They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Parallel Translations
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They will do these things because they have not known the Father, nor me.
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And suche thinges will they do vnto you because they have not knowen the father nether yet me.
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And these things will they doe vnto you, because they haue not knowen ye Father, nor me.
Cross-references (14)
Passages linked to John 16:3 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge, ordered by reader-vote popularity; verse text shown in World English Bible.
- John 15:21 But they will do all these things to you for my name’s sake, because they don’t know him who sent me.
- John 17:25 Righteous Father, the world hasn’t known you, but I knew you; and these knew that you sent me.
- John 8:19 They said therefore to him, “Where is your Father?” Jesus answered, “You know neither me nor my Father. If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
- John 8:55 You have not known him, but I know him. If I said, ‘I don’t know him,’ I would be like you, a liar. But I know him and keep his word.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8 punishing those who don’t know God, and to those who don’t obey the Good News of our Lord Jesus,
- 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 and with all deception of wickedness for those who are being lost, because they didn’t receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. Because of this, God sends them a working of error, that they should believe a lie; that they all might be judged who didn’t believe the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.
- John 17:3 This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 3:1 See how great a love the Father has given to us, that we should be called children of God! For this cause the world doesn’t know us, because it didn’t know him.
- Luke 10:22 Turning to the disciples, he said, “All things have been delivered to me by my Father. No one knows who the Son is, except the Father, and who the Father is, except the Son, and he to whomever the Son desires to reveal him.”
- John 15:23 He who hates me, hates my Father also.
- 1 Corinthians 2:8 which none of the rulers of this world has known. For had they known it, they wouldn’t have crucified the Lord of glory.
- 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Even if our Good News is veiled, it is veiled in those who are dying, in whom the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelieving, that the light of the Good News of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should not dawn on them. For we don’t preach ourselves, but Christ Jesus as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake, seeing it is God who said, “Light will shine out of darkness,” who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
- 1 John 4:8 He who doesn’t love doesn’t know God, for God is love.
- 1 John 5:20 We know that the Son of God has come, and has given us an understanding, that we know him who is true, and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life.
Cross-references from openbible.info (CC BY 4.0)
Explain this verse (13 sources)
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John Calvin 1540 · Public Domain 3. And they will do these things. Not without…
3. And they will do these things. Not without good reason does Christ frequently remind the apostles of this consideration, that there is only one reason why unbelievers are so greatly enraged against them. It is, because they do not know God. And yet this is not said for the purpose of extenuating their guilt, but that the apostles may boldly despise their blind fury; for it often happens that the authority which wicked men possess, and the luster which shines in them, shake modest and pious minds. But Christ, on the other hand, enjoins his followers to rise with holy magnanimity, to despise their adversaries, who are impelled by nothing else than error and blindness; for this is our wall of brass, when we are fully persuaded that God is on our side, and that they who oppose us are destitute of reason. Again, these words remind us, what a serious evil it is not to know God, since it leads even those who have murdered their own parents to expect praise and approbation for their wickedness.
John Calvin's Commentaries (1540-1563) — public domain. Text from the Calvin Translation Society English edition (1840s-50s) via the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (ccel.org). Calvin's coverage is partial (roughly two-thirds of the Bible); uncommented books and verses are honest gaps, never fabricated. The 19th-century editor's footnotes and remarks are omitted so the notes are faithfully Calvin's own voice.
John Trapp 1656 · Public Domain 3 And these things will they do unto you,…
3 And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.
Ver. 3. Because they have not known] Through blind zeal. "The dark corners of the earth are full of cruelty," saith the Psalmist. And "they shall not destroy in all mine holy mountain;" "for knowledge shall cover the earth, as the waters do the sea," Psa 74:20; Isa 11:9. {See Trapp on "Joh 15:21"}
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Matthew Poole 1685 · Public Domain This is but what our Lord said as to…
This is but what our Lord said as to his Father, Joh 16:21 of the former chapter, (See Poole on "Joh 16:21"), and teacheth us, that all persecutions of good men speak in persecutors an ignorance both of God the Father and of Christ; and whoever they are that continue in such ignorance under the light of the gospel, though they be baptized, and make never so great a profession of religion, yet will be under daily temptations to turn persecutors; for ignorance is here made the cause of persecution. And it is some alleviation of trouble to God’s suffering people, to consider that the persons that are the cause of their sufferings neither know God the Father, nor Jesus Christ; and it is no wonder, if they know not God, that they will not know, love, nor approve of them.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
John Gill 1763 · Public Domain And these things will they do unto you,.... Christ…
And these things will they do unto you,.... Christ here opens the true spring and source of the furious zeal of the Jews, against the apostles, in putting them out of their synagogues, and taking away their lives; it was pure wilful ignorance of the Father and himself;
because they have not known the Father nor me; though they boasted of their knowledge of God; yet they knew him not as the Father and sender of Christ, at least they would not own him as such: nor Jesus as the true Messiah, and sent of the Father, to redeem and save his people from their sins; and since they neither knew the Father, nor Christ, it is no wonder they did not know, own, and acknowledge, the disciples of Christ, but used them in the ill manner they did; their zeal was not according to knowledge, it was a blind and misguided one: and this is mentioned, not to extenuate or excuse their sin, though it shows they were not out of the reach of mercy, because they, as the apostle says of himself, "did it ignorantly in unbelief", Ti1 1:13; but as an argument with the disciples to bear their ill usage with patience, and to pity them and pray for them.
