John 16:18 (YLT)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

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?

John 16:20 verily, verily, I say to you, that ye shall weep and lament, and the world will rejoice; and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow joy will become.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 17's "Therefore said FI some Fi of his..." into verse 19's "Jesus therefore knew that they were wishing...", so "said" and "saith--the" 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 "said" and "saith--the" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.