John 14 · Verse 5

John 14:5

Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?
John 14:5, King James Version

John 14:5 in other translations

BSB“Lord,” said Thomas, “we do not know where You are going, so how can we know the way?”
WEBThomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going. How can we know the way?”
ASVThomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; how know we the way?
YLTThomas saith to him, ‘Sir, we have not known whither thou goest away, and how are we able to know the way?'
DARBYThomas says to him, Lord, we know not where thou goest, and how can we know the way?
BBEThomas said, Lord, we have no knowledge of where you are going; how may we have knowledge of the way?
WebsterThomas saith to him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

What does John 14:5 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown on John 14:4-7

4-7. whither I go ye know ... Thomas saith, Lord, we know not whither thou guest ... Jesus saith, I am the way, &c.--By saying this, He meant rather to draw out their inquiries and reply to them. Christ is "THE Way" to the Father--"no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"; He is "THE Truth" of all we find in the Father when we get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" (Col 2:9), and He…

Read the full comment on John 14:4-7 →

Barnes' Notes
Verse 5. We know not whither thou goest. Though Jesus had so often told them of his approaching death and resurrection, yet it seems they did not understand him, nor did they fully comprehend him until after his resurrection. See Lk 24:21. They entertained the common notions of a temporal kingdom; they supposed still that he was to be an earthly prince and leader, and they did not comprehend the reason why he should die. Thomas confessed his ignorance, and the Saviour again patiently explained his meaning. All this shows the difficulty of believing when the mind is full of prejudice and of contrary opinions. Had Thomas laid aside his previous opinions--had he been willing to receive the truth as Jesus plainly spoke it, there would have been no difficulty. Faith would have been an easy and natural exercise of the mind. And so with the sinner. If he were willing to receive the plain and unequivocal doctrines of the Bible, there would be no difficulty; but his mind is full of opposite opinions and plans, occupied with errors and vanities, and these are the reasons, and the only reasons, why he is not a Christian. Yet who would say that, after the plain instructions of Jesus, Thomas might not have understood him? And who will dare to say that any sinner may not lay aside his prejudices and improper views, and receive the plain and simple teaching of the Bible?

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 5 Lord, we know not - Thomas, perhaps, thought that our Lord only spoke of his going some distance from the place where he then was.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 14:1-11

Here are three words, upon any of which stress may be laid. Upon the word troubled. Be not cast down and disquieted. The word heart. Let your heart be kept with full trust in God. The word your. However others are overwhelmed with the sorrows of this present time, be not you so. Christ's disciples, more than others, should keep their minds quiet, when everything else is unquiet. Here is the remedy against this…

Read the full comment on John 14:1-11 →

John 14:5 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.

ΛέγειLegeiSaysG3004
αὐτῷautōto HimG846
Θωμᾶς·ThōmasThomas;G2381
κύριε,kurieLord,G2962
οὐκouknotG3756
οἴδαμενoidamenwe know
ποῦpouwhereG4226
ὑπάγεις·hupageisYou are going;G5217
πῶςpōshowG4459
δυνάμεθαdunamethacan weG1410
τὴνtēntheG3588
ὁδὸνhodonwayG3598
εἰδέναι;eidenaito know?

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

Cross references for John 14:5

  • John 11:16

    Then said Thomas, which is called Didymus, unto his fellowdisciples, Let us also go, that we may die with him.

  • Mark 9:19

    He answereth him, and saith, O faithless generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him unto me.

  • John 20:25-28

    The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God.

  • Mark 8:17-18

    And when Jesus knew it, he saith unto them, Why reason ye, because ye have no bread? perceive ye not yet, neither understand? have ye your heart yet hardened? Having eyes, see ye not? and having ears, hear ye not? and do ye not remember?

  • Luke 24:25

    Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken:

  • John 15:12

    This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

  • Hebrews 5:11-12

    Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing. For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat.

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
Thomas.
20:25-28
we know not.
15:12; Mr 8:17,18; 9:19; Lu 24:25; Heb 5:11,12

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

Context

  • John 14:4

    And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know.

  • John 14:5

    Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?

  • John 14:6

    Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Read all of John 14

John 14:5 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Dícele Tomás: Señor, no sabemos á dónde vas: ¿cómo, pues, podemos saber el camino?
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Thomas lui dit: Seigneur, nous ne savons pas où tu vas; et comment pouvons-nous en savoir le chemin?
German
Elberfelder 1871		Thomas spricht zu ihm: Herr, wir wissen nicht, wo du hingehst, und wie können wir den Weg wissen?
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Dicit ei Thomas: Domine, nescimus quo vadis: et quomodo possumus viam scire?