John 16:22

Joh 16:22. Ὄψομαι, I will see) Joh 16:16, ye shall see Me. The two are correlative.—χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδιά) Isa 66:14, καὶ ὄψεσθε καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδιά ὑμῶν.—οὐδεὶς αἴρει, no man taketh away) The Present, by which it is signified that the joy is sure, a joy which can be thwarted by no enemy, whatever may be now for the present impending: Joh 16:32.

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

Joh 16:22 . καὶ ὑμεῖς … ὑμῶν , “and you accordingly,” in keeping with this natural arrangement conspicuous in the woman’s case, “have at present sorrow”. This is the time when the results are hidden and only the pain felt: “but I will see you again and your heart shall rejoice and your joy no one takes from you”. This joy was felt in the renewed vision of their Lord at the Resurrection. “All turns on the Resurrection; and without the experiences of that time there would have been no beholding Christ in the Spirit.” Bernard.

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

Verse 22. Your joy no man taketh from you.] Or, shall take away. Some excellent MSS. and versions read the verb in the future tense. Our Lord's meaning appears to have been this: that his resurrection should be so completely demonstrated to them, that they should never have a doubt concerning it; and consequently that their joy should be great and permanent, knowing that the atonement was made, the victory gained, and the kingdom of heaven opened to all believers. Therefore it is said, Ac 4:33, that with great power did the apostles give witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

22. Your joy no man shall take from you. The value of the joy is greatly enhanced by its perpetuity; for it follows that the afflictions are light, and ought to be patiently endured, because they are of short duration. By these words Christ reminds us what is the nature of true joy The world must unavoidably be soon deprived of its joys, which it seeks only in fading things; and, therefore, we must come to the resurrection of Christ, in which there is eternal solidity.

But I will see you again. When he says that he will see his disciples, he means that he will visit them again by the grace of his Spirit, that they may continually enjoy his presence.

John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.

(22) And ye now therefore have sorrow.—The same word is used. The hour of their travail-pangs was at hand; but it would pass away, and the fulness of joy would come in the constant presence of their Lord. Their sorrow would be but temporary; their joy would be abiding. The point of comparison between their state, and the familiar illustration of a woman in travail, is the passage from extreme suffering to extreme joy. We are not justified in taking the illustration as a parable, and interpreting it of the death of Christ as the birth-pang of a perfect humanity. This is the general interpretation of the more mystical expositors, and has been unfolded with great truth and beauty; but it is not an exposition of the present text.

But I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice.—In Joh_16:19 He had said “Ye shall see.” This is the obverse of the same truth. He will again. be with them, and see them as they will see Him. The words include too the thought of His deep sympathy with them. He sees them now in the depth of their sorrow, and feels with them in that. He will see them again in the time of their joy, and will rejoice with them in that.

And your joy no man taketh from you.—The reading is doubtful. Some of the better MSS. have the future “. . . shall take from you.” “No man” is better rendered indefinitely, no one, as, e.g., in Joh_10:18; Joh_10:29. (Comp. Mat_28:20, and Rom_8:38-39, and Notes there.)

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

22. And ye now therefore] Or, Ye also therefore now. As in the case of childbirth, the suffering of the disciples was the necessary condition of the joy. This suffering was to repeat itself in a new form in the work of converting souls (Gal_4:19).

I will see you] In Joh_16:16-17; Joh_16:19 we had ‘ye shall see Me:’ here we have the other side of the same truth; and the same verb for ‘see’ is used in all four cases. In Gal_4:9 we have both sides of the truth stated (see on 1Co_8:3).

no man taketh] Or, according to some good authorities, no one shall take. Their sorrow shall depart, their joy shall remain.

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.

Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name,.... Not that they had never prayed as yet; for they had desired him to teach them to pray, which he did: they had prayed to him particularly for an increase of faith, and for many other things; but either they had only asked him, he being present with them, and not the Father; or if they had asked the Father anything, yet not in the name of Christ: they had made no mention of his blood, righteousness, and sacrifice, nor any use of his mediation; things they had not as yet such clear knowledge of; or they had not asked as yet any extraordinary thing, as they afterwards did; see Act 4:29;

ask, and ye shall receive; that is, in my name, and whatever ye ask for, ye shall have it, to fit you for your work, to carry you through it, and to give you success in it: see Mat 7:7;

that your joy may be full; go cheerfully through your work, find much pleasure in it, and with great satisfaction see the Gospel spread, souls converted, Satan's kingdom weakened, and the interest of your Redeemer thrive and flourish; than which nothing can more contribute to complete the joy of the ministers of Christ.

