King James Version
John 17
26 verses with commentary
The High Priestly Prayer
These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:
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KJV Study Commentary
This prayer opens Christ's high priestly intercession, anticipating Hebrews 7:25 where He 'ever liveth to make intercession'. Lifting His eyes to heaven demonstrates intimacy with the Father and confidence in prayer's answer. 'The hour is come'—the third mention of His hour (2:4; 7:30; 8:20 said it hadn't come)—indicates the cross is imminent. He prays for His own glorification, not selfishly, but...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(1) **These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven.**—Comp. Note on John 14:31. If the view thus adopted is the correct one, it follows that the prayer of this chapter, as well as the discourses which preceded it, was uttered as they were preparing to leave the chamber after supper. The words “to heaven” ought not to be taken to imply that he looked up to the sky, and must, therefore,...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. whither I go ye know ... Thomas saith, Lord, we know not whither thou guest ... Jesus saith, I am the way, &c.--**By saying this, He meant rather to draw out their inquiries and reply to them. Christ is "THE Way" to the Father--"no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"; He is "THE Truth" of all we find in the Father when we get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
Christ's prayer for himself.(1-5)
His prayer for his disciples.(6-10)
His prayer.(11-26)
**Verses 1-5**
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and wa...
Read full commentary →As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As thou hast given him power over all flesh</strong> (ἐξουσίαν πάσης σαρκός, <em>exousian pasēs sarkos</em>)—The Father has delegated universal sovereignty to the Son. <em>Exousia</em> means delegated authority, not inherent power; it emphasizes Christ's role as Mediator between God and humanity. <strong>All flesh</strong> encompasses every human being without exception, Jew and Gentile al...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(2) **As thou hast given him power over all flesh.**—Better, *According as thou gavest Him* . . . This is the ground on which the prayer in John 17:1 is based. (Comp. John 10:36; John 13:3.) The glory for which He asks is in accordance with the decree which appointed His Messianic work.
“All flesh” represents a Greek translation of a Hebrew phrase. It occurs again in Matthew 24:22; Mark 13:20; Luk...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. whither I go ye know ... Thomas saith, Lord, we know not whither thou guest ... Jesus saith, I am the way, &c.--**By saying this, He meant rather to draw out their inquiries and reply to them. Christ is "THE Way" to the Father--"no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"; He is "THE Truth" of all we find in the Father when we get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
Christ's prayer for himself.(1-5)
His prayer for his disciples.(6-10)
His prayer.(11-26)
**Verses 1-5**
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and wa...
Read full commentary →And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus defines eternal life: 'And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent' (haute de estin he aionios zoe hina ginoskosin se ton monon alethinon theon kai hon apesteilas Iesoun Christon). Eternal life (zoe aionios) is not merely endless existence but knowing (ginoskosin) God. The verb ginosko indicates experiential, intimate knowledge...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(3) **And this is life eternal.**—For these words, which are more frequent in St. John than in any other of the New Testament writers, comp. John 3:15-16; John 3:36; John 5:24; John 5:39; John 6:27; John 6:40; John 6:47; John 6:54; John 6:68; John 10:28; John 12:25; John 12:50; 1John 1:2; 1John 2:15; 1John 3:15; 1John 5:11; 1John 5:13; 1John 5:20. The thought of the previous verse is that the Mess...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. whither I go ye know ... Thomas saith, Lord, we know not whither thou guest ... Jesus saith, I am the way, &c.--**By saying this, He meant rather to draw out their inquiries and reply to them. Christ is "THE Way" to the Father--"no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"; He is "THE Truth" of all we find in the Father when we get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
Christ's prayer for himself.(1-5)
His prayer for his disciples.(6-10)
His prayer.(11-26)
**Verses 1-5**
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and wa...
Read full commentary →I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have glorified thee on the earth</strong> (ἐδόξασά σε ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς)—Jesus uses the aorist tense (<em>edoxasa</em>), declaring His earthly mission complete even before Calvary. To 'glorify' (<em>doxazō</em>) means to manifest God's true nature and character; Christ's entire incarnate life—His words, works, obedience, and impending death—revealed the Father's holiness, love, and redemptive ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(4) **I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work . . .**—Better, *I glorified Thee on earth: I finished the work . . .* The former sentence is .explained by the latter. God was glorified in the completion of the Messianic work of Christ. For this conception of the work of life, which includes the whole life as manifesting God to man, comp. Notes on John 5:36; John 9:4; John 10:25...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**4-7. whither I go ye know ... Thomas saith, Lord, we know not whither thou guest ... Jesus saith, I am the way, &c.--**By saying this, He meant rather to draw out their inquiries and reply to them. Christ is "THE Way" to the Father--"no man cometh unto the Father but by Me"; He is "THE Truth" of all we find in the Father when we get to Him, "For in Him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
Christ's prayer for himself.(1-5)
His prayer for his disciples.(6-10)
His prayer.(11-26)
**Verses 1-5**
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and wa...
