John 7:34

34 You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be."

John 7:34 Meaning and Commentary

John 7:34

Ye shall seek me
That is, the Messiah, who he was; meaning, that after his departure they should be in great distress, and be very much on the inquiry after, and solicitous for the coming of the Messiah, to be a Redeemer and Deliverer of them out of their troubles:

and shall not find [me];
no Messiah will appear, no Saviour will be sent, no Redeemer will come to relieve them; they shall inquire, and look for one in vain, as they did.

And where I am, [thither] ye cannot come;
intimating hereby, that not only their temporal estate and condition would be very distressed and miserable, but also their eternal estate; since they should not be able to come where he would be in his human nature, and where he now was as a divine person, namely, in heaven.

John 7:34 In-Context

32 The Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, so they and the chief priests sent some guards to arrest him.
33 Jesus said, "I shall be with you a little while longer, and then I shall go away to him who sent me.
34 You will look for me, but you will not find me, because you cannot go where I will be."
35 The Jewish authorities said among themselves, "Where is he about to go so that we shall not find him? Will he go to the Greek cities where our people live, and teach the Greeks?
36 He says that we will look for him but will not find him, and that we cannot go where he will be. What does he mean?"
Scripture taken from the Good News Translation - Second Edition, Copyright 1992 by American Bible Society. Used by Permission.