I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech.Jesus often used parables and metaphors to convey deeper spiritual truths. This method was common in Jewish teaching, allowing listeners to engage with the message on multiple levels. The use of figures of speech can be seen throughout the Gospels, such as in the parables of the sower (
Matthew 13:3-9) and the prodigal son (
Luke 15:11-32). These stories were designed to reveal truths to those who were spiritually receptive while concealing them from those who were not. This approach fulfilled the prophecy in
Isaiah 6:9-10 about people hearing but not understanding.
An hour is coming when I will no longer speak to you this way,
Jesus refers to a future time when His teachings will be made clear. This "hour" signifies a pivotal moment in salvation history, often associated with His death, resurrection, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. The disciples would soon experience a transformation in their understanding, as the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13). This promise of clarity is a reassurance that the mysteries of the Kingdom will be unveiled to them.
but will tell you plainly about the Father.
The promise of speaking plainly indicates a direct revelation of God's nature and will. Jesus, as the Son, has unique access to the Father and reveals Him fully (John 1:18). This direct communication is a fulfillment of the new covenant, where God writes His laws on the hearts of His people (Jeremiah 31:33-34). The clarity of Jesus' future teachings would be evident in the apostles' writings and the early church's understanding of the Gospel, as seen in the epistles where the nature of God and His plan for salvation are expounded.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
Jesus ChristThe speaker of this verse, Jesus is preparing His disciples for His departure and the coming of the Holy Spirit.
2.
The DisciplesThe immediate audience of Jesus' teaching, they are being prepared for a deeper understanding of spiritual truths.
3.
The FatherGod the Father, whom Jesus will reveal more plainly to the disciples.
4.
Figures of SpeechRefers to the parables and metaphors Jesus used to convey spiritual truths.
5.
The Coming TimeRefers to the period after Jesus' resurrection and the coming of the Holy Spirit, when the disciples will gain clearer understanding.
Teaching Points
Understanding Through the SpiritThe Holy Spirit plays a crucial role in illuminating the truths of God. Believers should seek the Spirit's guidance for deeper understanding.
Transition from Parables to Plain SpeechJesus' use of parables was intentional, designed to reveal truths to those ready to receive them. As believers mature, they should expect to understand God's truths more clearly.
The Role of Scripture in RevelationScripture is the primary means through which God reveals Himself. Regular study and meditation on the Word are essential for spiritual growth.
The Importance of Spiritual MaturityJust as the disciples grew in their understanding, believers are called to mature in their faith, moving from basic teachings to deeper truths.
Anticipation of Full RevelationWhile we may not understand everything now, there is a promise of full revelation in God's timing. This should encourage patience and perseverance in faith.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 16:25?
2.How does John 16:25 encourage deeper understanding of Jesus' teachings?
3.What does "plainly about the Father" reveal about Jesus' communication style?
4.How can John 16:25 guide us in interpreting other parables in Scripture?
5.How should believers apply Jesus' promise of clarity in their daily Bible study?
6.How does John 16:25 connect to the role of the Holy Spirit in understanding?
7.What does John 16:25 mean by "figurative language" and how does it affect interpretation?
8.How does John 16:25 relate to the overall message of Jesus in the Gospel of John?
9.Why did Jesus choose to speak in figurative language according to John 16:25?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 16?
11.Do biblical figures have last names?
12.What does the Bible say about prayer and fasting?
13.How could Abraham father additional children at such an advanced age (Genesis 25:1-6)?
14.What was the manner of Jesus' death?What Does John 16:25 Mean
I have spoken these things to you in figures of speech• Jesus acknowledges that much of His teaching up to this point has been conveyed through parables, images, and symbolic language (Luke 8:10;Matthew 13:34–35).
• These “figures of speech” both reveal and conceal truth—offering light to disciples while veiling meaning from hardened hearts (Mark 4:11–12).
• For the Twelve, the symbols built anticipation: every parable about seeds, nets, vines, and shepherds pointed to the kingdom and to Jesus Himself (John 10:6; 15:1–5).
• The statement reassures them that His earlier metaphors were intentional steps in their growth, not evasions.
An hour is coming• “Hour” in John consistently signals a divinely appointed moment in Jesus’ redemptive timeline (John 2:4; 12:23; 17:1).
• Here it looks ahead to the resurrection, ascension, and the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:1–4).
• The phrase underscores God’s sovereign schedule: everything unfolds exactly when the Father decrees (Galatians 4:4).
when I will no longer speak to you this way• After the cross and resurrection, the disciples’ spiritual eyesight will sharpen (Luke 24:45).
• The Spirit will guide them “into all truth,” making veiled sayings clear (John 16:13).
• This shift from indirect to direct communication highlights progress from shadow to substance—mirroring the move from Old Covenant types to New Covenant reality (Hebrews 10:1;Colossians 2:17).
• It assures believers that God’s revelation is progressive yet trustworthy; what was once hinted will soon be unveiled.
but will tell you plainly about the Father• Post-resurrection appearances (John 20:19–23) and forty days of kingdom teaching (Acts 1:3) fulfill this promise in seed form.
• The Spirit’s outpouring enables the apostles to proclaim the Father’s plan openly, beginning in Jerusalem and reaching “to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8; 2:14–36).
