Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
Parallel translations
- WEB You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come.”
- BSB You will look for Me, but you will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
- NKJV You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
- NASB You will seek Me, and will not find Me; and where I am, you cannot come.”
- NLT You will search for me but not find me. And you cannot go 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 says they will seek Him and not find Him, and where He is they cannot come. Persistent unbelief will leave them unable to reach Him.
Overview
Jesus warns that a time is coming when seeking Him will be too late for those who reject Him now. His destination, the presence of the Father, is closed to those who refuse to believe. This sober warning underscores the urgency of receiving Christ while He may be found and the tragic consequences of rejecting Him.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 11
- Prov 1:24–31Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded;
- John 13:33–36Little children, yet a little while I am with you. Ye shall seek me: and as I said unto the Jews, Whither I go, ye cannot come; so now I say to you.
- 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.
- Luke 13:34–35O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not!
- John 8:21–24Then said Jesus again unto them, I go my way, and ye shall seek me, and shall die in your sins: whither I go, ye cannot come.
- John 14:6Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
- Hos 5:6They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the LORD; but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them.
- John 14:3And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.
- Matt 23:39For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
- Luke 13:24–25Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
- Luke 17:22–23And he said unto the disciples, The days will come, when ye shall desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, and ye shall not see it.
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 7:34 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.