John 15:18 (GNV)

Passage

If the worlde hate you, ye knowe that it hated me before you.

Nearby Context

John 15:16 Ye haue not chosen me, but I haue chosen you, and ordeined you, that ye goe and bring foorth fruite, and that your fruite remaine, that whatsoeuer ye shall aske of the Father in my Name, he may giue it you.

John 15:17 These things commaund I you, that ye loue one another.

John 15:18 If the worlde hate you, ye knowe that it hated me before you.

John 15:19 If ye were of the worlde, the world woulde loue his owne: but because ye are not of ye world, but I haue chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.

John 15:20 Remember the word that I said vnto you, The seruant is not greater then his master. If they haue persecuted me, they will persecute you also: if they haue kept my worde, they will also keepe yours.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "world", "worlde", "hate", "knowe", "hated", and "before". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "world" and "worlde", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "These things commaund I you that ye..." into verse 19's "If ye were of the worlde the...", so "world" and "worlde" 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 "world" and "worlde" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.