John 14:5 (YLT)

Passage

Thomas saith to him, `Sir, we have not known whither thou goest away, and how are we able to know the way?'

Nearby Context

John 14:3 and if I go on and prepare for you a place, again do I come, and will receive you unto myself, that where I am ye also may be;

John 14:4 and whither I go away ye have known, and the way ye have known.'

John 14:5 Thomas saith to him, `Sir, we have not known whither thou goest away, and how are we able to know the way?'

John 14:6 Jesus saith to him, `I am the way, and the truth, and the life, no one doth come unto the Father, if not through me;

John 14:7 if ye had known me, my Father also ye would have known, and from this time ye have known Him, and have seen Him.'

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "thomas", "saith", "known", "whither", "thou", "goest", "away", and "able". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "thomas" and "saith", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "and whither I go away ye have..." into verse 6's "Jesus saith to him I am the...", so "thomas" and "saith" 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 "thomas" and "saith" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.