John 16 21

John 16:21 kjv

A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world.

John 16:21 nkjv

A woman, when she is in labor, has sorrow because her hour has come; but as soon as she has given birth to the child, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

John 16:21 niv

A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world.

John 16:21 esv

When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish, for joy that a human being has been born into the world.

John 16:21 nlt

It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world.

John 16 verses

John 16 21 Meaning

Jesus illustrates the disciples' impending sorrow and subsequent profound joy by comparing it to a woman in childbirth. Her intense suffering during labor is entirely forgotten and transcended by the overwhelming gladness that accompanies the birth of her child. This parable reveals that their present grief over His departure will be replaced by a deeper, lasting joy following His resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, which inaugurates a new spiritual reality.

John 16 21 Context

John 16:21 is part of Jesus' Farewell Discourse (chapters 13-17), delivered to His disciples in the upper room shortly before His crucifixion. Jesus is preparing them for His imminent departure, explaining that He must leave them but will send the Holy Spirit (the Comforter/Helper). The disciples are confused and sorrowful about His declarations of leaving, not fully grasping the implications. In this section (16:16-33), Jesus explicitly addresses their impending grief ("A little while, and you will not see Me") and assures them that this sorrow will be temporary and followed by an enduring joy that no one can take away. The analogy of childbirth serves to clarify this transition from deep sadness to ultimate happiness.

John 16 21 Word analysis

• When a woman is in labor (γυνὴ ὅταν τίκτῃ, gynē hotan tiktē):

  • γυνὴ (gynē, woman): Refers to humanity universally experiencing this natural, profound event. This choice highlights the deep, inherent understanding of childbirth's pain and joy across cultures.
  • τίκτῃ (tiktē, give birth, be in labor): Describes the intense, life-altering process of childbirth. It carries the weight of a monumental event.

• she has sorrow (ἔχει λύπην, echei lypēn):

  • λύπην (lypēn, sorrow, grief): Denotes deep emotional pain, distress, or anguish. This is not a superficial sadness but a profound, almost existential sorrow mirroring the disciples' impending despair over Jesus' death. It contrasts with "joy" later in the verse.

• because her hour has come (ὅτι ἦλθεν ἡ ὥρα αὐτῆς, hoti ēlthen hē hōra autēs):

  • ὥρα (hōra, hour, time, season): In John's Gospel, "the hour" often signifies Jesus' appointed time for His suffering, crucifixion, and glorification (e.g., Jn 2:4, 7:30, 12:23). Here, for the woman, it signifies the culmination of her struggle—the peak of her pain and the immediate precursor to delivery. It points to a specific, critical moment of divine timing.

• but when she has delivered the baby (ὅταν δὲ γεννήσῃ τὸ παιδίον, hotan de gennēsē to paidion):

  • γεννήσῃ (gennēsē, bear, give birth, bring forth): A strong term emphasizing the act of bringing new life into existence.
  • παιδίον (paidion, child, baby): Denotes a newborn, emphasizing the innocence and newness of the life.

• she no longer remembers the anguish (οὐκέτι μνημονεύει τῆς θλίψεως, ouketi mnēmoneuei tēs thlipseōs):

  • οὐκέτι (ouketi, no longer): Signifies a complete cessation or transformation.
  • μνημονεύει (mnēmoneuei, remember, recall): Implies that the joy is so immense that it practically erases or overrides the memory of the preceding pain, diminishing its significance.
  • θλίψεως (thlipseōs, anguish, tribulation, distress): A powerful term often used for intense pressure, suffering, or persecution (e.g., Matt 24:21, Rom 5:3). This highlights the severity of the temporary pain, which is subsequently eclipsed by joy.

• for joy that a human being has been born into the world (διὰ τὴν χαρὰν ὅτι ἐγεννήθη ἄνθρωπος εἰς τὸν κόσμον, dia tēn charan hoti egennēthē anthrōpos eis ton kosmon):

  • χαρὰν (charan, joy, gladness): A profound, deep-seated gladness and delight. This is the anticipated spiritual joy that would fill the disciples.
  • ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos, human being, person): Emphasizes the creation of a new life, underscoring the universal significance and value of the birth event, both literally and metaphorically in a spiritual sense.
  • εἰς τὸν κόσμον (eis ton kosmon, into the world): Highlights the profound significance of a new arrival into existence, reflecting a new spiritual reality birthed into the current world.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "When a woman is in labor, she has sorrow because her hour has come": This phrase encapsulates the acute, time-bound suffering associated with a pivotal moment. The "hour" is both intensely painful and inherently purposeful, a necessary step toward the new creation. This foreshadows the disciples' "hour" of distress during Jesus' crucifixion.
• "but when she has delivered the baby, she no longer remembers the anguish": This segment illustrates the power of redemptive joy. The joy derived from the positive outcome (new life) so utterly overwhelms the memory of the preceding suffering that the suffering loses its dominance in her consciousness. It speaks to a transformative experience.
• "for joy that a human being has been born into the world": This climax specifies the source of that overpowering joy. It's not just the absence of pain, but the presence of something new, valuable, and miraculous—a new life that has entered existence. This signifies the "new birth" and new spiritual reality that would emerge from Jesus' suffering and resurrection, ushering in the era of the Holy Spirit.

John 16 21 Bonus section

The imagery of "birth pangs" or "travail" was well-known in Jewish eschatological thought (often referred to as chevlê hammashiah). It was commonly believed that great tribulation and suffering would precede the coming of the Messiah and His kingdom. Jesus appropriates this imagery not only for the large-scale ushering in of the new covenant age (the Messianic Kingdom) but also for the intimate spiritual experience of His disciples. His death and resurrection mark this 'birth' event, and the joy following it represents the inauguration of a new creation. The use of a universal human experience like childbirth bridges the particular historical context with timeless spiritual truths, highlighting the profound transition from the "old" covenant era marked by anticipation to the "new" era defined by the indwelling Spirit and resurrection power.

John 16 21 Commentary

John 16:21 is a poignant and deeply empathetic analogy that Jesus uses to explain the transformative nature of suffering in the divine plan. The image of childbirth, universally understood, perfectly conveys the temporary yet intense sorrow that must precede an unspeakable joy. For the disciples, their "hour" of sorrow would be Jesus' crucifixion, a period of devastating loss and confusion. However, just as the pain of childbirth culminates in the marvel of new life, their sorrow would yield to an incomparable joy: the joy of His resurrection, His victory over death, His glorious ascension, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This verse encapsulates the Christian hope that present trials are often labor pains for future glory, bringing forth a new spiritual existence. The overwhelming joy of this new creation renders the memory of the past anguish insignificant, testifying to the enduring value and power of what is "born" into the world through Christ.