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

22 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.

Ver. 22. And ye now therefore have sorrow] No sorrow like to that, when we see not Christ in his favour. He hides his love often, as Joseph did, out of increasement of love; and then we cannot see him for crying; as Mary Magdalene could not, she was so bleared. But when he seemeth farthest from us, his heart is with us; and he must needs look through the chinks, as in the Canticles, to see how we do, as that martyr expresseth it. (Saunders, in a letter to his wife and friends.) There is a presence of Christ that is secret, when he seems to draw us one way, and to drive us another, Son 5:6.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

I will see you again - After my resurrection.

Your joy no man taketh from you - You shall be so firmly persuaded that I have risen and that I am the Messiah, that neither the threats nor persecutions of men shall ever be able to shake your faith and produce doubt or unbelief, and thus take away your joy. This prediction was remarkably fulfilled. It is evident that after his ascension not one of the apostles ever doubted for a moment that he had risen from the dead. No persecution or trial was able to shake their faith; and thus, amid all their afflictions, they had an unshaken source of joy.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

The joy you will feel at my resurrection, shall ever be unalterable, and unremitting, because there I shall give you assurances and proofs of you future resurrection, and immortality. As you have been partakers in my labours, in my ignominies, and in my sorrows, so also shall you have a share in my glory, in my resurrection, and immortal bliss. Behold, these will rise to your ever unalterable and permanent joy. This is the opinion of St. John Chrysostom, St. Cyril, Theophylactus, and others.

George Leo Haydock (1774–1849), Haydock's Catholic Family Bible and Commentary, 1859 edition — public domain. Excludes Psalms (Douay-Rheims chapter numbering differs from Protestant) and Deuterocanonical books (Catholic canon only).

The whole church, Rev 12:1,2, is compared to a woman with child, crying, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered. During this time of your travail you must have sorrow. All those

that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution, 2Ti 3:12. It is appointed for all men once to die, Heb 9:27. It is appointed for God’s people (especially under some periods of time) to be dying daily, killed all the day long, as the apostle expresses the state of Christians in his time, Rom 8:36, quoting Psa 44:22, which showeth the state of the church in the Old Testament to have been the same. But (saith our Saviour) it is but as the hour of the woman’s travail; it will be sharp, very sharp, but it shall be short; for I will see you again, and then your heart shall rejoice; which cannot be understood of Christ’s seeing them again after his resurrection; for before that time we read of few or no sufferings of the apostles or other disciples. It must therefore be understood, either of the visitation of his Spirit, filling their hearts with joy and peace, or the visitation of his providence: or rather, of Christ’s coming to the last judgment, when all that have believed in Christ shall see him with joy unspeakable; and then all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes, and they shall enter into the joy of their Lord, and sigh and sorrow no more, nor shall it be in the power of all their enemies to deprive them of their joy.

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

22. Your joy no man taketh—Your sorrow shall depart, but never your joy. Hostile as is the world, no man can wrest it from you.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

And, so he continues, ye therefore indeed now have sorrow your hearts are troubled, you weep and lament to-night, your desolation for "a little while" will be utter collapse and dismaybut I shall see you again. He does not repeat, "Ye shall behold me", (yewreite me , cf. Joh_14:19) but "I shall see you (uqomai umav)." The same word, however, is used repeatedly in the record of the resurrection, and in Ver. 19 he had said oqesye me . The point of the vision is his own consciousness of their human need filling all the forty days with its glory. The occasional manifestations of his Person during that interval helped them in a wonderful way to recognize the fact that he was ever watching them, and was at their side under all the circumstances of human life. And your heart shall rejoice, and this joy of yours no one taketh (present in the full sense of a realized future) from you. The oqomai umav lends itself to the larger conception which, by the gift of the Holy Ghost, they at length fully apprehended, that he was with them always, even to the end of the world. That conviction was forced upon them before Pentecost, (see Mat_28:19, Mat_28:20, and the account in this Gospel of the inspiration and communication of the Holy Ghost, Joh_20:22) before he came as the sound of a rushing mighty wind, or sat in tongues of flame on their heads. Your joy in the sense of my constant presence no one, neither man nor devil, taketh away from you. That presence will not be any further exposed to Jewish malice or treachery, nor darkened by persecution, nor destroyed by death; though with bodily eyes ye see me not, yet, fully realizing that my eye is on you, "you will rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory". (1Pe_1:8)