Read full commentary →And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was</strong> (kai nyn doxason me sy, pater, para seauto te doxe he eichon pro tou ton kosmon einai para soi). This verse presents one of Scripture's clearest affirmations of Christ's pre-existence and eternal deity. Jesus prays for restoration of the <em>doxa</em> (glory) He possess...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(5) **And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self.**—These words are exactly parallel with the commencement of the previous verse. “I,” “Thou,” “Thee—Me,” “on earth,” “with Thine own self.” (Comp. John 13:31-32.)
**With the glory which I had with thee before the world was.**—This clause admits of but one meaning—*viz.,* that Jesus claimed for Himself the possession of the divine glory i...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
Chapter 17
Chapter Outline
Christ's prayer for himself.(1-5)
His prayer for his disciples.(6-10)
His prayer.(11-26)
**Verses 1-5**
Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and wa...
Read full commentary →Jesus Prays for His Disciples
I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have manifested thy name</strong> (ἐφανέρωσά σου τὸ ὄνομα)—Jesus revealed not merely God's title but His character, nature, and covenant identity. In Hebrew thought, 'name' (<em>shem</em>) encompasses the entire person; Jesus made the Father's heart known through His words, works, and person (John 1:18, 14:9).<br><br><strong>The men which thou gavest me out of the world</strong>—the disc...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(6) **I have manifested **(better, *I manifested*) **thy name unto the men which thou gavest me **(better, *Thou hast given Me*) **out of the world.**—This manifestation of the name of God is the making Him known as the only true God, and the glorifying Him on earth of John 17:3-4. For the special form in which the thought is expressed (“Thy name”), comp. Note on Matthew 6:9.
He thinks of the disc...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-10**
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ of...
Read full commentary →Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee</strong>—Jesus celebrates the disciples' breakthrough understanding in the High Priestly Prayer. The Greek perfect tense <em>egnōkan</em> (ἔγνωκαν) indicates knowledge they have come to possess and now retain, not mere intellectual assent but experiential conviction.<br><br><strong>All things whatsoever thou hast...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(7) **Now they have known . . .**—Better, *Now they do know.* The word means “They have come to know, and do know.” (Comp. Note on John 16:30.) This is the result of their spiritual training—in its fulness, indeed, still future, but regarded as in the immediate present.
**All things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.**—We ought to assign no limit to the extent of these words. The lesson He...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-10**
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ of...
Read full commentary →For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me</strong> (τὰ ῥήματα ἃ ἔδωκάς μοι δέδωκα αὐτοῖς)—Jesus' ministry centers on transmitting the Father's revelatory <em>rhēmata</em> (spoken words), not independent teaching. The perfect tense "gavest" (ἔδωκάς) emphasizes the Father's completed revelation to the Son; the aorist "have given" (δέδωκα) stresses Christ's faithful delivery to th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(8) **For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me.**—Our Lord explains in this verse how the disciples attained to the knowledge He had spoken of in John 17:7, and lays stress in the first place on His own work in teaching them, “I, on My part, have given unto them,” and on the matter taught as that which the Father had committed unto Him (John 12:49).
**And they have received them.*...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-10**
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ of...
Read full commentary →I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I pray for them</strong> (ἐρωτῶ περὶ αὐτῶν, <em>erōtō peri autōn</em>)—Christ makes explicit the scope of His high-priestly intercession. The verb <em>erōtaō</em> indicates intimate request between equals, used elsewhere only of the Son addressing the Father. This is not generic prayer but covenant advocacy.<br><br><strong>I pray not for the world</strong> (οὐ περὶ τοῦ κόσμου ἐρωτῶ)—the κό...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(9) **I pray for them: I pray not for the world.**—Better, *I am praying for them: I am not praying for the world.* Both pronouns are emphatic. “I who have during my work on earth taught them;” “they who have received the truth” (John 17:8). “I who am about to leave the world;” “they who will remain in the world” (John 17:11). The tense is the strict present, referring to the prayer which He is at...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**8-12. The substance of this passage is that the Son is the ordained and perfect manifestation of the Father, that His own word for this ought to His disciples to be enough; that if any doubts remained His works ought to remove them (see on Joh 10:37); but yet that these works of His were designed merely to aid weak faith, and would be repeated, nay exceeded, by His disciples, in virtue of the po...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-10**
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ of...
