John 16:17 (YLT)

Passage

Therefore said <FI>some<Fi> of his disciples one to another, `What is this that he saith to us, A little while, and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, and, Because I go away unto the Father?'

Nearby Context

John 16:15 `All things, as many as the Father hath, are mine; because of this I said, That of mine He will take, and will tell to you;

John 16:16 a little while, and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go away unto the Father.'

John 16:17 Therefore said <FI>some<Fi> of his disciples one to another, `What is this that he saith to us, A little while, and ye do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me, and, Because I go away unto the Father?'

John 16:18 they said then, `What is this he saith--the little while? we have not known what he saith.'

John 16:19 Jesus, therefore, knew that they were wishing to ask him, and he said to them, `Concerning this do ye seek one with another, because I said, A little while, and you do not behold me, and again a little while, and ye shall see me?

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "therefore", "said", "some", "disciples", "another", "saith", "little", and "behold". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "therefore" and "said", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 16's "a little while and ye do not..." into verse 18's "they said then What is this he...", so "therefore" and "said" 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 "said" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.