• “Plainly” means without obscure imagery—clear gospel truth: the Father loves, sends, and saves through the Son (John 3:16–17; 14:6–9).
• For today’s believer, Scripture itself is the plain speech of Jesus through the Spirit, revealing the Father’s heart (2 Timothy 3:16;1 John 3:1).
summaryJesus reminds His disciples that His earlier symbolic teaching was purposeful, yet a decisive hour is coming—anchored in His death, resurrection, and the Spirit’s arrival—when veiled words will give way to direct revelation of the Father. Trusting this promise, we read the Bible confident that every figure finds its fulfillment in Christ, and that through the Spirit, the Father now speaks to us plainly.
(25)
These things have I spoken unto you in proverbs.--Better, as in the margin, . . .
in parables. So in the second clause of the verse and in
John 16:29. (Comp. Note on
John 10:6.) "These things" refers specially to what He had just said from
John 16:16 onwards. There is a sense in which it is necessarily true of all Christ's teaching, and of all teaching in words. They are but parables until the truth which they contain has been thought out by the man that hears them. For the disciples much of Christ's teaching remained in a parabolic form, until the Spirit brought all things which He had said to the mind, and quickened their minds so that they could grasp its meaning. (Comp.
e.g.,John 2:20-22.)
But the time cometh, when I shall no more speak unto you in proverbs.--For "proverbs," readparables, as in last verse. For the time referred to, comp.John 16:16;John 16:23. In that time He will be present with them in the Advocate, and will no longer need parables or words, but will, to the depth of their spirit, communicate to them in all fulness and plainness the eternal truth of the Father (John 16:13et seq.). . . .
Verses 25-33. - (d) The
final conviction wrought that Jesus was what he had said that he was.
The joy of Christ,
with its note of warning.
Verse 25. -
These things I have spoken to you in proverbs (see
John 10:6);
i.e. in concentrated and to some extent enigmatical utterances, "in dark sayings upon a harp," in words which subsequent events and higher enlightenment would interpret (cf. here Christ's distinction between his disciples and the multitude in the matter of parables,
Matthew 13.). He used the parable to the stupefied, that they might thus separate between those who were susceptible to his teaching and those who were not. To his disciples he interpreted his parables, still leaving much which might be regarded as
παροιμίαι, condensed word-utterances, in which words stood for higher things than in their ordinary usage. Thus the similitudes adopted throughout
John 9, 10, 11, 12-16, are numerous, intended to draw the disciples on from their ordinary ideas to the heights of his thought and the mystery of his Person. The
ἀλλ is omitted by modern editors.
The hour cometh - the great climacteric period of my revelation -
when I shall no longer speak to you in proverbs, when, indeed, the sound of my voice will be hushed, and words will no longer be needed, when Divine spirations and heavenly pulsations shall convey to you what my parabolic teaching and my paroimic interpretations have failed to impart, when I shall be with you and in you, and by the energy of the Paraclete
I shall declare (
to you)
plainly, with clearness and openness, in the fullness of spiritual light, without reserve, circumlocution, or parable,
concerning the Father. This promise declares that the glorious revelations of Pentecost and the teaching of those who received the Holy Ghost will be verily and indeed our Lord Christ's own most personal and frank and outspoken revelations of the Father;
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
I have spokenλελάληκα(lelalēka)Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2980:A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.these thingsΤαῦτα(Tauta)Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Plural
Strong's 3778:This; he, she, it.to youὑμῖν(hymin)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.inἐν(en)Preposition
Strong's 1722:In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.figures of speech.παροιμίαις(paroimiais)Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3942:A cryptic saying, an allegory; a proverb, figurative discourse.A timeὥρα(hōra)Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5610:Apparently a primary word; an 'hour'.is comingἔρχεται(erchetai)Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2064:To come, go.whenὅτε(hote)Adverb
Strong's 3753:When, at which time. From hos and te; at which too, i.e. When.I will no longer speakλαλήσω(lalēsō)Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2980:A prolonged form of an otherwise obsolete verb; to talk, i.e. Utter words.to youὑμῖν(hymin)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.[this way],παροιμίαις(paroimiais)Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 3942:A cryptic saying, an allegory; a proverb, figurative discourse.butἀλλὰ(alla)Conjunction
Strong's 235:But, except, however. Neuter plural of allos; properly, other things, i.e. contrariwise.will tellἀπαγγελῶ(apangelō)Verb - Future Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 518:To report (from one place to another), bring a report, announce, declare. From apo and the base of aggelos; to announce.youὑμῖν(hymin)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative 2nd Person Plural
Strong's 4771:You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.plainlyπαρρησίᾳ(parrēsia)Noun - Dative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3954:From pas and a derivative of rheo; all out-spokenness, i.e. Frankness, bluntness, publicity; by implication, assurance.aboutπερὶ(peri)Preposition
Strong's 4012:From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.theτοῦ(tou)Article - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.Father.Πατρὸς(Patros)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 3962:Father, (Heavenly) Father, ancestor, elder, senior. Apparently a primary word; a 'father'.
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NT Gospels: John 16:25 I have spoken these things to you (Jhn Jo Jn) 