Read full commentary →And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And all mine are thine, and thine are mine</strong>—This stunning claim reveals Jesus' perfect unity with the Father in ownership and authority. The Greek construction uses πάντα τὰ ἐμὰ (panta ta ema, "all things mine") and σὰ (sa, "yours"), emphasizing complete mutuality. No mere prophet could claim co-ownership of all believers with God without blasphemy.<br><br><strong>I am glorified in...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(10) **And all mine are thine, and thine are mine.**—Better, *And all My things are Thine, and Thy things are Mine.* The Authorised version leaves the impression that the pronouns are masculine, and that persons are exclusively meant; whereas the words are all-inclusive, and assert absolute community in all things between the Father and the Son.
**And I am glorified in them.**—The division of vers...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-14. whatsoever ye ... ask in my name--**as Mediator.
**that will I do--**as Head and Lord of the kingdom of God. This comprehensive promise is emphatically repeated in Joh 14:14.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 6-10**
Christ prays for those that are his. Thou gavest them me, as sheep to the shepherd, to be kept; as a patient to the physician, to be cured; as children to a tutor, to be taught: thus he will deliver up his charge. It is a great satisfaction to us, in our reliance upon Christ, that he, all he is and has, and all he said and did, all he is doing and will do, are of God. Christ of...
Read full commentary →And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world</strong>—Jesus marks the temporal transition at His crucifixion's threshold. The Greek <em>ouketi</em> (οὐκέτι, 'no longer') emphasizes finality: His earthly ministry concludes in hours. Yet His disciples remain <em>en tō kosmō</em> (ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ, 'in the world'), exposed to the hostile system He conquered but they must navigate....
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(11) **And now I am no more in the world.**—The immediate future is still regarded as present. The words have a special reference to the interval between His death and the day of Pentecost, which would be for the disciples a time of darkness and danger, when they would have special need of the Father’s care.
**Holy Father.**—Comp. John 17:1; John 17:24-25. There is a special fitness in the word “H...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**13-14. whatsoever ye ... ask in my name--**as Mediator.
**that will I do--**as Head and Lord of the kingdom of God. This comprehensive promise is emphatically repeated in Joh 14:14.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Christ's Protective Ministry:</strong> This verse comes from Jesus' High Priestly Prayer (John 17), offered the night before His crucifixion. The phrase "while I was with them in the world" (<em>hote ēmēn met' autōn en tō kosmō</em>, ὅτε ἤμην μετ' αὐτῶν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ) speaks of Jesus' earthly ministry drawing to a close. He reflects on His faithful preservation of the disciples the Father ga...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(12) **While I was with them in the world.**—Comp. the opening words of John 17:11. During His presence with them there was not this special need for commending them to the Father’s care. His relation to them now is as that of a parent blessing and praying for His children before He is taken away from them. (Comp. John 13:33.)
**I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept.**—Bet...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, &c.--**This connection seems designed to teach that the proper temple for the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is a heart filled with that love to Him which lives actively for Him, and so this was the fitting preparation for the promised gift.
**he shall give you another Comforter--**a word used only by John; in his Gospel w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And now come I to thee</strong>—Jesus speaks of His imminent return to the Father through crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension. The Greek <em>erchomai pros se</em> (ἔρχομαι πρὸς σέ) marks the transition from earthly ministry to heavenly glory, yet He prays <strong>these things...in the world</strong> (ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ λαλῶ) precisely so His disciples might hear.<br><br><strong>That they mig...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(13) **And now I come to thee.**—Comp. the first words of John 17:12, with which these are in contrast.
**And these things I speak in the world.**—The thought is that He is about to leave them, and that He utters this prayer in their hearing (comp. John 11:42) that they may have the support of knowing that He who had kept them while with them, had solemnly committed them to His Father’s care. The ...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, &c.--**This connection seems designed to teach that the proper temple for the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is a heart filled with that love to Him which lives actively for Him, and so this was the fitting preparation for the promised gift.
