John 16:15-17

16:15 Everything that the Father has is mine; that is why I said the Spirit ¹  will receive from me what is mine ²  and will tell it to you. ³  16:16 In a little while you ⁴  will see me no longer; again after a little while, you ⁵  will see me.” ⁶ 

16:17 Then some of his disciples said to one another, “What is the meaning of what he is saying, ⁷  ‘In a little while you ⁸  will not see me; again after a little while, you ⁹  will see me,’ and, ‘because I am going to the Father’?” ¹⁰ 

[16:15]  ¹ tn Grk “I said he”; the referent (the Spirit) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[16:15]  ² tn The words “what is mine” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[16:15]  ³ tn Or “will announce it to you.”

[16:16]  ⁴ tn Grk “A little while, and you.”

[16:16]  ⁵ tn Grk “and again a little while, and you.”

[16:16]  ⁶ sn The phrase after a little while, you will see me is sometimes taken to refer to the coming of the Holy Spirit after Jesus departs, but (as at 14:19) it is much more probable that it refers to the postresurrection appearances of Jesus to the disciples. There is no indication in the context that the disciples will see Jesus only with “spiritual” sight, as would be the case if the coming of the Spirit is in view.

[16:17]  ⁷ tn Grk “What is this that he is saying to us.”

[16:17]  ⁸ tn Grk “A little while, and you.”

[16:17]  ⁹ tn Grk “and again a little while, and you.”

[16:17]  ¹⁰ sn These fragmentary quotations of Jesus’ statements are from 16:16 and 16:10, and indicate that the disciples heard only part of what Jesus had to say to them on this occasion.