Or, “stop letting your heart be troubled.” The disciples were troubled because Jesus had announced that He would soon leave them (ch. 13:33). He now proceeded to tell them that His absence would be only temporary, and that His departure would be for their benefit. Chapter 14 continues the conversational sequence begun in ch. 13:31 (see comment there).

Gr. pisteuete, which may be translated either “ye believe,” or “believe,” as in the next clause. In form pisteuete may be either imperative (believe [ye]) or indicative (ye believe). In Greek the imperative and indicative forms in the tense here employed are identical. Hence the context must determine the choice of mood. This allows for several possible combinations:

 (1) both verbs imperative, “Believe in God, believe also in me”;

 (2) both verbs indicative, “Ye believe in God and ye believe also in me”;

 (3) the first verb indicative and the second imperative, as in the KJV;

 (4) the first imperative and the second indicative, “believe in God and ye believe in me”; this last combination makes for a somewhat awkward construction and is the least likely of the four, but the other three are entirely consistent with the context. When the first element is regarded as imperative the admonition is in harmony with instruction earlier given to “have faith in God” (Mark 11:22).

 The discourse of ch. 14 was given in the upper room prior to the departure to the Mount of Olives and Gethsemane (see on ch. 13:31).