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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.
John 16:23 · King James Version
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.
  • BSB 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.
  • 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 ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
  • John 14:13–14And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  • Matt 21:22And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
  • Isa 65:24And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.
  • 1 Jn 5:14–16And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
  • Matt 7:7Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
  • John 16:26At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
  • John 14:20At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you.
  • Eph 2:18For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.
  • John 15:15–16Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.
  • Heb 10:19–23Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
  • 1 Jn 2:1My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:
  • John 14:5Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
  • Eph 3:14–20For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
  • 1 Tim 2:5–6For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
  • John 13:36–37Simon Peter said unto him, Lord, whither goest thou? Jesus answered him, Whither I go, thou canst not follow me now; but thou shalt follow me afterwards.
  • John 16:19Now 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?
  • Heb 7:25–26Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.
  • John 14:22Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?
  • Heb 4:14–16Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession.
  • John 16:30Now are we sure that thou knowest all things, and needest not that any man should ask thee: by this we believe that thou camest forth from God.
  • John 21:20–21Then Peter, turning about, seeth the disciple whom Jesus loved following; which also leaned on his breast at supper, and said, Lord, which is he that betrayeth thee?

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.