1Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you so that you may not be caused to stumble. [16:2] They will put you out of the synagogues; but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think he is offering religious service to God. [16:3] And these things they will do because they have not known the Father nor me. [16:4] But these things I have spoken to you so that, when their hour comes, you may remember them, that I myself told you. But these things I did not say to you from the beginning, because I was with you."
JHN 16:1-4
Persecution Foretold
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Jewish context, the synagogue was not merely a place of worship but the center of communal, social, and religious life. To be expelled from the synagogue was a severe form of social ostracism, cutting individuals off from their community, identity, and support network. This expulsion often carried the stigma of being labeled a heretic or traitor to Jewish tradition. The warning that persecutors would kill followers of Jesus, believing it to be an act of religious service to God, reflects the intense religious zeal of some Jewish factions, particularly those aligned with the Pharisees or Zealots, who viewed deviation from orthodoxy as a threat to the covenant. The term (to stumble) evokes the imagery of a snare or trap, suggesting deliberate attempts to cause spiritual failure. Jesus’ forewarning underscores the experiential disconnect between his followers and their persecutors, who lack true knowledge of God. This framing prepares the audience for the inevitable conflict between emerging Christian identity and entrenched religious authority.
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How other translations render this
JHN 16:1
- KJV
- These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended.
- BSB
- “I have told you these things so that you will not fall away.
- Koinōnos
- Jesus said: "These things I have spoken to you so that you may not be caused to stumble.
JHN 16:2
- KJV
- They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.
- BSB
- They will put you out of the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering a service to God.
- Koinōnos
- They will put you out of the synagogues; but an hour is coming that everyone who kills you will think he is offering religious service to God.
JHN 16:3
- KJV
- And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
- BSB
- They will do these things because they have not known the Father or Me.
- Koinōnos
- And these things they will do because they have not known the Father nor me.
JHN 16:4
- KJV
- But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
- BSB
- 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.
- Koinōnos
- But these things I have spoken to you so that, when their hour comes, you may remember them, that I myself told you. But these things I did not say to you from the beginning, because I was with you.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
JHN 16:1
- you may fall away.:The word translated 'fall away' here implies being caused to stumble or trapped, like an animal caught in a snare, leading to apostasy or moral failure.
JHN 16:2
- Out of the synagogues:To be 'out of the synagogues' meant not just exclusion from a building, but excommunication from the Jewish community, with significant social and religious consequences.
- [it is] a service:The term translated 'service' refers specifically to religious service or worship offered to a deity, not just any general act of service.
JHN 16:3
- not:The word translated 'know' here implies a deep, experiential, and relational understanding, not merely intellectual acquaintance with facts.