John 16 · Verse 10

John 16:10

Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;
John 16:10, King James Version

John 16:10 in other translations

BSBin regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will no longer see Me;
WEBabout righteousness, because I am going to my Father, and you won’t see me any more;
ASVof righteousness, because I go to the Father, and ye behold me no more;
YLTand concerning righteousness, because unto my Father I go away, and no more do ye behold me;
DARBYof righteousness, because I go away to my Father, and ye behold me no longer;
BBEOf righteousness, because I go to the Father and you will see me no more;
WebsterOf righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

What does John 16:10 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
10. Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more--Beyond doubt, it is Christ's personal righteousness which the Spirit was to bring home to the sinner's heart. The evidence of this was to lie in the great historical fact, that He had "gone to His Father and was no more visible to men":--for if His claim to be the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, had been a lie, how should the Father, who is "a jealous God," have raised such a blasphemer from the dead and exalted him to His right hand? But if He was the "Faithful and True Witness," the Father's "Righteous Servant," "His Elect, in whom His soul delighted," then was His departure to the Father, and consequent disappearance from the view of men, but the fitting consummation, the august reward, of all that He did here below, the seal of His mission, the glorification of the testimony which He bore on earth, by the reception of its Bearer to the Father's bosom. This triumphant vindication of Christ's rectitude is to us divine evidence, bright as heaven, that He is indeed the Saviour of the world, God's Righteous Servant to justify many, because He bare their iniquities (Is 53:11). Thus the Spirit, in this clause, is seen convincing men that there is in Christ perfect relief under the sense of sin of which He had before convinced them; and so far from mourning over His absence from us, as an irreparable loss, we learn to glory in it, as the evidence of His perfect acceptance on our behalf, exclaiming with one who understood this point, "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth: Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died; yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God," &c. (Ro 8:33, 34).

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

Barnes' Notes
Verse 10. Of righteousness. This seems clearly to refer to the righteousness or innocence of Jesus himself. He was now persecuted. He was soon to be arraigned on heavy charges, and condemned by the highest authority of the nation as guilty. Yet, though condemned, he says that the Holy Spirit would descend and convince the world that he was innocent.

Because I go to my Father. That is, the amazing miracle of his resurrection and ascension to God would be a demonstration of his innocence that would satisfy the Jews and Gentiles. God would not raise up an impostor. If he had been truly guilty, as the Jews who condemned him pretended, God would not have set his seal to the imposture by raising him from the dead; but when he did raise him up and exalt him to his own right hand, he gave his attestation to his innocence; he showed that he approved his work, and gave evidence conclusive that Jesus was sent from God. To this proof of the innocence of Jesus the apostles often refer, Acts 2:22-24, 17:31, Rom 1, 4, 1Cor 15:14, 1Timm 3:16. This same proof of the innocence or righteousness of the Saviour is as satisfactory now as it was then. One of the deepest feelings which an awakened sinner has, is his conviction of the righteousness of Jesus Christ. He sees that he is holy; that his own opposition to him has been unprovoked, unjust, and base; and it is this which so often overwhelms his soul with the conviction of his own unworthiness, and with earnest desires to obtain a better righteousness than his own.

And ye see me no more. That is, he was to be taken away from them, and they would not see him till his return to judgment; yet this source of grief to them would be the means of establishing his religion and greatly blessing others.

(f) "righteousness" Isa 42:21, Rev 1:17

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 10 Of righteousness - Of my innocence and holiness, because I go away to my Father; of which my resurrection from the dead, and my ascension to heaven, shall be complete proofs. Christ was treated by the Jews as an impostor; as a magician; as one possessed by the devil; as a wicked person, seducer, and destroyer of the law. His vindication from these charges he chiefly referred to the Holy Spirit, the Advocate, who, by his influences on the minds of the people, and by his eloquence and energy in the ministry of the apostles, convinced both the Jews and the Gentiles that the sentence of the Jewish rulers was unjust and infamous, and that the very person whom they had crucified was both Lord and Christ - Lord, the great governor of the universe; and Christ, the Lord's anointed, the promised Messiah. It was a matter of the utmost consequence to the Christian cause to have the innocence and holiness of its founder demonstrated, and the crime of the Jews in putting him to death made manifest to the world. This also has been literally fulfilled: the universe that has heard of him believes the righteousness and innocence of Jesus; and the Jews, his persecutors, are confounded and execrated throughout the habitable globe.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 16:7-15

Christ's departure was necessary to the Comforter's coming. Sending the Spirit was to be the fruit of Christ's death, which was his going away. His bodily presence could be only in one place at one time, but his Spirit is every where, in all places, at all times, wherever two or three are gathered together in his name. See here the office of the Spirit, first to reprove, or to convince. Convincing work is the…

Read the full comment on John 16:7-15 →

John 16:10 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.

περὶpericoncerningG4012
δικαιοσύνηςdikaiosunēsrighteousnessG1343
δέ,dehowever,G1161
ὅτιhotibecauseG3754
πρὸςprostoG4314
τὸνtontheG3588
πατέραpateraFatherG3962
ὑπάγω,hupagōI go away,G5217
καὶkaiandG2532
οὐκέτιouketino longerG3756
θεωρεῖτέtheōreiteyou beholdG2334
με·meMe;G3165

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

Cross references for John 16:10

  • 2 Corinthians 5:21

    For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

  • 1 Peter 3:18

    For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:

  • Romans 10:3-4

    For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God. For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth.

  • 1 Corinthians 1:30

    But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption:

  • 1 Timothy 3:16

    And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.

  • Philippians 3:7-9

    But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:

  • Jeremiah 23:5-6

    Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

  • Acts 3:14

    But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you;

  • Romans 8:33-34

    Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

  • Isaiah 45:24-25

    Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In the Lord shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory.

  • 1 Corinthians 15:14-20

    And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. …

  • Hebrews 10:5-13

    Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou hast had no pleasure. Then said I, Lo, I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to do thy will, O God. Above when he said, Sacrifice and offering and burnt offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure therein; which are offered by the law; …

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

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
righteousness.
Isa 42:21; 45:24,25; Jer 23:5,6; Da 9:24; Ac 2:32; Ro 1:17; 3:21-26
Ro 5:17-21; 8:33,34; 10:3,4; 1Co 1:30; 15:14-20; 2Co 5:21; Ga 5:5
Php 3:7-9; 1Ti 3:16; Heb 10:5-13
because.
3:14; 5:32

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

Context

  • John 16:9

    Of sin, because they believe not on me;

  • John 16:10

    Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more;

  • John 16:11

    Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.

Read all of John 16

John 16:10 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y de justicia, por cuanto voy al Padre, y no me veréis más;
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		de justice, parce que je m’en vais à mon Père, et que vous ne me voyez plus;
German
Elberfelder 1871		von Gerechtigkeit aber, weil ich zu meinem Vater gehe, und ihr mich nicht mehr sehet;
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		De justitia vero, quia ad Patrem vado, et jam non videbitis me.