The verse uses three distinct words for sorrow—"weep," "lament," and "sorrowful"—to emphasize the profound depth of the disciples' grief, not just a fleeting sadness, but an overwhelming sense of loss that would mark their immediate experience after Jesus' departure. This intense sorrow is then immediately contrasted with the world's rejoicing, highlighting the starkly opposite perspectives on Jesus' crucifixion.
Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. 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. So also you have sorrow now, but I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice, and no one will take your joy from you.
English Standard Version (ESV)
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent departure and explains that though his leaving will bring them deep sorrow, it is temporary and will ultimately lead to a greater joy. He contrasts their coming grief with the world's temporary celebration of his absence, assuring them that their sadness will be transformed. This promise of transformed sorrow is understood as their future joy in his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus doesn't just say his followers will be sad; he uses three distinct words to describe their coming sorrow. What makes this grief so intense?
Jesus uses a powerful progression of words to paint a picture of the disciples' deep sorrow:
When Jesus is taken from them, their grief won't be a quiet sadness. It will be a profound, visible, and overwhelming anguish, marked by tears and mournful cries. This intense sorrow is tied directly to the world's rejoicing—a stark contrast that highlights the disciples' feeling of loss and abandonment.
While the disciples are plunged into despair, the world around them celebrates. Why does Jesus contrast their grief with the world's joy?
Jesus starkly contrasts the disciples' profound sorrow with the world's rejoicing. The 'world' here often refers to those who are opposed to God's purposes—in this context, likely the religious leaders and those who celebrated Jesus' crucifixion.
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Jesus highlights this contrast to prepare the disciples for the intense pressure and opposition they will face, while simultaneously assuring them that this worldly triumph is short-lived.
Jesus promises that sorrow will turn into joy. This isn't just a switch; it's a profound transformation. How does this happen?
The most incredible part of Jesus' promise is that the disciples' deep sorrow will not just end, but it will be transformed into joy. This transformation is explained in a few key ways:
This transformed joy is not about the absence of hardship, but about an unshakeable inner reality rooted in Christ's presence and the Spirit's power.
Understand the original words
amēn amēn · Greek Adverb
A solemn formula used by Jesus to emphasize the absolute truth, authority, and divine weight of His teaching, indicating that what follows is of profound importance.
klausete · Greek Verb
To express deep grief, pain, or distress, often through audible crying. In a biblical context, it frequently signifies mourning over loss, judgment, or the absence of God's presence.
thrēnēsete · Greek Verb
To mourn aloud, beat the breast, or express deep sorrow and lamentation. It denotes intense emotional agony or grief.
kosmos · Greek Noun
In the Johannine writings, 'the world' frequently refers to the fallen human order that is alienated from God, hostile to His truth, and separated from the light of Christ.
charēsetai · Greek Verb
To experience gladness or delight. In the biblical narrative, true joy is often the result of God's intervention, redemption, or the presence of the Holy Spirit, standing in contrast to worldly pleasure.
lypēthēsesthe · Greek Verb/Adjective
A state of pain of mind or grief resulting from loss, affliction, or sin. In Scripture, godly sorrow is often linked to repentance or the experience of trials that refine faith.
lypē · Greek Noun
The state of deep distress or mental anguish. Scripture promises that for the believer, present suffering is temporary and will ultimately be transformed by God into eternal gladness.
charan · Greek Noun
The state of supreme happiness, delight, or gladness. Biblically, it is a spiritual fruit and an enduring response to the character, promises, and presence of God, even in the midst of trials.
lypē · Greek Noun
An intense, often painful state of emotional distress, grief, or affliction, frequently associated with the human condition or the experience of sin and separation from God. In a messianic context, it often refers to the 'birth pains' leading to a new era.
hōra · Greek Noun
A specific appointed time or moment in the divine calendar or sovereign plan of God. It often refers to the climactic moment of Jesus' glorification, suffering, or second coming.
thlipsis · Greek Noun
Intense pain or distress; often used to describe the acute agony associated with labor or severe trial. Biblically, it emphasizes the suffering that precedes or accompanies a significant transformation or deliverance.
chara · Greek Noun
A profound state of gladness and delight. In the New Testament, joy is a spiritual fruit and an enduring state of the believer rooted in God’s presence and promises, distinct from fleeting worldly happiness.
