God’s Word Translation
John 16:13
13When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into the full truth. He won’t speak on his own. He will speak what he hears and will tell you about things to come.
John 16:13 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
- New International Version (NIV)But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come.
- English Standard Version (ESV)When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
- New King James Version (NKJV)However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.
Context of John 16:13
11He will convince the world that God judges it, because the ruler of this world has been judged. 12“I have a lot more to tell you, but that would be too much for you now. When the Spirit of Truth comes, he will guide you into the full truth. He won’t speak on his own. He will speak what he hears and will tell you about things to come. 14He will give me glory, because he will tell you what I say. 15Everything the Father says is also what I say. That is why I said, ‘He will take what I say and tell it to you.’
Read all of John 16John 16:13 word by word
ὅταν δὲ ἔλθῃ ἐκεῖνος, τὸ πνεῦμα τῆς ἀληθείας, ὁδηγήσει ὑμᾶς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ πάσῃ. οὐ γὰρ λαλήσει ἀφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλ᾽ ὅσα ἀκούσει λαλήσει καὶ τὰ ἐρχόμενα ἀναγγελεῖ ὑμῖν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- Howbeitδέde · thenG1161
- whenὅτανhotan · when(-ever)G3752
- heἐκεῖνοςekeinos · thatG1565
- the Spirit ofὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- the Spirit ofπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
- truthἀλήθειαalētheia · truthG225
- is comeἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
- he will guideὁδηγέωhodēgeō · to guideG3594
- youσύsu · youG4771
- intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
- allπᾶςpas · allG3956
- forγάρgar · forG1063
- he shallλαλέωlaleō · to speakG2980
- notοὐou · noG3756
- ofἀπόapo · away fromG575
- himselfἑαυτοῦheautou · themselfG1438
- butἀλλάalla · butG235
- whatsoeverὅσοςhosos · just as/how muchG3745
- ·ἄνan · ifG302
- he shall hearἀκούωakouō · to hearG191
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- he will shewἀναγγέλλωanaggellō · to reportG312
Cross-references for John 16:13
- John 14:17That helper is the Spirit of Truth. The world cannot accept him, because it doesn’t see or know him. You know him, because he lives with you and will be in you.
- John 15:26“The helper whom I will send to you from the Father will come. This helper, the Spirit of Truth who comes from the Father, will declare the truth about me.
- 1 John 4:6We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever doesn’t belong to God doesn’t listen to us. That’s how we can tell the Spirit of truth from the spirit of lies.
- John 14:26However, the helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything. He will remind you of everything that I have ever told you.
- 1 Corinthians 2:10God has revealed those things to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches everything, especially the deep things of God.
- Ephesians 4:7God’s favor has been given to each of us. It was measured out to us by Christ who gave it.
- 1 John 2:20The Holy One has anointed you, so all of you have knowledge.
- John 3:32and tells what he has seen and heard. Yet, no one accepts what he says.
- John 7:16Jesus responded to them, “What I teach doesn’t come from me but from the one who sent me.
- John 8:38What I’m saying is what I have seen in my Father’s presence. But you do what you’ve heard from your father.”
- John 12:49I have not spoken on my own. Instead, the Father who sent me told me what I should say and how I should say it.
- Joel 2:28“After this, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will prophesy. Your old men will dream dreams. Your young men will see visions.
- Acts 2:17‘In the last days, God says, I will pour my Spirit on everyone. Your sons and daughters will speak what God has revealed. Your young men will see visions. Your old men will dream dreams.
- Acts 11:28One of them was named Agabus. Through the Spirit Agabus predicted that a severe famine would affect the entire world. This happened while Claudius was emperor.
- Acts 20:23However, the Holy Spirit warns me in every city that imprisonment and suffering are waiting for me.
- Acts 21:9Philip had four unmarried daughters who had the ability to speak what God had revealed.
Commentaries on John 16:13
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 13He will guide you - He will consider your feeble infant state; and, as a father leads his child by the hand, so will the Holy Spirit lead and guide you. The Vulgate, and some copies of the Itala, read, He will Teach you all truth; but this and more is implied in the word ̔, he will lead; besides, this reading is not acknowledged by any Greek MS. He shall not speak of himself - He shall teach nothing contrary to what I have taught you: But whatsoever he…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 13The Spirit of truth - So called because he would teach them all necessary truth. Will guide you into all truth - That is, truth which pertained to the establishment of the Christian system, which they were not then prepared to hear. We may here remark that this is a full promise that they would be inspired and guided in founding the new church; and we may observe that the plan of the Saviour was replete with wisdom. Though they had been long with him, yet…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 7-15Verses 7-15 Christ's departure was necessary to the Comforter's coming. Sending the Spirit was to be the fruit of Christ's death, which was his going away. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but his Spirit is every where, in all places, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince. Convincing work is the Spirit's work; he can do it…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 13The Spirit of truth, who brings truth from God, guides the judgment of the world. The Spirit speaks only what he hears from the Father. The Father, Son, and Spirit work in perfect unity (16:15). The disciples could expect the Spirit to reveal new things about the present and future (see 14:26).Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 12-1512-15. when he, the Spirit of truth, is come ... he shall not speak of himself--that is, from Himself, but, like Christ Himself, "what He hears," what is given Him to communicate. he will show you things to come--referring specially to those revelations which, in the Epistles partially, but most fully in the Apocalypse, open up a vista into the Future of the Kingdom of God, whose horizon is the everlasting hills.Read the comment
Topics related to John 16:13
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 16
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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