John 7 33

John 7:33 kjv

Then said Jesus unto them, Yet a little while am I with you, and then I go unto him that sent me.

John 7:33 nkjv

Then Jesus said to them, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I go to Him who sent Me.

John 7:33 niv

Jesus said, "I am with you for only a short time, and then I am going to the one who sent me.

John 7:33 esv

Jesus then said, "I will be with you a little longer, and then I am going to him who sent me.

John 7:33 nlt

But Jesus told them, "I will be with you only a little longer. Then I will return to the one who sent me.

John 7 verses

John 7 33 Meaning

John 7:33 proclaims Jesus' authoritative declaration regarding the brevity of His earthly ministry and His imminent, preordained return to God the Father, who commissioned Him. This statement underscores His divine origin, His unique mission sent from the Father, and His ultimate destiny. It asserts His sovereign control over His "time" and trajectory, contrasting with the human efforts of His adversaries who sought to arrest or control Him, highlighting that His "going" was a purposeful, divinely appointed return, not a forced escape.

John 7 33 Context

The setting for John 7:33 is the Feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot) in Jerusalem, one of the three great annual pilgrimage festivals. During this feast, characterized by rituals involving water and light, Jesus arrives discreetly and then teaches openly in the temple, causing intense division among the Jewish populace regarding His identity and authority. Many believed Him to be a prophet or the Christ, while others questioned His origin or sought to apprehend Him. This verse directly follows the decision of the Pharisees and chief priests to send officers to arrest Jesus (Jn 7:32). In this atmosphere of escalating tension and active attempts to seize Him, Jesus calmly and confidently pronounces His temporary earthly presence and His ultimate divine destination. Historically and culturally, the Jewish leadership at this time strictly enforced religious and social order, viewing any charismatic figure like Jesus who garnered popular attention as a threat to their authority and to their fragile peace with Rome. Jesus' words, therefore, directly defy their earthly schemes, asserting His pathway is not determined by them, but by the will of the Almighty Father.

John 7 33 Word analysis

• Then (οὖν, oun): This Greek particle functions as a transition, linking Jesus' statement directly to the previous narrative context—the plotting of the Jewish authorities to arrest Him. It indicates Jesus' words are a response, not an arbitrary remark.
• said Jesus (εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς, eipan ho Iēsous): This simple declaration highlights Jesus' authoritative voice. Despite the impending danger, He speaks with clarity and self-possession.
• unto them (αὐτοῖς, autois): This plural pronoun refers to those who were hearing Him speak in the temple. Given the preceding verse, it likely includes the officers sent to arrest Him, as well as the diverse crowd with differing opinions about Him.
• Yet a little while (Ἔτι μικρὸν, Eti mikron):
  • Eti means "still" or "yet," implying a remaining, brief duration.
  • Mikron means "a small (space)" or "a short time."
  • This phrase emphasizes the limited, finite period of Jesus' visible earthly ministry. It foreshadows His imminent death, resurrection, and ascension, underscoring that the window of opportunity for direct engagement with Him in the flesh is closing. His 'time' is fixed by divine decree, not human plotting.
• am I with you (μεθ᾽ ὑμῶν εἰμι, meth' hymōn eimi): The present tense "am" (eimi) highlights Jesus' ongoing, personal presence. "With you" signifies His incarnate relationship and interaction with humanity, a direct presence that would soon be physically withdrawn.
• and then (καὶ, kai): A simple conjunction connecting the period of His physical presence with His impending departure.
• I go (ὕπαγω, hypagō): This Greek verb often means "to go away" or "to depart." In John's Gospel, Jesus frequently uses hypagō to refer to His return to the Father, often carrying the connotation of a divinely ordered movement to a predetermined destination. It implies His imminent death, resurrection, and particularly His ascension. It is a purposeful departure, not a forced retreat or flight.
• unto Him that sent me (πρὸς τὸν πέμψαντά με, pros ton pempsanta me):
  • This profound phrase articulates Jesus' identity, authority, and ultimate destiny. "Him that sent me" refers consistently to God the Father throughout John's Gospel, emphasizing Jesus' divine commission and subservience to the Father's will.
  • The participle pempsanta (from pempō, "to send") denotes a past act with ongoing significance, signifying that Jesus' entire being and mission derive from the Father. His departure is a fulfillment of this sending, a return to His source and purpose.
  • Significance: This clause refutes any notion that Jesus is merely a man acting on his own initiative or subject to human power. His movements, including His departure, are part of the Father's eternal plan, emphasizing His unique relationship with the Father and His divine sovereignty over His own fate, despite human attempts to thwart it. This also forms an indirect polemic against the Jewish leaders' perception of their control over His movements; His going is divinely orchestrated, not compelled by them.

John 7 33 Bonus section

• Double Meaning for the Hearers: Jesus' statement held a double meaning for His contemporary audience. Physically, it spoke of His coming departure from earth. Spiritually, for those who rejected Him, it signified that a time would come when they might desperately seek a deliverer or messiah, but would be unable to find Him because they had spurned the One God sent. This foreshadows a spiritual famine and blindness.
• Sovereignty Over His "Hour": Throughout John's Gospel, Jesus repeatedly refers to "My hour" (e.g., Jn 2:4, 7:6, 7:8, 8:20, 12:23, 13:1, 17:1). This "hour" is the divinely appointed time of His glorification through suffering, death, and return to the Father. John 7:33 aligns perfectly with this theme, showing that Jesus knew His timeline precisely and operated within the Father's predetermined will, completely unperturbed by human threats.
• Contrast to Their Schemes: The verse provides a stark contrast to the plot being hatched by the Sanhedrin (Jn 7:32). While they believed they held the power to capture and control Jesus, He declared that He was about to initiate a sovereign departure, to a place they could not access. Their human schemes were utterly subject to His divine, preordained path.

John 7 33 Commentary

John 7:33 is a declaration of Jesus' divine foreknowledge and sovereign control amidst growing hostility. In the face of Jewish leaders actively seeking to arrest Him, Jesus does not speak of evasion but of His ordained trajectory. His words "Yet a little while am I with you" convey the precious, yet fleeting, nature of His incarnate presence, a final opportunity for His listeners to respond in faith before His earthly ministry culminates. The statement "and then I go unto Him that sent me" is a cornerstone of Johannine theology. It speaks profoundly of His pre-existence, His divine mission originating from the Father, and His ultimate glorification through His death, resurrection, and ascension back to the Father's presence. It is a subtle warning and a prophetic assertion: His departure will be according to God's plan, not human machination. Those who reject Him now will tragically discover that the opportunity to "find" Him (spiritually) on their terms will vanish once He has returned to the Father's glory, a truth explored in the verses that follow (Jn 7:34-36). It underlines that Jesus' ultimate destination is heavenly, far beyond the reach of human opposition.