John 16:32 (ASV)

Passage

Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and [yet] I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

Nearby Context

John 16:30 Now know we that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.

John 16:31 Jesus answered them, Do ye now believe?

John 16:32 Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and [yet] I am not alone, because the Father is with me.

John 16:33 These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye may have peace. In the world ye have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "behold", "hour", "cometh", "shall", "scattered", and "leave". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "behold" and "hour", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 31's "Jesus answered them Do ye now believe..." into verse 33's "These things have I spoken unto you...", so "behold" and "hour" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "behold" and "hour" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.