You will seek Me and not find Me, and where I am you cannot come.”
Parallel translations
- WEB You will seek me, and won’t find me; and where I am, you can’t come.”
- KJV Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, thither ye cannot come.
- BSB You will look for Me, but you will 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 you have refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no one has paid attention;
- John 13:33–36Little children, I will be with you a little while longer. You will seek me, and as I said to the Jews, ‘Where I am going, you can’t come,’ so now I tell you.
- John 17:24Father, I desire that they also whom you have given me be with me where I am, that they may see my glory, which you have given me, for you loved me before the foundation of the world.
- Luke 13:34–35“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, like a hen gathers her own brood under her wings, and you refused!
- John 8:21–24Jesus said therefore again to them, “I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins. Where I go, you can’t come.”
- John 14:6Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father, except through me.
- Hos 5:6They will go with their flocks and with their herds to seek Yahweh; but they won’t find him. He has withdrawn himself from them.
- John 14:3If I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and will receive you to myself; that where I am, you may be there also.
- Matt 23:39For I tell you, you will not see me from now on, until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
- Luke 13:24–25“Strive to enter in by the narrow door, for many, I tell you, will seek to enter in, and will not be able.
- Luke 17:22–23He said to the disciples, “The days will come, when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.
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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.