John 16:4

I am telling you this now, so that when those bad things happen, you will remember that I told you about them. You didn’t need to know about them before, because I was with you. But now I am going away, so I have to tell you about them.”

Plain English Version

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

3They will do those bad things, because they never knew me, or my father.

5Jesus told his followers, “I am going to leave you and go back to my father. He is the one that sent me here. And none of you asked me, ‘Where are you going?’

Read all of John 16

Cross References

Mark 2:19Jesus said to them, “At a wedding ceremony everybody is happy, and they all eat food together with the man that is getting married. It’s the same way for my followers. I’m still here, so they are happy and don’t need to stop eating food. Not yet.

John 14:29I’m telling you all about this now, so that after it happens, you will trust me.

Acts 9:16I will show him that some people will not like him talking about me, so they will give him big trouble and hurt him.”

Matthew Henry on John 16:2-7

Persecution Foretold; The Expediency of Christ's Departure. 1 These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. 2 They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. 3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me. 4 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,… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

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