John 16
The full text of John 16 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Greek. Free to read.
1 I have told you all this so that you will not be made to stumble.
2 They will put you out of the synagogue. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think they are offering worship to God.
3 And they will do these things because they never knew the Father or me.
4 But I have told you these things so that when their hour comes, you will remember that I told you about them. I did not tell you these things from the beginning, because I was with you.
5 But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?'
6 But because I have told you these things, sorrow has filled your hearts.
7 But I am telling you the truth: it is better for you that I am going away. If I do not go, the Helper will never come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.
8 And when he comes, he will expose the world's guilt about sin, about righteousness, and about judgment:
9 about sin, in that they do not trust in me;
10 about righteousness, because I am going to the Father, and you will no longer see me;
11 and about judgment, because the ruler of this world stands condemned.
12 I still have many things to tell you, but you cannot bear them now.
13 But when he comes—the Spirit of truth—he will guide you into all the truth. For he will not speak on his own; whatever he hears, he will speak, and he will tell you what is to come.
14 He will glorify me, because he will receive from what is mine and declare it to you.
15 Everything the Father has is mine. That is why I said that he receives from what is mine and will declare it to you.
16 "A little while, and you no longer see me; and again a little while, and you will see me."
17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, "What does he mean by saying to us, 'A little while, and you will not see me, and again a little while, and you will see me,' and, 'Because I am going to the Father'?"
18 So they kept asking, "What does he mean by 'a little while'? We don't understand what he's saying."
19 Jesus knew they wanted to ask him, so he said to them, "Are you asking each other about this—that I said, 'A little while, and you no longer behold me; and again a little while, and you will see me'?
20 Truly, truly, I tell you: you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will be grieved, but your grief will become joy.
21 Whenever a woman gives birth, she has pain because her hour has come; but once the child is born, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a person has come into the world.
22 So you are in sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy from you.
23 And on that day you will not ask me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.
24 Until now you have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, and your joy will be full.
25 "I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech. An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you in figures of speech, but will tell you about the Father openly.
26 In that day you will ask in my name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father for you,
27 For the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me and have come to believe that I came from God.
28 I came from the Father and have come into the world; again, I am leaving the world and going to the Father.
29 His disciples said, "Look, now you're speaking plainly and not using any figure of speech.
30 Now we know that you know all things and don't need anyone to ask you anything. By this we believe that you came from God.
31 Jesus answered them, "Do you now believe?
32 Look, the hour is coming—indeed it has come—when you will be scattered, each to his own, and will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
33 I have spoken these things to you so that in me you may have peace. In the world you have trouble; but take heart—I have overcome the world.
Translation notes (34)
- John 16:1a The Greek word skandalisthēte includes the meanings 'be tripped up,' 'be caused to stumble,' 'be offended or scandalized,' and 'fall away.' The translation 'be made to stumble' keeps this full range of meaning; the next verse shows that the pressure includes being expelled and facing death.
- John 16:2a The Greek word latreia refers to cultic worship or sacred service offered to God, not just general helpfulness.
- John 16:2b This can also be translated 'an hour is coming.' The Greek word *hōra* (meaning 'hour' or 'time') does not have a definite article here, which can give it the broader Johannine sense of an appointed time.
- John 16:4a 'Their hour' (Greek: *hē hōra autōn*) refers to the persecutions Jesus has just predicted in verses 1–3.
- John 16:5a The Greek here means 'to the one who sent me.' Throughout this farewell discourse, the one who sent Jesus is the Father (see John 14:24).
- John 16:5b Earlier in this discourse, Peter (John 13:36) and Thomas (John 14:5) did ask where Jesus was going. Jesus speaks of the present moment of grief-stricken silence: now, faced with his actual departure, none of you is asking.
- John 16:7a The Greek word *paraklētos* means 'one called alongside to help.' It is also rendered Advocate, Counselor, or Comforter. In 1 John 2:1, the term carries a legal 'advocate' sense.
- John 16:8a This can also be translated 'convict the world concerning.' The Greek word *elenxei* means to bring hidden guilt to light, not merely to refute a claim. This exposure is further explained in verses 9–11.
- John 16:9a This can also be translated 'because they do not trust in me.' The Greek word *hoti* can mean 'because' (causal) or 'namely, that' (explaining what precedes it). Commentators are split on whether the Spirit convicts the world of sin generally (with unbelief as the root) or of the specific sin of unbelief itself. The translation 'in that' keeps this ambiguity open.
- John 16:9b The Greek phrase *pisteuō eis* followed by a noun in the accusative case (which indicates the direct object of a verb) denotes a directional, relational entrustment, meaning 'to trust in' or 'to commit oneself to.' This is stronger than merely agreeing with a fact.
- John 16:10a This can also be translated 'no longer watch me.' The Greek verb *theōreō* (meaning 'to watch' or 'observe') often denotes sustained observation. John 16:16 contrasts it with *opsesthe* (meaning 'you will see').
