, we have seen Him rise again: we experience his present power in the providential preservation of his church, and support of his doctrine. The Samaritans were convinced by a preaching of two days: how then shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation? Bp. Horsley.