Charles Ellicott Commentary John 14:16

"And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may be with you for ever," — John 14:16 (ASV)

And I will pray the Father.—Compare Note on John 16:26. The pronoun is again emphatic—“I have given you your part to do. I on my part will pray the Father.” The word used for “pray” is one that implies more nearness of approach and familiarity than the word rendered “ask” in John 14:14. It is the word that John regularly uses when he speaks of our Lord praying to the Father, and it occurs again in John 16:26; John 17:9; John 17:15; John 17:20. The distinction is important, but it has sometimes, perhaps, been unduly pressed. Both words occur in 1 John 5:16 (see Note there).

And he shall give you another Comforter.—The better rendering is probably another Advocate. The word is used for the Third Person of the Holy Trinity here, and in John 14:26, John 15:26, and John 16:7. In each of these instances, it is used by our Lord. It is found once again in the New Testament, where it is applied by St. John to our Lord Himself (1 John 2:1). In the Gospel, the English version uniformly translates it as “Comforter”; in the Epistle, it is rendered as “Advocate.” But the whole question is of such interest and importance that it will be convenient to deal with it in a separate Note (compare Excursus G: The Meaning of the word Paraclete). The word “another” should be observed as implying what the Epistle states—the advocacy of the Second Person of the Trinity, as well as that of the Third.

That he may abide with you for ever.—The thought of the permanent abiding is opposed to the separation that is about to take place between them and the Person of our Lord. He would come again to them in the Person of the Paraclete, whom He would send to them (John 14:18), and this spiritual presence will remain with them forever (compare Note on Matthew 28:20).