John 13 · Verse 16

John 13:16

Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.
John 13:16, King James Version

John 13:16 in other translations

BSBTruly, truly, I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.
WEBMost certainly I tell you, a servant is not greater than his lord, neither is one who is sent greater than he who sent him.
ASVVerily, verily, I say unto you, A servant is not greater than his lord; neither one that is sent greater than he that sent him.
YLTverily, verily, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his lord, nor an apostle greater than he who sent him;
DARBYVerily, verily, I say to you, The bondman is not greater than his lord, nor the sent greater than he who has sent him.
BBETruly I say to you, A servant is not greater than his lord; and he who is sent is not greater than the one who sent him.
WebsterVerily, verily, I say to you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

What does John 13:16 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 13:16-17
16-17. The servant is not greater than his lord, &c.--an oft-repeated saying (Mt 10:24, &c.). If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them--a hint that even among real Christians the doing of such things would come lamentably short of the knowing.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verses 16,17. The servant is not. This was universally true, and this they were to remember always, that they were to manifest the same spirit that he did, and that they were to expect the same treatment from the world. Mt 10:24; Mt 10:25.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 16 The servant is not greater than his lord - Christ has ennobled the acts of humility by practising them himself. The true glory of a Christian consists in being, in his measure, as humble as his Lord. Neither he that is sent - Ουδε αποϚολος Nor an apostle. As I think these words were intended for the suppression of all worldly ambition and lordly conduct in the apostles and their successors in the ministry, therefore I think the original word αποϚολος, should be translated apostle, rather than he that is sent, because the former rendering ascertains and determines the meaning better.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 13:1-17

Our Lord Jesus has a people in the world that are his own; he has purchased them, and paid dear for them, and he has set them apart for himself; they devote themselves to him as a peculiar people. Those whom Christ loves, he loves to the end. Nothing can separate a true believer from the love of Christ. We know not when our hour will come, therefore what we have to do in constant preparation for it, ought never to…

Read the full comment on John 13:1-17 →

John 13:16 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

ἀμὴνamēnAmenG281
ἀμὴνamēnAmenG281
λέγωlegōI sayG3004
ὑμῖν·huminto you;G4771
οὐκouknotG3756
ἔστινestinisG1510
δοῦλοςdoulosa servantG1401
μείζωνmeizōngreaterG3173
τοῦtouthan theG3588
κυρίουkurioumasterG2962
αὐτοῦautouof himG846
οὐδὲoudenor [is]G3761
ἀπόστολοςapostolosa messengerG652
μείζωνmeizōngreaterG3173
τοῦtouthan the [one who]G3588
πέμψαντοςpempsantoshaving sentG3992
αὐτόν.autonhim.G846

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 13:16

  • Luke 6:40

    The disciple is not above his master: but every one that is perfect shall be as his master.

  • John 15:20

    Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.

  • Matthew 10:24-25

    The disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is enough for the disciple that he be as his master, and the servant as his lord. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his household?

  • John 3:5

    Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God.

  • John 3:3

    Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Verily.
3:3,5
The servant.
15:20; Mt 10:24,25; Lu 6:40

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 13:15

    For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I have done to you.

  • John 13:16

    Verily, verily, I say unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent him.

  • John 13:17

    If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.

Read all of John 13

John 13:16 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		De cierto, de cierto os digo: El siervo no es mayor que su señor, ni el apóstol es mayor que el que le envió.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		En vérité, en vérité, je vous dis: L’esclave n’est pas plus grand que son seigneur, ni l’envoyé plus grand que celui qui l’a envoyé.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Wahrlich, wahrlich, ich sage euch: Ein Knecht ist nicht größer als sein Herr, noch ein Gesandter größer, als der ihn gesandt hat.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Amen, amen dico vobis: non est servus major domino suo: neque apostolus major est eo qui misit illum.