Limitless Word
In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I tell you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.
John 16:23 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB “In that day you will ask me no questions. Most certainly I tell you, whatever you may ask of the Father in my name, he will give it to you.
  • KJV And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
  • NKJV “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.
  • NASB And on that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
  • NLT At that time you won’t need to ask me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and he will grant your request because you use my name.

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

In that day the disciples will ask Jesus no questions, and whatever they ask the Father in His name He will give. A new era of direct, confident prayer is coming.

Overview

After the resurrection and the Spirit's coming, the disciples will enjoy fuller understanding, no longer needing to ask the questions that now puzzle them. They will also pray to the Father in Jesus' name with confident expectation of answers. Praying 'in His name' means approaching God on the basis of Christ and in accord with His will, a privilege opened by His finished work.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 22

  • John 15:7If you remain in Me and My words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.
  • John 14:13–14And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  • Matt 21:22If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
  • Isa 65:24Even before they call, I will answer, and while they are still speaking, I will hear.
  • 1 Jn 5:14–16And this is the confidence that we have before Him: If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
  • Matt 7:7Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.
  • John 16:26In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
  • John 14:20On that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you are in Me, and I am in you.
  • Eph 2:18For through Him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.
  • John 15:15–16No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not understand what his master is doing. But I have called you friends, because everything I have learned from My Father I have made known to you.
  • Heb 10:19–23Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
  • 1 Jn 2:1My little children, I am writing these things to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate before the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.
  • John 14:5“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
  • Eph 3:14–20... for this reason I bow my knees before the Father,
  • 1 Tim 2:5–6For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
  • John 13:36–37“Lord, where are You going?” Simon Peter asked. Jesus answered, “Where I am going, you cannot follow Me now, but you will follow later.”
  • John 16:19Aware that they wanted to question Him, Jesus said to them, “Are you asking one another why I said, ‘In a little while you will not see Me, and then after a little while you will see Me’?
  • Heb 7:25–26Therefore He is able to save completely those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to intercede for them.
  • John 14:22Judas (not Iscariot) asked Him, “Lord, why are You going to reveal Yourself to us and not to the world?”
  • Heb 4:14–16Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we profess.
  • John 16:30Now we understand that You know all things and that You have no need for anyone to question You. Because of this, we believe that You came from God.”
  • John 21:20–21Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them. He was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper to ask, “Lord, who is going to betray You?”

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (1)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 16:23YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    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 16:23 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.