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What the Fathers say
Eastern Fathers
Theophylact of Ohrid
Now the Lord, through prophetic knowledge, reveals His power, enumerates her former husbands, and exposes the one whom she is now concealing. Some understand the "five" husbands of the Samaritan woman to mean the five books which alone the Samaritan woman accepted. "The one," He says, "whom you now have, that is, My teaching, which you now receive from Me, is not your husband; for you have not yet been joined to My teaching—that of Jesus." Another may say that the Samaritan woman serves as an image of human nature. …
Western Saints
Augustine of Hippo
Once more He urges us to investigate the matter somewhat more exactly concerning these five husbands. Many have in fact understood, not indeed absurdly, nor so far improbably, the five husbands of this woman to mean the five books of Moses. For the Samaritans made use of these books, and were under the same law: for it was from it they had circumcision. …
Thomas Aquinas
Then the Evangelist reports that Jesus said to her: You are right in saying you have no husband, a legitimate husband; for you have had five, before this one, and the man you are living with now, using as a husband, is not your husband. What you said is true, because you do not have a husband. The reason our Lord spoke to her about these things he had not learned from her and which were her secrets, was to bring her to a spiritual understanding so that she might believe there was something divine about Christ. …
Bonaventure
"For you have had five husbands," behold, he reveals things past, "and the one whom you now have is not your husband: this one," that is, "this one:" it is an antiptosis. He reveals things present, and so that she may not be indignant, he commends the truth: "This you have spoken truly." In this a pattern is handed down to preachers, that when they wish to say harsh things to their hearers, they should mix in sweet things as well; whence Paul kept this pattern in 1 Corinthians 11: "I praise you, he says? …
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