John 16:17

Joh 16:17. Ἐκ) Understand τινἑς.—καὶ ὅτι, and because) The disciples disjoin two sentences that were conjoined, and which they did not understand.

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh_16:17-18. Jesus makes a pause; some of His disciples (ἐκ τ. μαθ. αὐτ. sc. τινές, as in Joh_7:40) express (in a whisper) to one another, how enigmatic this language, Joh_16:16, is to them. They indicate, accordingly (Joh_16:18), the μικρόν that was mentioned as the point of unintelligibility: what shall this be, what does He mean by μικρόν? Note τοῦτο placed first with emphasis, as well as the article with μικρόν, pointing backwards.

καὶ ὅτι ὑπάγω πρ. τ. πατ.] ὅτι is recitative. Since the words in Joh_16:16 are not genuine, we must assume that the disciples place what Jesus said in Joh_16:10, in connection with these enigmatic words, Joh_16:16, and here take up along with the point there expressed in their seeing Him no more:

ὑπάγω πρ. τ. πατ.in order to receive an explanation regarding it, probably feeling that this explanation must necessarily serve for the clearing up of the obscure words before them.

Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Joh 16:17 . Εἶπον οὖν ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ . A pause is implied; during which some of the disciples ( τινές understood, as in Joh 7:40 ; see Simcox, Gram. of N.T. , p. 84) expressed to one another their bewilderment. They were alarmed, but could not attach their alarm to any definite object of dread.

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

(17, 18) Then said some of his disciples among themselves.—Better, Therefore said . . . The question arises out of what He has said. They draw aside and discuss the matter privately. It is beyond their comprehension, and seems to be contradictory.

A little while, and ye shall not see me.—Better, A little while, and ye behold Me not, as in Joh_16:16.

Because I go to the Father.—So far they have quoted word for word what He had said in the previous verse. They now connect it with what He had said in Joh_16:7; Joh_16:10, and this forms the ground of their surprise. There He had spoken of their beholding Him no more because He goeth to the Father. Here He speaks of a little while, after which they shall not behold Him, and again a little while, after which they shall see Him. They cannot reconcile these things. They cannot tell what He saith.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. Then … disciples] Better, Some of His disciples therefore said.

among themselves] Better, as in Joh_4:33, one to another; so also in Joh_19:24. The Greek for ‘among themselves’ (Joh_12:19) is different.

ye shall not see] Ye behold Me not. As in the previous verse we have two different verbs for ‘see.’

and, Because I go] They refer to what was said in Joh_16:10. The Apostles are perplexed both about the apparent contradiction of not beholding and yet seeing and also the departure to the Father. ‘Because’ (ὅτι) should probably be ‘that,’ to introduce the saying ‘I go to the Father.’ As already indicated, the reason, ‘because I go, &c.’ in Joh_16:16 is not genuine.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him,.... This is a proof of Christ's deity, that he is the omniscient God who knows all things, what is in man, even the secrets of the heart; for he not only knew the whisperings of the disciples, and their inquiries among themselves about the sense of his words, but also their secret desires to ask him concerning it:

and said unto them, do ye inquire 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? which he said before they could put the question to him, they being bashful, and backward, through fear or shame; and which not only confirms what is before observed of his omniscience, but also shows his readiness to open his mind and meaning, and explain himself to his disciples, as he does in the following words.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Christ had used much the same expression to the Jews, Joh 7:33,

Yet a little while I am with you; he had spoken the same to his disciples, Joh 13:33; yet it is plain from this verse, that his disciples did not understand him. What need the best of us have of the illuminations of the blessed Spirit, rightly to conceive of and understand spiritual things! These doctrines of his death resurrection, and ascension, and coming to judgment, our Lord had inculcated to his disciples, not only in the two texts aforementioned, but also Joh 8:21; 12:33,36; 14:2,4,12,28; and in this chapter, Joh 16:5,7.

Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

Then said (some) of his disciples one to another, not daring to utter it to him, What is this that he saith to us, A little while, and ye behold me not: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father? This clause now aggravates their difficulty, whether they associate it with the idea already uttered, or whether they repeat the Lord"s word (gar , may be simply the "that" of quotation). The program of the future e.g.

(1) death and momentary absence,

(2) resurrection and transitory presence,

(3) departure to the Father and abiding presence form a group of ideas very difficult even for us now to realize or "to know" fully what he saith. Who need wonder that these disciples should have been in doubt, since one of their number intimately acquainted with them and their state of feeling records it of them?

The Pulpit Commentary (1880–1919), ed. H.D.M. Spence-Jones & Joseph S. Exell — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

General Information:

There is a break in Jesus' speaking as his disciples ask each other about what Jesus meant.

A short amount of time you will no longer see me

The disciples did not understand that this refers to Jesus' death on the cross.

after another short amount of time you will see me

Possible meanings are 1) This could refer to Jesus' resurrection or 2) This could refer to Jesus' coming at the end of time.

the Father

This is an important title for God. (See: Translating Son and Father)

translationWords

disciple

God the Father

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

17. After ὅτι omit ἐγώ (inserted from Joh 14:12).

17. καὶ ὅτι. They refer to what was said in Joh 16:10: there ὅτι is ‘because,’ here it probably is ‘that,’ to introduce what follows. They are perplexed about not beholding and yet seeing, and about His departure to the Father. For ἐκ τῶν see on Joh 21:10.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

17. The disciples were puzzled. ὑπάγω πρὸς τὸν πατέρα (v. 10) seemed to indicate a final withdrawal of His visible presence, and yet He used the word μικρόν (v. 16), which suggested that it would be only temporary.

εἶπαν οὖν ἐκ τῶν μαθητῶν αὐτοῦ κτλ. We must supply τινές. For a similar elliptical construction, cf. 7:40; and for πρὸς ἀλλήλους, cf. 4:33.

They repeated the enigmatic words of Jesus to each other, being unable to catch their meaning.

Note that they quote Jesus as having said Μικρὸν καὶ οὐ (not οὐκέτι) θεωρεῖτέ με, and Jesus is represented in verse 19 as repeating οὐ θεωρεῖτε. This provides one more illustration of Jn.’s habit of altering slightly a striking phrase when it is reproduced for the second or third time (see on 3:16). Such verbal alterations are not to be taken as indicating a subtle change of meaning; they exemplify merely the freedom of Jn.’s style.

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Then [ουν] . Rev., correctly, therefore. It is a particle of logical connection, not of time.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.