John 16:20

John 16:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy.
• New International Version (NIV)Very truly I tell you, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy.
• English Standard Version (ESV)Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy.
• New King James Version (NKJV)Most assuredly, I say to you that you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice; and you will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy.

Context of John 16:20

18So they were asking each other, “What does he mean when he says, ‘In a little while’? We don’t understand what he’s talking about.” 19Jesus knew they wanted to ask him something. So he said to them, “Are you trying to figure out among yourselves what I meant when I said, ‘In a little while you won’t see me, and in a little while you will see me again’? I can guarantee this truth: You will cry because you are sad, but the world will be happy. You will feel pain, but your pain will turn to happiness. 21A woman has pain when her time to give birth comes. But after the child is born, she doesn’t remember the pain anymore because she’s happy that a child has been brought into the world. 22“Now you’re in a painful situation. But I will see you again. Then you will be happy, and no one will take that happiness away from you.

John 16:20 word by word

Ἀμὴν ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν ὅτι κλαύσετε καὶ θρηνήσετε ὑμεῖς, ὁ δὲ κόσμος χαρήσεται· ὑμεῖς λυπηθήσεσθε, ἀλλ᾽ ἡ λύπη ὑμῶν εἰς χαρὰν γενήσεται.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Verilyἀμήνamēn · amenG281
• I sayλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• unto youσύsu · youG4771
• Thatὅτιhoti · that/since: thatG3754
• shall weepκλαίωklaiō · to weepG2799
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• lamentθρηνέωthrēneō · to lamentG2354
• butδέde · thenG1161
• the worldκόσμοςkosmos · worldG2889
• shall rejoiceχαίρωchairō · to rejoiceG5463
• shall be sorrowfulλυπέωlupeō · to grieveG3076
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• sorrowλύπηlupē · griefG3077
• shall be turnedγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• joyχαράchara · joyG5479

Cross-references for John 16:20

• John 16:6But because I’ve told you this, you’re filled with sadness.
• John 19:25Jesus’ mother, her sister, Mary (the wife of Clopas), and Mary from Magdala were standing beside Jesus’ cross.
• Mark 14:72Just then a rooster crowed a second time. Peter remembered that Jesus said to him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter began to cry very hard.
• Mark 16:10She went and told his friends, who were grieving and crying.
• Luke 22:45When Jesus ended his prayer, he got up and went to the disciples. He found them asleep and overcome with sadness.
• Luke 23:47When an army officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly, this man was innocent!”
• Luke 24:17He asked them, “What are you discussing?” They stopped and looked very sad.
• Job 20:5the triumph of the wicked is short-lived, and the joy of the godless person lasts only a moment?
• Matthew 21:38“When the workers saw his son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Let’s kill him and get his inheritance.’
• Matthew 27:39Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads
• Mark 15:29Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads and said, “What a joke! You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days.
• Revelation 11:10Those living on earth will gloat over the witnesses’ death. They will celebrate and send gifts to each other because these two prophets had tormented those living on earth.
• Revelation 18:7She gave herself glory and luxury. Now give her just as much torture and misery. She says to herself, ‘I’m a queen on a throne, not a widow. I’ll never be miserable.’
• Psalms 30:5His anger lasts only a moment. His favor lasts a lifetime. Weeping may last for the night, but there is a song of joy in the morning.
• Psalms 40:1I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry for help.
• Psalms 97:11Light dawns for righteous people and joy for those whose motives are decent.

Commentaries on John 16:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20Ye shall weep and lament - To see me crucified and laid in the grave. But the world shall rejoice - The chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and persecuting Jews in general, will triumph, hoping that their bad cause is crowned with success. But your sorrow shall be turned into joy - When ye see me risen from the dead. It is very evident that our Lord uses the word world, in several parts of this discourse of his, to signify the unbelieving and rebellious…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20Ye shall weep … - At my crucifixion, sufferings, and death. Compare Luke 23:27. The world - Wicked men. The term world is frequently used in this sense. See John 16:8. It refers particularly, here, to the Jews who sought his death, and who would rejoice that their object was obtained. Shall be turned into joy - You will not only rejoice at my resurrection, but even my death, now the object of so much grief to you, will be to you a source of unspeakable…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 16-22Verses 16-22 It is good to consider how near our seasons of grace are to an end, that we may be quickened to improve them. But the sorrows of the disciples would soon be turned into joy; as those of a mother, at the sight of her infant. The Holy Spirit would be their Comforter, and neither men nor devils, neither sufferings in life nor in death, would ever deprive them of their joy. Believers have joy or sorrow, according to their sight of Christ, and the…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20With the death of Jesus on the cross, the world thought it had won a victory over the light. The surprise of the cross would cause the disciples to weep and mourn, but their sorrow would change to joy when Jesus defeated the grave (20:20).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-2216-22. A little while, and ye shall not see me; and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father--The joy of the world at their not seeing Him seems to show that His removal from them by death was what He meant; and in that case, their joy at again seeing Him points to their transport at His reappearance amongst them on His Resurrection, when they could no longer doubt His identity. At the same time the sorrow of the widowed…Read the comment

Topics related to John 16:20

• Afflictions and Adversities
• Jesus Continued
• Jesus, the Christ
• Joy

In the dictionaries

• Desirous
• Reprove
• Sure
• Tribulation
• Atonement
• Comforter
• Holy Spirit
• Jesus Christ
• Johannine Theology
• John, Gospel of

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