This verse isn't just about sorrow being followed by joy; it highlights how the joy is so immense that it actually erases the memory of the suffering. It’s a profound illustration that the ultimate outcome of Christ's redemptive work is so glorious that the painful process of bringing it forth will fade into insignificance.
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 departure, a time they will see him again but also experience deep sorrow. He's explained that his leaving is necessary for the Holy Spirit to come. He uses this analogy of childbirth to assure them that their present grief over his impending death will ultimately give way to immense joy upon his resurrection and their future reunion.
Ever feel like your struggles are just... pointless? Jesus uses a powerful image to show that pain isn't always an endpoint. It can be the very pathway to something incredible.
Jesus compares the disciples' coming sorrow to the pains of childbirth. This isn't just any pain; it's a pain with a purpose.
The Purpose of Pangs
This imagery flips the script on suffering. It's not about enduring pain for pain's sake, but about enduring through it towards a profound, life-altering outcome.
What if the ultimate joy could make you forget even the deepest pain? Jesus promises a future joy so profound it eclipses all past suffering.
The incredible part of the childbirth analogy is the result of the pain:
Forgetting the Anguish
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This points to a divine capacity to transform our experience, where God's ultimate purposes in our lives bring a joy that makes past hardships seem small.
Understand the original words
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 prophetic passage vividly describes Zion in labor, giving birth suddenly and joyfully to a nation, mirroring Jesus' analogy of birth pangs leading to immense joy.
Romans 8:22-23This passage speaks of all creation groaning in anticipation of its redemption, paralleling the disciples' present sorrow with the universal longing for the 'firstfruits of the Spirit' and future glory.
Galatians 4:26-27Quoting Isaiah, Paul uses the imagery of a barren woman rejoicing over many children to illustrate the spiritual birth and freedom of believers, echoing the joy that replaces sorrow.
Philippians 2:17-18Paul speaks of being poured out as a drink offering, finding joy even in suffering and sacrifice, as he looks forward to the rejoicing of the Philippian believers, similar to how Jesus anticipates the disciples' future joy.
1 Thessalonians 4:13-14This passage addresses grief over deceased believers by reminding them of Christ's resurrection and the future reunion, offering a similar comfort and joy that transcends the sorrow of separation.
calvinJohn 16:21-24: "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."
- A woman, when she is in labor, hath sorrow, because her hour is come; but when she hath brought forth a child, she remembereth no more her anguish, on account of the joy that a man is born into the world. 22. And you therefore have sorrow now; but I will see you again, and your hea…
henryJohn 16:16-22: "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."
16:16-22 It is good to consider how near our seasons of grace are to an end, that we may be quickened to improve them. But the sorrows of the disciples would soon be turned into joy; as those of a mother, at the sight of her infant. The Holy Spirit would be their Comforter, and neither men nor devils, neither sufferings in life nor in death, would ever deprive th…
This verse isn't just about sorrow being followed by joy; it highlights how the joy is so immense that it actually erases the memory of the suffering. It’s a profound illustration that the ultimate outcome of Christ's redemptive work is so glorious that the painful process of bringing it forth will fade into insignificance.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure, a time they will see him again but also experience deep sorrow. He's explained that his leaving is necessary for the Holy Spirit to come. He uses this analogy of childbirth to assure them that their present grief over his impending death will ultimately give way to immense joy upon his resurrection and their future reunion.
Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure, a time they will see him again but also experience deep sorrow. He's explained that his leaving is necessary for the Holy Spirit to come. He uses this analogy of childbirth to assure them that their present grief over his impending death will ultimately give way to immense joy upon his resurrection and their future reunion.
"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 w…" — This verse isn't just about sorrow being followed by joy; it highlights how the joy is so immense that it actually erases the memory of the suffering. It’s a profound illustration that the ultimate…
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Last reviewed October 2026
