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Selected Verse: John 16:20 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Joh 16:20 |
King James |
Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
Ye shall weep ... - At my crucifixion, sufferings, and death. Compare Luk 23:27.
The world - Wicked men. The term world is frequently used in this sense. See Joh 16:8. It refers particularly, here, to the Jews who sought his death, and who would rejoice that their object was obtained.
Shall be turned into joy - You will not only rejoice at my resurrection, but even my death, now the object of so much grief to you, will be to you a source of unspeakable joy. It will procure for you peace and pardon in this life, and eternal joy in the world to come. Thus their greatest apparent calamity would be to them, finally, the source of their highest comfort; and though then they could not see how it could be, yet if they had known the whole case they would have seen that they might rejoice. As it was, they were to be consoled by the assurance of the Saviour that it would be for their good. And thus, in our afflictions, if we could see the whole case, we should rejoice. As it is, when they appear dark and mysterious, we may trust in the promise of God that they will be for our welfare. We may also remark here that the apparent triumphs of the wicked, though they may produce grief at present in the minds of Christians, will be yet overruled for good. Their joy shall be turned into mourning, and the mourning of Christians into joy; and wicked men may be doing the very thing - as they were in the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus - that shall yet be made the means of promoting the glory of God and the good of his people, Psa 76:10. |
| The Scofield Bible Commentary, by Cyrus Ingerson Scofield, [1917] |
world
Greek, "kosmos", means "mankind".
(See Scofield) - (Mat 4:8). |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
Weep - lament - be sorrowful (κλαύσετε - θρηνήσετε - λυπηθήσεσθε)
Of these three words, the last is the most general in meaning, expressing every species of pain, of body or of soul, and not necessarily the outward manifestation of sorrow. Both the other words denote audible expressions of grief. Θρηνέω marks the more formal expression. It means to utter a dirge over the dead. Thus Homer, of the mourning over Hector in Troy:
"On a fair couch they laid the corse, and placed
Singers beside it leaders of the dirge (θρηνων),
Who sang (ἐθρήνεον) a sorrowful, lamenting strain,
And all the women answered it with sobs."
"Iliad," xxiv. 720-722.
The verb occurs Mat 11:17; Luk 7:32; Luk 23:27. Κλαίω means audible weeping, the crying of children, as distinguished from δακρύω, to shed tears, to weep silently, which occurs but once in the New Testament, of Jesus' weeping (Joh 11:35). See on Luk 7:32. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| Ye will weep and lament - When ye see me dead; but your sorrow will be turned into joy - When ye see me risen. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
Ye shall weep and lament - To see me crucified and laid in the grave.
But the world shall rejoice - The chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and persecuting Jews in general, will triumph, hoping that their bad cause is crowned with success.
But your sorrow shall be turned into joy - When ye see me risen from the dead.
It is very evident that our Lord uses the word world, in several parts of this discourse of his, to signify the unbelieving and rebellious Jews. |
10 Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain.
8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment:
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
8 Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them;
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
35 Jesus wept.
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him.
32 They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept.
17 And saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned unto you, and ye have not lamented.