John 16:4 (DBY)

Passage

But I have spoken these things to you, that when their hour shall have come, ye may remember them, that I have said [them] unto you. But I did not say these things unto you from [the] beginning, because I was with you.

Nearby Context

John 16:2 They shall put you out of the synagogues; but the hour is coming that every one who kills you will think to render service to God;

John 16:3 and these things they will do because they have not known the Father nor me.

John 16:4 But I have spoken these things to you, that when their hour shall have come, ye may remember them, that I have said [them] unto you. But I did not say these things unto you from [the] beginning, because I was with you.

John 16:5 But now I go to him that has sent me, and none of you demands of me, Where goest thou?

John 16:6 But because I have spoken these things to you, sorrow has filled your heart.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "spoken", "things", "hour", "shall", "come", "remember", and "said". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "spoken" and "things", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "and these things they will do because..." into verse 5's "But now I go to him that...", so "spoken" and "things" 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 "spoken" and "things" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.