John 16:21
19 Now Jesus knew that they were desirous to ask him, and said unto them, Do ye enquire among yourselves of that I said, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me?
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.
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.
22 And ye now therefore have sorrow: but I will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you.
23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.
Compare
- BSB
- A woman has pain in childbirth because her time has come; but when she brings forth her child, she forgets her anguish because of her joy that a child has been born into the world.
- 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.
- WEB
- A woman, when she gives birth, has sorrow because her time has come. But when she has delivered the child, she doesn’t remember the anguish any more, for the joy that a human being is born into the world.
- ASV
- A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but when she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for the joy that a man is born into the world.
- DARBY
- A woman, when she gives birth to a child, has grief because her hour has come; but when the child is born, she no longer remembers the trouble, on account of the joy that a man has been born into the world.
- BLB
- The woman has pain when she is giving birth, because her hour has come; but when she brings forth the child, she remembers the tribulation no longer, because of the joy that a man has been born into the world.
- ÅB
- Når kvinnen føder, har hun sorg, fordi hennes tid er kommet; men når hun har født sitt barn, kommer hun ikke lenger sin trengsel i hu, av glede over at et menneske er født til verden.
- OTB
- En kvinne som skal føde, har smerte fordi hennes tid er kommet; men når barnet er født, glemmer hun smerten på grunn av gleden over at et menneske er født til verden.
- B1930
- Når kvinnen føder, har hun sorg, fordi hennes tid er kommet; men når hun har født sitt barn, kommer hun ikke lenger sin trengsel i hu, av glede over at et menneske er født til verden.
Study notes (Tyndale)
Original text and word study
Cross references
Isaiah 13:8
And they shall be afraid: pangs and sorrows shall take hold of them; they shall be in pain as a woman that travaileth: they shall be amazed one at another; their faces shall be as flames.
Read in contextPsalms 113:9
He maketh the barren woman to keep house, and to be a joyful mother of children. Praise ye the LORD.
Read in context1 Thessalonians 5:3
For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
Read in contextJeremiah 30:6–7
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth travail with child? wherefore do I see every man with his hands on his loins, as a woman in travail, and all faces are turned into paleness?
Read in contextIsaiah 26:16–18
LORD, in trouble have they visited thee, they poured out a prayer when thy chastening was upon them.
Read in contextHosea 13:13–14
The sorrows of a travailing woman shall come upon him: he is an unwise son; for he should not stay long in the place of the breaking forth of children.
Read in contextRevelation 12:2–5
And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.
Read in contextMicah 4:10
Be in pain, and labour to bring forth, O daughter of Zion, like a woman in travail: for now shalt thou go forth out of the city, and thou shalt dwell in the field, and thou shalt go even to Babylon; there shalt thou be delivered; there the LORD shall redeem thee from the hand of thine enemies.
Read in context