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At that day ye shall ask in my name: and I say not unto you, that I will pray the Father for you:
John 16:26 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB In that day you will ask in my name; and I don’t say to you, that I will pray to the Father for you,
  • BSB In that day you will ask in My name. I am not saying that I will ask the Father on your behalf.
  • NKJV In that day you will ask in My name, and I do not say to you that I shall pray the Father for you;
  • NASB On that day you will ask in My name, and I am not saying to you that I will request of the Father on your behalf;
  • NLT Then you will ask in my name. I’m not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf,

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 they will ask in Jesus' name, and He does not say He will need to ask the Father on their behalf. Believers have direct access to the Father.

Overview

Jesus assures the disciples that they will pray directly to the Father in His name. He clarifies that the Father Himself is favorably disposed toward them, so this is not Jesus persuading a reluctant Father. While Scripture affirms Christ's ongoing intercession, the point here is the believer's confident, direct access to a Father who already loves them in the Son.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Rom 8:34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
  • John 17:24Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
  • John 17:19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
  • John 17:9I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
  • John 16:23And 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 14:16And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;

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 16:26YouTube · 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 16:26 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.