John 10:39 (KJV)

Passage

Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

Nearby Context

John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.

John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

John 10:39 Therefore they sought again to take him: but he escaped out of their hand,

John 10:40 And went away again beyond Jordan into the place where John at first baptized; and there he abode.

John 10:41 And many resorted unto him, and said, John did no miracle: but all things that John spake of this man were true.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 38's "But if I do though ye believe..." into verse 40's "And went away again beyond Jordan into...", so "therefore" and "sought" 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 "therefore" and "sought" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.