John 16:19 (GNV)

Passage

Now Iesus knew that they would aske him, and said vnto them, Doe ye enquire among your selues, of that I said, A litle while, and ye shall not see me: and againe, a litle while, and yee shall see me?

Nearby Context

John 16:17 Then said some of his disciples among them selues, What is this that he saieth vnto vs, A litle while, and ye shall not see me, and againe, a litle while, and ye shall see me, and, For I goe to the Father.

John 16:18 They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A litle while? we know not what he sayeth.

John 16:19 Now Iesus knew that they would aske him, and said vnto them, Doe ye enquire among your selues, of that I said, A litle while, and ye shall not see me: and againe, a litle while, and yee shall see me?

John 16:20 Verely, verely I say vnto you, that ye shall weepe and lament, and the worlde shall reioyce: and ye shall sorowe, but your sorowe shalbe turned to ioye.

John 16:21 A woman when she traueileth, hath sorowe, because her houre is come: but assoone as she is deliuered of the childe, she remembreth no more the anguish, for ioy that a man is borne into the world.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "iesus", "knew", "aske", "said", "vnto", "enquire", and "selues". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "iesus" and "knew", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "They said therefore What is this that..." into verse 20's "Verely verely I say vnto you that...", so "iesus" and "knew" 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 "iesus" and "knew" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.