**he shall give you another Comforter--**a word used only by John; in his Gospel w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I have given them thy word</strong> (τὸν λόγον σου, <em>ton logon sou</em>)—Jesus has entrusted the disciples with divine revelation, the <em>logos</em> that was with God from the beginning (John 1:1). This 'word' encompasses both Jesus's teachings and His very person as the incarnate Word.<br><br><strong>The world hath hated them</strong> (ὁ κόσμος ἐμίσησεν αὐτούς, <em>ho kosmos emisēsen ...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(14) **I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them.**—The terms “I” and ‘“the world” are opposed to each other. The world’s hatred followed necessarily from the fact that Christ had given them God’s word, and that by it they had been separated from the world. (Comp. Note on John 17:6.)
**Because they are not of the world.**—Comp. Note on John 15:18.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**15-17. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, &c.--**This connection seems designed to teach that the proper temple for the indwelling Spirit of Jesus is a heart filled with that love to Him which lives actively for Him, and so this was the fitting preparation for the promised gift.
**he shall give you another Comforter--**a word used only by John; in his Gospel w...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world</strong>—Jesus explicitly rejects escapist spirituality. The Greek οὐκ ἐρωτῶ ἵνα ἄρῃς (<em>ouk erōtō hina arēs</em>, 'I do not ask that you take away') shows Christ's disciples must remain embedded in fallen society as redemptive agents. This contradicts both monastic withdrawal and rapture-obsessed theology that minimizes earthly f...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(15) **I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world.**—The thought may naturally have come to their minds that they would be most effectually kept from the hatred and danger of which He had spoken if they were to be with Him taken out of the world. But there is for them a work in the world (John 17:18; John 17:24). He has finished the work His Father gave Him to do; He has glorified t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. I will not leave you comfortless--**in a bereaved and desolate condition; or (as in Margin) "orphans."
**I will come to you--**"I come" or "am coming" to you; that is, plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His departure to be no bereavement.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world</strong> (οὐκ εἰσὶν ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου καθὼς ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου). Jesus repeats this declaration from verse 14, emphasizing the parallel between His own relationship to <em>kosmos</em> and that of His disciples. The preposition <em>ek</em> (out of, from) denotes source and origin—believers do not derive their nature, values, or ul...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(16) **They are not of the world.**—These words are repeated from John 17:14. The thought of their being still in the world leads on to their mission in the world, and the prayer passes from the thought of preservation to that of their sanctification for their work. Their fitness for this is prominent in this verse. Already they are not of the world, even as He is not of the world.
Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. I will not leave you comfortless--**in a bereaved and desolate condition; or (as in Margin) "orphans."
**I will come to you--**"I come" or "am coming" to you; that is, plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His departure to be no bereavement.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 11-16**
Christ does not pray that they might be rich and great in the world, but that they might be kept from sin, strengthened for their duty, and brought safe to heaven. The prosperity of the soul is the best prosperity. He pleaded with his holy Father, that he would keep them by his power and for his glory, that they might be united in affection and labours, even according to the u...
Read full commentary →Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
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KJV Study Commentary
Jesus prays 'Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth' (hagiason autous en te aletheia, ho logos ho sos aletheia estin). The verb hagiazo means to make holy, to set apart, to consecrate. Jesus prays for disciples' sanctification - progressive holiness through truth. The phrase en te aletheia (in/by/through truth) indicates truth as means and sphere of sanctification. Jesus then identifie...
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(17) **Sanctify them through thy truth.**—Better, *in Thy truth.* Truth was the sphere in which their sanctification was to take place. They had through Christ received the Father’s word, which was truth, and had passed into a new region of life, separate from the world (John 17:6-8; John 17:14-16). He has prayed that the Father would preserve them in this, and now He prays further that the Father...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**18-20. I will not leave you comfortless--**in a bereaved and desolate condition; or (as in Margin) "orphans."
**I will come to you--**"I come" or "am coming" to you; that is, plainly by the Spirit, since it was to make His departure to be no bereavement.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the prayer of Jesus for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples must pray for sanctifying grace. The means of giving this grace is, "through thy truth, thy word is truth." Sanctify them, set them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office; ...
Read full commentary →As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world</strong> (καθὼς ἐμὲ ἀπέστειλας εἰς τὸν κόσμον, κἀγὼ ἀπέστειλα αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν κόσμον). Jesus uses <em>apostellō</em> (ἀποστέλλω)—to send as an authorized agent—the root of 'apostle.' This is <em>missio Dei</em>: the Father's sending of the Son becomes the paradigm for the Son's sending of His disciples.<br><br...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(18) **As thou hast sent me into the world.**—Better, *As Thou didst send Me.* The tense points out the definite moment of His mission. (Comp. John 10:36.)
