17Therefore some of his disciples said to one another, 'What is this that he says to us, "A little while and you do not behold me, and again a little while and you will behold me," and, "I am going to the Father"?' [16:18] Therefore they were saying, 'What is this that he says, "a little while"? We do not know what he is saying.' [16:19] Jesus knew that they were desiring to ask him, and he said to them, 'Concerning this do you inquire among one another, that I said, "A little while and you do not behold me, and again a little while and you will behold me"? [16:20] Amen, amen, I say to you that you will weep and will lament, you yourselves, but the world will rejoice. You yourselves will be grieved, but your grief will turn to joy. [16:21] The woman, when she may be giving birth, has pain, because her hour has come; but when she may bring forth the child, she no longer remembers the tribulation on account of the joy that a man has been born into the world. [16:22] Also you yourselves therefore now indeed have grief, but again I will see you, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy from you.'
JHN 16:17-22
Grief Will Turn to Joy
In the world it was spoken into
In the 1st-century Mediterranean world, grief and joy were deeply tied to communal and relational dynamics. Jesus’ disciples, steeped in Jewish eschatological expectations, would have understood His words about ‘a little while’ through the lens of prophetic fulfillment and the coming Messianic age. The term ‘’ (behold) carried a sense of contemplative observation, suggesting not just seeing but perceiving divine activity. When Jesus spoke of their grief turning to joy, it echoed Jewish traditions of mourning transformed by God’s intervention, such as Isaiah’s promise of comfort for Zion (Isaiah 66:10-14). The disciples’ confusion reflects their struggle to reconcile Jesus’ imminent departure with their hope for His Messianic reign. In a culture where honor-shame dynamics were central, Jesus’ reassurance that their sorrow would be temporary but His return would bring lasting joy would have been both comforting and challenging. The metaphor of childbirth, common in Jewish and Greco-Roman thought, underscored the inevitability and ultimate triumph of joy after suffering.
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How other translations render this
JHN 16:17
- KJV
- Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?
- BSB
- Then some of His disciples asked one another, “Why is He telling us, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’ and ‘Because I am going to the Father’?”
- Koinōnos
- Therefore some of his disciples said to one another, 'What is this that he says to us, "A little while and you do not behold me, and again a little while and you will behold me," and, "I am going to the Father"?
JHN 16:18
- KJV
- They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
- BSB
- They kept asking, “Why is He saying, ‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”
- Koinōnos
- Therefore they were saying, 'What is this that he says, "a little while"? We do not know what he is saying.
JHN 16:19
- KJV
- Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
- BSB
- Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’?
- Koinōnos
- Jesus knew that they were desiring to ask him, and he said to them, 'Concerning this do you inquire among one another, that I said, "A little while and you do not behold me, and again a little while and you will behold me"?
JHN 16:20
- KJV
- Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
- BSB
- Truly, truly, I tell you, you will weep and wail while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
- Koinōnos
- Amen, amen, I say to you that you will weep and will lament, you yourselves, but the world will rejoice. You yourselves will be grieved, but your grief will turn to joy.
JHN 16:21
- KJV
- A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.
- BSB
- A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
- Koinōnos
- The woman, when she may be giving birth, has pain, because her hour has come; but when she may bring forth the child, she no longer remembers the tribulation on account of the joy that a man has been born into the world.
JHN 16:22
- KJV
- And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
- BSB
- So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy.
- Koinōnos
- Also you yourselves therefore now indeed have grief, but again I will see you, and your heart will rejoice, and no one takes your joy from you.
Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.
Translator's notes
JHN 16:17
- you do behold:The word translated 'you do behold' implies a careful, sustained, and often contemplative observation, rather than a mere glance or casual seeing.
JHN 16:20
- the world:The term translated 'the world' often refers to the created order in opposition to God, or humanity organized apart from God, rather than simply the physical planet.
- now:The word translated 'now' here indicates a deep emotional pain or sorrow, a profound grief that affects one's inner being.
JHN 16:21
- tribulation:The word translated 'tribulation' literally means 'pressure' or 'crushing,' evoking the image of being squeezed or pressed down by difficult circumstances.