They said therefore, What is this that he saith, A little while? we cannot tell what he saith.
Parallel translations
- WEB They said therefore, “What is this that he says, ‘A little while’? We don’t know what he is saying.”
- BSB They kept asking, “Why is He saying, ‘a little while’? We do not understand what He is saying.”
- NKJV They said therefore, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is saying.”
- NASB So they were saying, “What is this that He says, ‘A little while’? We do not know what He is talking about.”
- NLT And what does he mean by ‘a little while’? We don’t understand.”
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
The disciples admit they do not understand what Jesus means by 'a little while.' Their confusion is openly confessed.
Overview
Repeating their bewilderment, the disciples acknowledge they cannot make sense of Jesus' words. John records this candidly, showing the disciples' limited understanding before the resurrection and the Spirit's illumination. Their unspoken questions are about to be answered by Jesus, who perceives their thoughts.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- Luke 24:25Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:
- Matt 16:9–11Do ye not yet understand, neither remember the five loaves of the five thousand, and how many baskets ye took up?
- Heb 5:12For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
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 16:18 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.