"I will see you again.

The sympathy and the wisdom alike of our Lord"s declarations and promises to his disciples upon the eve of his departure, command our warmest admiration. He both felt for those who were about to pass through a trial so severe, and he knew how to minister to their heart"s necessities. What a knowledge of human nature is apparent in this simple bat most significant promise!

I THE OCCASIONS UPON WHICH THIS PROMISE WAS FULFILLED.

1. Upon our Lord"s resurrection. Had he not taken this very early opportunity of again seeing his own, it is not obvious how their faith and courage could have been sustained. They were depressed almost to despondency by their Lord"s Passion and burial. Had he not appeared when he did, it would seem that their confidence in him must have been shaken, and their mutual unity must have been dissolved. But when he saw them, gladness took the place of sorrow, attachment was strengthened, and hope banished despair.

2. The descent of the Spirit was a richer and fuller accomplishment of our Lord"s designs of grace towards his Church. He had promised the Comforter, whose coming should keep them from being orphans, abandoned, and friendless in the world. And in the Spirit he himself came again to his own, visiting them in showers of spiritual blessing.

3. The return at the second advent must also have been in the Master"s mind when he uttered these gracious words of friendly assurance. His parables and his direct discourses alike animated the breasts of the disciples with this blessed hope. All the more did they rejoice in this prospect, because they were taught that he who had come the first time in humiliation and obedience would come the second time to judge and to reign.

II THE FULLNESS OF IMPORT AND BLESSING WHICH THIS PROMISE CONTAINS.

1. The assurance that Christ will see his people is even more precious and welcome than the assurance given (in previous verses) that they shall see him. Our religion teaches us to look away from ourselves to God, to rest on his declarations, his faithfulness, his love. Unless we are in a morbid, self-conscious state, it will give us strength and comfort to forget ourselves in order to concentrate our thoughts and desires upon him who holds us dear, and who will never forget and never forsake his own.

2. That Christ will see his people, involves an accession to their happiness. To know that the eye of our dearest friend is resting upon us, and that with interest and approbation, what so fitted as this to send a thrill of joy through all our nature? We are encouraged by the language of the text to think of Christ thus affectionately and (so to speak) in a manner so truly human.

3. That Christ will see his people, assures them of the supply of all their wants. Can our dearest and mightiest Friend see us in danger, and not deliver us? in temptation, and not succor us? in sorrow, and not console us? in need, and not minister to us? For a Being so sympathizing, to see is to pity; for a Being so mighty, to pity is to aid. T.

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

Ye now therefore have sorrow - This gives us no manner of authority to assert all believers must come into a state of darkness. They never need lose either their peace, or love, or the witness that they are the children of God. They never can lose these, but either through sin, or ignorance, or vehement temptation, or bodily disorder.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

22. Ye now therefore have sorrow. Are in travail, but soon there shall be a birth, “the First Born of the new creation” from the tomb.

B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.

your heart will be glad

Here "heart" is a metonym for a person's inner being. AT: "you will be very happy" or "you will be very joyful" (See: Metonymy)

Truly, truly, I say to you

Translate this the way your language emphasizes that what follows is important and true. See how you translated this in John 1:51.

if you ask anything of the Father in my name, he will give it to you

Here the word "name" is a metonym that refers to the person and authority of Jesus. AT: "if you ask anything of the Father, he will give it to you because you belong to me" (See: Metonymy)

Father

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

in my name

Here "name" is a metonym that refers to the person and authority of Jesus. The Father will honor the requests of the believers because of their relationship with Jesus. AT: "because you are my followers" or "on my authority" (See: Metonymy)

your joy will be fulfilled

You can translate this in an active form. AT: "God will give you great joy" (See: Active or Passive)

translationWords

joy

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.

