"I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world."
— John 16:33 (NIV)
John 16:33 is the "take heart, I have overcome the world" verse (KJV "be of good cheer"). This page gives the verse, where it sits in John 16, and a plain reading. For more on the theme, see Bible verses about overcoming, Bible verses about peace, and Bible verses about courage.
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The verse
The King James says, "These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
"Peace" is eirēnē (G1515). "Trouble" is thlipsis (G2347), pressure or affliction. "Take heart" is tharseō (G2293), to be of good courage. "Overcome" is nikaō (G3528), to win or conquer.
Where it sits in John 16
John 13–17 records what Jesus told his disciples on the night before his crucifixion. John 16:33 is the last line of that teaching. Right after it, in John 17, he prays for them.
Just before it Jesus says, "A time is coming and in fact has come when you will be scattered, each to your own home. You will leave me all alone. Yet I am not alone, for my Father is with me" (John 16:32). He knew they were about to run. He tells them ahead of time so that, when it happens, they can still find peace in him.
What the verse is saying
Jesus does not promise a life without trouble. He says plainly that it will come. The peace he offers is "in me," not in easy circumstances, and the reason to take heart is what he has done: "I have overcome the world."
He says it in the past tense on the night before the cross, as if the victory is already settled. Earlier that night he told them, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you" (John 14:27). For more, see Romans 8:28, Romans 8:38-39, and Bible verses about strength.
Questions people ask
What does John 16:33 say?
In the NIV it says, "I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world." The KJV says, "In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world."
Who said John 16:33 and when?
Jesus said it to his disciples on the night before his crucifixion, at the end of his teaching in John 13–16 and just before his prayer in John 17.
What does "I have overcome the world" mean?
"Overcome" is the Greek nikaō, to win or conquer. Jesus is saying the world's power to crush his people does not have the last word, because he has already won.
Does John 16:33 promise Christians an easy life?
No. It says the opposite: "In this world you will have trouble." What it promises is peace in Christ in the middle of that trouble.
What verse goes with John 16:33?
John 14:27 says, "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you." 1 John 5:4 says, "This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith."
