Charles Ellicott Commentary John 7:34

"Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me: and where I am, ye cannot come." — John 7:34 (ASV)

Ye shall seek me, and shall not find me.—These words are to be interpreted in connection with John 8:21, where they are repeated, and with John 13:33, where they are quoted and applied to the disciples. This will exclude any special reference, such as to the destruction of Jerusalem and to the seeking Him in the miseries that would follow, which most expositors have found here. The words refer rather to the more general truth now present to His mind, and applicable to all alike, that the time was at hand when He would return to the Father, and His bodily presence would be unapproachable, equally by those who might seek Him in hatred and by those who might seek Him in love.