Passage

John 16.16-17

Book: John · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"14. He shall glorify me: for he shall take of mine, and shall declare it unto you. 15. All things whatsoever the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he taketh of mine, and shall declare it unto you."

"16. A little while, and ye behold me no more; and again a little while, and ye shall see me. 17. Some of his disciples therefore said one to another, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye behold me not; and again a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?"

"18. They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? We know not what he saith. 19. Jesus perceived that they were desirous to ask him, and he said unto them, Do ye inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, A little while, and ye behold me not, and again a little while, and ye shall see me?" (John 16:14-19, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"14. He will glorify me, for he will take from what is mine, and will declare it to you. 15. All things whatever the Father has are mine; therefore I said that he takes of mine, and will declare it to you."

"16. A little while, and you will not see me. Again a little while, and you will see me.” 17. Some of his disciples therefore said to one another, “What is this that he says to us, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me;’ and, ‘Because I go to the Father’?”"

"18. They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.” 19. Therefore Jesus perceived that they wanted to ask him, and he said to them, “Do you inquire among yourselves concerning this, that I said, ‘A little while, and you won’t see me, and again a little while, and you will see me?’" (John 16:14-19, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"14. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you."

"16. A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. 17. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me: and, Because I go to the Father?"

"18. They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith. 19. Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?" (John 16:14-19, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"14. He will glorify me, because of mine He will take, and will tell to you. 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;"

"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.' 17. Therefore said [some] 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?'"

"18. they said then, 'What is this he saith, the little while? we have not known what he saith.' 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 16:14-19, YLT)

Setting

Speaker: John the Apostle (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
Audience: later Christian audience (high-Christological emphasis; against early gnosticism)
Location: first-century Palestine (events); possibly Ephesus (composition)
Time period: events c. 26-33 AD (3-Passover chronology); composed c. AD 85-95

Theological reading

Key words

G3962 - pater, pater (Strong's G3962). Also appears in: Matthew 5.48, Matthew 6.25-26, Matthew 6.25-34.
G4314 - pros, pros (Strong's G4314). Also appears in: Matthew 3.13, Matthew 5.28, Matthew 11.28.

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.