**So have I also sent them into the world.**—Better, *I also sent.* Comp. Notes on Matthew 10:5; Luke 6:13. In the very word “Apostles” their mission was contained; but the thought here comprehends the immediate future of their wider mission. (...
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**21. He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, &c.--**(See on Joh 14:15).
**my Father and I will love him--**Mark the sharp line of distinction here, not only between the Divine Persons but the actings of love in Each respectively, towards true disciples.
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the prayer of Jesus for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples must pray for sanctifying grace. The means of giving this grace is, "through thy truth, thy word is truth." Sanctify them, set them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office; ...
Read full commentary →And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. sanctified: or, truly sanctified
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And for their sakes I sanctify myself</strong> (ἁγιάζω ἐμαυτόν, <em>hagiazō emauton</em>)—Jesus consecrates Himself to the cross, setting Himself apart for sacrificial death. This is not moral purification (Jesus is sinless), but vocational dedication to His redemptive mission. The reflexive "myself" emphasizes His voluntary self-offering (John 10:18).<br><br><strong>That they also might b...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(19) **And for their sakes I sanctify myself.**—Comp. Note on John 17:17. The consecration here thought of is that to the work which was immediately before Him—the offering Himself as a sacrifice. The word was in frequent use in the special sense of an offering or sacrifice set apart to God. As a New Testament example of this, comp. Romans 15:16. By this consecration of Himself—which in a wider se...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**22. Judas saith ... not Iscariot--**Beautiful parenthesis this! The traitor being no longer present, we needed not to be told that this question came not from him. But it is as if the Evangelist had said, "A very different Judas from the traitor, and a very different question from any that he would have put. Indeed [as one in Stier says], we never read of Iscariot that he entered in any way into...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 17-19**
Christ next prayed for the disciples, that they might not only be kept from evil, but made good. It is the prayer of Jesus for all that are his, that they may be made holy. Even disciples must pray for sanctifying grace. The means of giving this grace is, "through thy truth, thy word is truth." Sanctify them, set them apart for thyself and thy service. Own them in the office; ...
Read full commentary →Jesus Prays for All Believers
Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word</strong>—Jesus expands His high priestly prayer beyond the eleven disciples to include all future believers. The Greek <em>pisteuontōn</em> (πιστευόντων, "those who will believe") is a present participle emphasizing continuous, ongoing faith across generations. The phrase <strong>through their wo...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(20) **Neither pray I for these alone.**—Comp. Note on John 17:9. The thought of the work to which the Apostles are to be consecrated and sent leads on to the wider thought of the Church which shall believe through their word, and the prayer is enlarged to include them.
**But for them also which shall believe on me through their word.**—All the best MSS. read, “but for them also which believe;” bu...
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**23. we will come and make our abode with him--**Astonishing statement! In the Father's "coming" He "refers to the revelation of Him as a Father to the soul, which does not take place till the Spirit comes into the heart, teaching it to cry, Abba, Father" [Olshausen]. The "abode" means a permanent, eternal stay! (Compare Le 26:11, 12; Eze 37:26, 27; 2Co 6:16; and contrast Jr 14:8).
Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-23**
Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all beli...
Read full commentary →That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.
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KJV Study Commentary
In the High Priestly Prayer, Jesus intercedes for the unity of all believers: 'That they all may be one' (ἵνα πάντες ἓν ὦσιν). This is not organizational or institutional unity but spiritual, relational unity modeled on Trinitarian communion. The pattern is explicitly stated: 'as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee' (καθὼς σύ, πάτερ, ἐν ἐμοὶ κἀγὼ ἐν σοί). The Father's being 'in' the Son and the...
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(21) **That they all may be one**—*i.e.,* both “these” (the Apostles) and “them also which shall believe on Me through their word” (the whole body of believers in all times and places). He expresses in this grand thought of the unity of the whole Church the fulness of the purpose of His prayer.
**As thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us.**—The insertion of “art,” ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-23**
Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all beli...
