Now, however, I am going to Him who sent Me; yet none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
Parallel translations
- WEB But now I am going to him who sent me, and none of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
- KJV But now I go my way to him that sent me; and none of you asketh me, Whither goest thou?
- NKJV “But now I go away to Him who sent Me, and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
- NASB “But now I am going to Him who sent Me; and none of you asks Me, ‘Where are You going?’
- NLT “But now I am going away to the one who sent me, and not one of you is asking where I am going.
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 is going to the One who sent Him, yet the disciples, absorbed in grief, do not ask where He is going. Sorrow has clouded their understanding.
Overview
Jesus notes that He is returning to the Father, but the disciples, overwhelmed by sadness, fail to grasp the significance of His destination. Their focus on loss keeps them from asking the questions that would bring comfort. This sets up Jesus' explanation that His departure is actually for their good.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 14
- John 13:36“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 7:33So Jesus said, “I am with you only a little while longer, and then I am going to the One who sent Me.
- John 16:28I came from the Father and entered the world. In turn, I will leave the world and go to the Father.”
- Heb 1:3The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His nature, upholding all things by His powerful word. After He had provided purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high.
- Eph 4:7–11Now to each one of us grace has been given according to the measure of the gift of Christ.
- John 16:10in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me;
- John 17:4I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.
- John 14:4–6You know the way to the place where I am going.”
- Heb 12:2Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.
- John 13:3Jesus knew that the Father had delivered all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was returning to God.
- John 14:28You heard Me say, ‘I am going away, and I am coming back to you.’ If you loved Me, you would rejoice that I am going to the Father, because the Father is greater than I.
- John 16:16In a little while you will see Me no more, and then after a little while you will see Me.”
- John 6:62Then what will happen if you see the Son of Man ascend to where He was before?
- John 17:13But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
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 16:5 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.