- John 16:10b 'Righteousness' (δικαιοσύνη) appears in John only here and in v. 8. Many read it as Jesus' vindication through his return to the Father; cf. 2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 3:18.
- John 16:11a The Greek phrase *ho archōn tou kosmou toutou* means 'the ruler of this world.' This figure is traditionally identified with Satan (compare John 12:31 and 14:30).
- John 16:13a This can also be translated 'guide you in all the truth.' The Greek phrase *en tē alētheia pasē* (meaning 'in all the truth') can be read as indicating direction ('into') or a sphere ('in'). Some manuscripts read *eis* (meaning 'into').
- John 16:13b This can also be translated 'announce to you what is coming.' The Greek word *anangelei* carries the nuance of reporting a message from another source (compare verse 14).
- John 16:15a The Greek text leaves the subject unstated, implying 'he receives.' From verses 13–14, the one receiving is the Spirit of truth. The King James Version, American Standard Version, and Darby Bible preserve the unnamed pronoun, while the New International Version supplies 'the Spirit.'
- John 16:16a The Greek text shifts between two verbs: *theōreō* (meaning 'to watch' or 'observe') and *horaō* (meaning 'to see' or 'perceive'). Some translations render this shift as 'behold/see' or 'watch/see,' but here both are translated as 'see' to maintain the Greek's tight parallelism.
- John 16:16b Some later Byzantine manuscripts and the Textus Receptus add 'because I go to the Father.' The earliest manuscripts, followed by the critical Greek text, end at 'see me.' The added clause appears in verse 17 and was likely harmonized backward into this verse.
- John 16:17a The Greek words *theōreite* (meaning 'behold' or 'perceive') and *opsesthe* (meaning 'see') use different verbs. English translates both as 'see' because the contrast between them is not significant in this context.
- John 16:19a The Greek text shifts verbs: *theōreite* (meaning 'behold' or 'perceive') in the first part of the sentence, and *opsesthe* (the future form of *horaō*, meaning 'see') in the second. This shift likely points toward seeing Jesus after his resurrection (compare John 16:22).
- John 16:19b The phrase 'that I said' translates the Greek *hoti eipon*. The Greek word *hoti* can mean 'because' (causal) or 'that' (introducing content). Most translations interpret it as introducing content here, referring to the quoted saying.
- John 16:21a The Greek word *anthrōpos* means 'a human being.' It is rendered 'a person' here to match the warmth of the proverb.
- John 16:22a The Greek word αἴρει (airei) is in the present tense, meaning 'takes,' and describes a permanent truth: no one is ever able to take it. Other translations use the future tense, 'will take,' but John uses the future form ἀρεῖ (arei) elsewhere (see John 10:28) when he intends a future meaning.
- John 16:23a The Greek word erōtaō (erōtaō) here can mean either 'ask a question' or 'make a request.' The original text preserves this ambiguity, suggesting that 'on that day' may end the disciples' confusion, begin their direct access in prayer, or both.
- John 16:23b Although the Greek word order places 'in my name' after 'give,' the consistent pattern in John's Gospel (see John 14:13–14; 15:16; 16:24, 26) attaches this phrase to the act of asking. This translation follows that common usage.
- John 16:25a The Greek word paroimiais (paroimiais) refers to figures of speech, veiled sayings, or proverbs.
- John 16:25b The Greek word parrēsia (parrēsia) means openly, plainly, or with boldness.
- John 16:26a The Greek text uses two different verbs for "ask" here: aiteō (aiteō) for the disciples asking, and erōtaō (erōtaō) for Jesus asking the Father. While older commentators sometimes suggested a difference in tone, in Koine Greek (the common Greek of the New Testament period) these two words are effectively synonymous, according to the standard lexicon BDAG.
- John 16:27a Some early manuscripts read 'from the Father' (patros) instead of 'from God' (theou). The critical Greek text (NA28) includes the reading theou, supported by manuscripts such as ℵ B C³ L, while patros is supported by A C* D W Θ Ψ and the majority of later Byzantine manuscripts.
- John 16:28a This can also be translated as 'in turn, I leave the world,' understanding the Greek word πάλιν (palin) as indicating a contrast or shift, according to the standard lexicon BDAG.
- John 16:30a Some early manuscripts read παρά (para), meaning 'from beside,' instead of ἀπό (apo), meaning 'from.' The disciples' use of ἀπό (apo) here is considered slightly weaker than Jesus's use of παρά (para) in verse 27.
- John 16:32a The phrase 'to his own' translates the Greek εἰς τὰ ἴδια (eis ta idia), a distinctive phrase in John's Gospel also found in John 1:11 and 19:27. It can refer to one's own home, one's own people, or one's own possessions, and is translated uniformly here to highlight the connection between these verses.
- John 16:32b 'will be scattered' echoes Zechariah 13:7 LXX ('strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered'), cited at Matt 26:31 // Mark 14:27.
- John 16:33a This can also be translated as 'tribulation' or 'affliction.' The Greek word θλῖψις (thlipsis) refers to pressure, distress, or suffering related to the end times.
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