John 10:39 (GNV)

Passage

Againe they went about to take him: but he escaped out of their handes,

Nearby Context

John 10:37 If I doe not the workes of my Father, beleeue me not.

John 10:38 But if I doe, then though ye beleeue not mee, yet beleeue the workes, that ye may knowe and beleeue, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:39 Againe they went about to take him: but he escaped out of their handes,

John 10:40 And went againe beyonde Iordan, into the place where Iohn first baptized, and there abode.

John 10:41 And many resorted vnto him, and saide, Iohn did no miracle: but all thinges that Iohn spake of this man, were true.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "againe", "went", "take", "escaped", and "handes". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "againe" and "went", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "But if I doe then though ye..." into verse 40's "And went againe beyonde Iordan into the...", so "againe" and "went" 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 "againe" and "went" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.