John 16:18 BSB — MannaFest

John 16:18

They kept asking, “Why is He saying, ‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith.

KJV

They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.

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Commentary

2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

They said therefore,.... One, and all of them; the inquiry became universal; what is this that he saith, a little while? it seems as if this phrase was the most intricate and perplexing to them; for whatever conceptions they might have of not seeing, and seeing him again, as expressive of his going from them, and returning to them, yet had no notion at all what he should mean by "a little while": and therefore add, we cannot tell what he saith: they knew his words, but not his meaning.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening1 voice

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

The darkness of ignorance and the darkness of melancholy commonly increase and thicken one another; mistakes cause griefs, and then griefs confirm mistakes. (2.) The notion of Christ's secular kingdom was so deeply rooted in them that they could make no sense at all of those sayings of his which they knew not how to reconcile with that notion.

The Nineteenth Century2 voices

Adam Clarke

1762–1832

Commentary on the Bible (1832)

What is this that he saith - They knew from what he had said that he was to die, but knew not what he meant by their seeing him again in a little time.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown

1802–1910

Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)

At the same time the sorrow of the widowed Church in the absence of her Lord in the heavens, and her transport at His personal return, are certainly here expressed.

Voices on this verse

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Original language & word study

13 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
ἔλεγον	elegon	They were saying	G3004 →
οὖν·	oun	therefore;	G3767 →
τί	ti	what	G5101 →
ἐστιν	estin	is	G1510 →
τοῦτο	touto	This	G3778 →
ὃ	ho	that	G3739 →
λέγει	legei	He says	G3004 →
τὸ	to	<the>	G3588 →
μικρόν;	mikron	a little [while]’?	G3398 →
οὐκ	ouk	Not	G3756 →
οἴδαμεν	oidamen	we do know
τί	ti	what	G5101 →
λαλεῖ.¶	lalei	He is saying.	G2980 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Hebrews 5:12
Although by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to reteach you the basic principles of God’s word. You need milk, not solid food!
leads to
- Hebrews 6:1
  Therefore let us leave the elementary teachings about Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith in God,
- 1 Corinthians 3:1–3
  Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual, but as worldly—as infants in Christ.
- 1 Peter 2:2
  Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
- Hebrews 5:13
  For everyone who lives on milk is still an infant, inexperienced in the message of righteousness.
- Isaiah 28:9–10
  Whom is He trying to teach? To whom is He explaining His message? To infants just weaned from milk? To babies removed from the breast?
Through
Luke 24:25
Then Jesus said to them, “O foolish ones, how slow are your hearts to believe all that the prophets have spoken!
leads to
- Mark 7:18
  “Are you still so dull?” He asked. “Do you not understand? Nothing that enters a man from the outside can defile him,
- Mark 9:19
  “O unbelieving generation!” Jesus replied. “How long must I remain with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring the boy to Me.”
- Mark 16:14
  Later, as they were eating, Jesus appeared to the Eleven and rebuked them for their unbelief and hardness of heart, because they did not believe those who had seen Him after He had risen.

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About John

The Word Made Flesh — Gustave Doré (engraving, public domain)

John: the study guide →Read chapter 16 →The featured study →

Continue: John 16 →

01Commentary

The record, by era

Voices on this verse

02Original language & word study

03The walk

Where the connections lead

04Related verses

05Featured studies on this passage

06About John

The record, by era

Where the connections lead

Commentary

Original language & word study

The walk

Related verses

Featured studies on this passage

About John