Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to pass, ye may believe that I am he.
Parallel translations
- WEB From now on, I tell you before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am he.
- BSB I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it comes to pass, you will believe that I am He.
- NKJV Now I tell you before it comes, that when it does come to pass, you may believe that I am He.
- NASB From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe that I am He.
- NLT I tell you this beforehand, so that when it happens you will believe that I Am the Messiah.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Jesus foretells the betrayal so that when it happens they will believe that He is who He claims. It strengthens faith through fulfilled prediction.
Overview
By announcing events beforehand, Jesus gives His disciples grounds for faith when the dark hour arrives. The phrase 'that I am he' echoes the divine name (cf. Exod 3:14; John 8:58), pointing to His deity. Foreknowledge thus serves to confirm His identity and deepen trust amid coming trial.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Isa 43:10Ye are my witnesses, saith the LORD, and my servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know and believe me, and understand that I am he: before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me.
- John 14:29And now I have told you before it come to pass, that, when it is come to pass, ye might believe.
- Rev 1:17–18And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
- John 16:4But these things have I told you, that when the time shall come, ye may remember that I told you of them. And these things I said not unto you at the beginning, because I was with you.
- John 8:23–24And he said unto them, Ye are from beneath; I am from above: ye are of this world; I am not of this world.
- Isa 48:5I have even from the beginning declared it to thee; before it came to pass I shewed it thee: lest thou shouldest say, Mine idol hath done them, and my graven image, and my molten image, hath commanded them.
- Matt 24:25Behold, I have told you before.
- Matt 11:3And said unto him, Art thou he that should come, or do we look for another?
- John 8:58Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I am.
- Mal 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
- John 1:15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
- Luke 21:13And it shall turn to you for a testimony.
- Isa 41:23Shew the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods: yea, do good, or do evil, that we may be dismayed, and behold it together.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 13:19 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.