This verse speaks directly to the immediate aftermath of Jesus' crucifixion and the subsequent transformation of his followers' grief into joy upon his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit. The 'world' represents those who opposed Jesus and rejoiced at his death, unaware of the divine plan.
c. AD 30— this verse
Jesus' Crucifixion and Burial
Jesus is arrested, tried, and crucified. His followers are devastated, while his enemies rejoice, believing their opposition has triumphed.
c. AD 30
Jesus' Resurrection
Three days after his crucifixion, Jesus is raised from the dead. This event transforms the disciples' profound sorrow into overwhelming joy and validates Jesus' claims.
c. AD 30
The Ascension of Jesus
Jesus ascends into heaven after appearing to his disciples over forty days. Though physically absent again, he promises the coming of the Holy Spirit.
c. AD 33
The Coming of the Holy Spirit
On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit descends upon the disciples. This empowers them and brings them a deep, enduring joy, fulfilling Jesus' promise.
This Old Testament passage uses the imagery of a woman in labor experiencing pain and distress that ultimately leads to the birth of a child, mirroring Jesus' metaphor for the disciples' sorrow turning into joy.
Matthew 5:4Jesus directly pronounces a blessing on those who mourn, promising they will be comforted, which speaks to the eventual transformation of sorrow into a different kind of joy for his followers.
John 20:20This passage describes the disciples' joy upon seeing the resurrected Jesus, directly fulfilling Jesus' promise in John 16:20 that their sorrow would turn into joy.
2 Corinthians 5:17The concept of being a 'new creation' in Christ, as described by Paul, relates to the profound inner transformation that allows for a joy that transcends temporary suffering, echoing the promise of sorrow turning into joy.
1 Peter 1:6Peter speaks of believers rejoicing even amidst present trials, experiencing a joy that is great and currently unseen, aligning with the idea that current sorrow for Christ's absence will ultimately yield an enduring joy.
vincentJohn 16:20: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy."
Weep - lament - be sorrowful (κλαύσετε - θρηνήσετε - λυπηθήσεσθε)Of these three words, the last is the most general in meaning, expressing every species of pain, of body or of soul, and not necessarily the outward manifestation of sorrow. Both the other words denote audible expressions of grief. Θρηνέω marks the more…
calvinJohn 16:16-20: "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father."
- A little while, and you do not see me [98] and again a little while, and you will see me; because I go to the Father. 17. Then said some of his disciples among themselves, What is this that he saith to us, a little while, and you do not see me and again a little while, and you will see me: and, Because I go to the Father? 18. They said, therefore, What is thi…
The verse uses three distinct words for sorrow—"weep," "lament," and "sorrowful"—to emphasize the profound depth of the disciples' grief, not just a fleeting sadness, but an overwhelming sense of loss that would mark their immediate experience after Jesus' departure. This intense sorrow is then immediately contrasted with the world's rejoicing, highlighting the starkly opposite perspectives on Jesus' crucifixion.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent departure and explains that though his leaving will bring them deep sorrow, it is temporary and will ultimately lead to a greater joy. He contrasts their coming grief with the world's temporary celebration of his absence, assuring them that their sadness will be transformed. This promise of transformed sorrow is understood as their future joy in his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his imminent departure and explains that though his leaving will bring them deep sorrow, it is temporary and will ultimately lead to a greater joy. He contrasts their coming grief with the world's temporary celebration of his absence, assuring them that their sadness will be transformed. This promise of transformed sorrow is understood as their future joy in his resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
"Truly, truly, I say to you, you will weep and lament, but the world will rejoice. You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will turn into joy. When a woman is giving birth, she has sorrow because her hour has come, but when she has delivered…" — The verse uses three distinct words for sorrow—"weep," "lament," and "sorrowful"—to emphasize the profound depth of the disciples' grief, not just a fleeting sadness, but an overwhelming sense of los…
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Last reviewed October 2026