22. ἀρεῖ for αἴρει: both are strongly supported.

22. καὶ ὑμεῖς. And ye therefore now, or Ye also therefore now. As in childbirth, the disciples’ suffering was the necessary condition of their joy. This suffering took a new form in the work of converting souls (Gal 4:19). In Joh 16:16-17; Joh 16:19 we had ὄψεσθέ με: here we have the other side of the same truth, ὄψομαι ὕμας. In Gal 4:9 we have both sides.

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.

22.] ὄψομαι—in the same manifold meaning as before noticed—will see you—at My Resurrection—by My Spirit—at My second Advent.

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

22. καὶ ὑμεῖς οὖν. For the constr. see 8:38. This is the application of the image of the joy which follows the pain of childbirth. “You now, indeed (for μέν, see on v. 9), have grief,” but presently you will rejoice. ἔχετε (א*BCΔ) is to be preferred to ἔξετε of אcADLΘ.

πάλιν δὲ ὄψομαι ὑμᾶς. Here is even a greater promise than ὄψεσθέ με of v. 16: it is better to be seen of God than to see Him (cf. Gal 4:9). This was the promise of Jesus, that He would see His disciples after He was risen.

καὶ χαρήσεται ὑμῶν ἡ καρδία The phrase is identical with that of Isa 66:14 (ὄψεσθε, καὶ χαρήσεται ἡ καρδία ὑμῶν: cf. also Psa 33:21) Cf. 20:14-16, when the promise was fulfilled in the first instance. Such joy is inalienable, οὐδεὶς αἴρει ἀφʼ ὑμῶν, the future which is certain being represented by a present tense. Nevertheless BD*N Pap. Oxy. 1781 have ἀρεῖ, which Westcott adopts. But אACD2LΔΘ and Pap. Oxy. 1228 give αἴρει. W has ἀφέρει.

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

Have sorrow [λυπην εχετε] . This form of expression occurs frequently in the New Testament, to denote the possession or experience of virtues, sensations, desires, emotions, intellectual or spiritual faculties, faults, or defects. It is stronger than the verb which expresses any one of these. For instance, to have faith is stronger than to believe : to have life, than the act of living. It expresses a distinct, personal realization of the virtue or fault or sentiment in question. Hence, to have sorrow is more than to be sorrowful. In Mt 17:20, Christ does not say if ye believe, but if ye have faith; if faith, in ever so small a degree, is possessed by you as a conscious, living principle and motive. Compare have love (xiii. 35; 1Jo 4:16); have peace (xvi. 33); have trust (2Co 3:4); have boldness (Heb 10:19; 1Jo 2:28).

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

Vv. 22 makes the application of the comparison. The term: I will see you, cannot be synonymous with: you shall see me (Joh 16:16-17; Joh 16:19). The fact of the spiritual seeing again is presented here from the point of view of Jesus, not of the disciples. The death of Jesus not only separated the disciples from Him, but also Him from the disciples. He Himself, when transporting Himself to this moment, said in Joh 16:4 : “When I was with you;” and after His resurrection, in Luk 24:44 : “When I was yet with you.” It is for this reason that, not being able at that time to keep them Himself, He prays the Father to keep them in His stead (Joh 17:12-13).

There is no longer between Him and them the bond of sensible communion, and there is not yet that of spiritual communion. For this reason, when He shall return to them spiritually, it will be a seeing again for Him as well as for them. After this interval, in which He no longer Himself held the reins of their life, will come the day of Pentecost, when He will again have the flock under His own hand, and will sovereignly govern them from the midst of His divine state. The resurrection in itself alone could not yet form this new bond. Weiss has therefore no good foundation for finding in this expression: I will see you again, a proof in favor of his explanation (comp. Joh 16:25). The last words: and no one, are to be explained according to him in the sense that, even when the Risen One had once departed, the joy of the resurrection nevertheless continued in the hearts of the disciples; but see on Joh 16:24.

The present αἴρει, takes away, is the true reading. Jesus transports Himself in thought to that day.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.