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
John Wesley 1765 · Public Domain They have not known the Father nor me -…
They have not known the Father nor me - This is the true root of persecution in all its forms.
John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.
Adam Clarke 1810 · Public Domain Verse 3. Because they have not known the Father]…
Verse 3. Because they have not known the Father] See Clarke on Joh 15:25. Ignorance of the benevolence of GOD, and of the philanthropy of CHRIST, is the grand fountain whence all religious persecution and intolerance proceed.
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Joseph Benson 1811 · Public Domain Joh 16:3. And these things will they do —…
Joh 16:3. And these things will they do — These cruelties will they exercise upon you, not because ye have done them any harm; but because they have not known the Father nor me — Which, if they had done, instead of injuring me, and exercising such inhumanities toward you, my apostles, they would have received us with the greatest affection and gratitude. Here we have the true root of persecution in all its forms; it is ignorance of God and of Christ, and of the real nature of Christianity: it is a spirit that is hostile to all true piety and virtue; and our Lord here says in effect, Let this comfort you, that none will be your enemies but the worst of men. Observe, reader, 1st, Many that pretend to know God are wretchedly ignorant of him, for he that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him, 1Jn 2:4. Israel of old transgressed the covenant, and yet cried, My God, we know thee. 2d, They that are ignorant of Christ cannot have any right knowledge of God. In vain do men pretend to know God and religion while they slight Christ and Christianity. 3d, Those are wretchedly ignorant of God indeed, who think it an acceptable piece of religion to persecute good people. For they that know Christ, know that he came not into the world to destroy men’s lives, but to save them; that he rules by the power of truth and love, not by fire and sword. 4th, It is possible for those that are real enemies to God’s service to pretend a mighty zeal for it. Satan’s work has often been done in God’s livery, and one of the most mischievous enemies Christianity ever had, sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God, 2Th 2:4. Nay, 5th, It is common to patronise enmity to religion, with the colour of duty to God and service to his church. God’s people have suffered the greatest hardships from conscientious persecutors: Paul verily thought he ought to do what he did against the name of Jesus, Act 26:9. This, however, does not lessen the sin of persecutors, for villanies cannot be consecrated by their being acted in God’s name; but it greatly increases the sufferings of the persecuted to cause them to suffer under the character of being enemies to God; but there will be a resurrection of names, as well as of bodies, at the great day.
Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes 1834 · Public Domain See Joh 15:21.
See Joh 15:21.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Daniel D. Whedon 1874 · Public Domain 3. Because… not known the Father—This fact, repeated from…
3. Because… not known the Father—This fact, repeated from Joh_15:21-25, is the sad destruction of all excuse for this Jewish persecution. However honest for the moment their persecuting zeal, it sprung from a heart that had previously entrenched itself in error and hardened itself against God. Hence its zeal, however sincere, was mingled and impregnated with fierce and cruel purpose.
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges 1878 · Public Domain 3. unto you] These words are of doubtful authority.
3. unto you] These words are of doubtful authority.
they have not known] Better, they did not recognise. The verb implies that they had the opportunity of knowing; but they had failed to see that God is Love, and that Jesus came not to shut out, but to bring in, not to destroy, but to save. The very names ‘Father’ (here used with special point) and ‘Jesus’ might have taught them better things.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers 1878 · Public Domain (3) Because they have not known the Father, nor…
(3) Because they have not known the Father, nor me.—Comp. Note on Joh_15:21. He repeats that ignorance of God is the cause of the world’s hatred and persecution, and adds here that it is ignorance of God revealed in Himself. There is a special force in the mention of this ignorance in connection with the previous verse. Men think that in exclusion, and anathemas, and persecutions, and deaths of men made like themselves in the image of God, they are offering to God an acceptable sacrifice. They can know nothing of the true nature of the living Father who pitieth every child, and willeth not the death of a sinner, and gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. They know nothing of the long-suffering and compassion of the Son of Man, who pleaded even for His murderers, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.”
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
B. W. Johnson 1891 · Public Domain 3. These things will they do, etc. Had they…
3. These things will they do, etc. Had they known Christ, or the Father, and received the Holy Spirit, they could not do thus.
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
unfoldingWord translationNotes 2017 · CC BY-SA 4.0 They will do these things because they have not…
They will do these things because they have not known the Father nor me
They will kill some believers because they do not know God the Father or Jesus.
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Father
This is an important title for God. (See: Translating Son and Father)
when their hour comes
Here "hour" is a metonym that refers to the time when people will persecute Jesus' followers. AT: "when they cause you to suffer" (See: Metonymy)
in the beginning
This is a metonym that refers to the first days of Jesus' ministry. AT: "when you first started following me" (See: Metonymy)
translationWords
God the Father
hour, hours
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.