Read full commentary →And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one</strong> (κἀγὼ τὴν δόξαν ἣν δέδωκάς μοι δέδωκα αὐτοῖς, ἵνα ὦσιν ἓν καθὼς ἡμεῖς ἕν, <em>kagō tēn doxan hēn dedōkas moi dedōka autois, hina ōsin hen kathōs hēmeis hen</em>)—Jesus prays that believers share in <strong>the glory</strong> (τὴν δόξαν, <em>tēn doxan</em>) the Father gave the Son. This i...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(22) **And the glory which thou gavest me **(better, *hast given Me*) **I have given them.**—Comp. John 13:32, and in this chapter John 17:1; John 17:5; John 17:24. Here, as all through this Intercessory Prayer, the future which immediately grows out of the present is regarded as present; the fulness of the glory which awaits Him at His Father’s right hand is thought of as already given to Him; an...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25-26. he shall teach you all things, and bring all to ... remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you--**(See on Joh 14:15; Joh 14:17). As the Son came in the Father's name, so the Father shall send the Spirit in My name, says Jesus, that is, with like divine power and authority to reproduce in their souls what Christ taught them, "bringing to living consciousness what lay like slumbering germ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-23**
Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all beli...
Read full commentary →I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one</strong> (ἐγὼ ἐν αὐτοῖς καὶ σὺ ἐν ἐμοί, ἵνα ὦσιν τετελειωμένοι εἰς ἕν, <em>egō en autois kai sy en emoi, hina ōsin teteleiōmenoi eis hen</em>)—The chain of union: Father in Son, Son in believers, creating perfect unity. τετελειωμένοι (<em>teteleiōmenoi</em>, 'perfected, made complete') indicates process toward completeness εἰς...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(23) **I in them, and thou in me.**—These words are best regarded as a parenthesis more explicitly setting forth the thought of the union of the Father, the Son, and the believer. The thought is continued from the last verse, “That they may be one even as we are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one.” It is the thought which the words of Christ have uttered again and...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**25-26. he shall teach you all things, and bring all to ... remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you--**(See on Joh 14:15; Joh 14:17). As the Son came in the Father's name, so the Father shall send the Spirit in My name, says Jesus, that is, with like divine power and authority to reproduce in their souls what Christ taught them, "bringing to living consciousness what lay like slumbering germ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 20-23**
Our Lord especially prayed, that all believers might be as one body under one head, animated by one soul, by their union with Christ and the Father in him, through the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The more they dispute about lesser things, the more they throw doubts upon Christianity. Let us endeavour to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace, praying that all beli...
Read full commentary →Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am</strong> (Πάτερ, ὃ δέδωκάς μοι, θέλω ἵνα ὅπου εἰμὶ ἐγὼ κἀκεῖνοι ὦσιν μετ' ἐμοῦ, <em>Pater, ho dedōkas moi, thelō hina hopou eimi egō kakeinoi ōsin met' emou</em>)—Jesus uses θέλω (<em>thelō</em>, 'I will, desire') expressing authority as well as affection. He wills believers' eternal presence with Him. <strong>Th...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(24) **Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am.**—Better, *Father, I will that that which Thou hast given Me, even they may be with Me where I am.* The thought of the unity of the Church is still prominent. It is conceived as one collective whole, “that which Thou hast given Me” (comp. John 6:39), and the members of it are thought of as individuals composing t...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**27. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you--**If Joh 14:25, 26 sounded like a note of preparation for drawing the discourse to a close, this would sound like a farewell. But oh, how different from ordinary adieus! It is a parting word, but of richest import, the customary "peace" of a parting friend sublimed and transfigured. As "the Prince of Peace" (Is 9:6) He brought it into flesh, ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-26**
Christ, as one with the Father, claimed on behalf of all that had been given to him, and should in due time believe on him, that they should be brought to heaven; and that there the whole company of the redeemed might behold his glory as their beloved Friend and Brother, and therein find happiness. He had declared and would further declare the name or character of God, by his ...
Read full commentary →O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me</strong> (Πάτερ δίκαιε, καὶ ὁ κόσμος σε οὐκ ἔγνω, ἐγὼ δέ σε ἔγνων, καὶ οὗτοι ἔγνωσαν ὅτι σύ με ἀπέστειλας, <em>Pater dikaie, kai ho kosmos se ouk egnō, egō de se egnōn, kai houtoi egnōsan hoti sy me aposteilas</em>)—Jesus addresses the Father as <strong>righteous</strong> (...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(25) **O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee.**—Better, . . . *the world indeed knew Thee not.* In these closing words of His prayer, our Lord again solemnly appeals to the Father (comp. Notes on John 17:1; John 17:5; John 17:11), but now with the special thought of the Father’s righteousness. This thought follows upon the prayer that those whom the Father had given Him may be where He...
Read full commentary →Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary
**28. If ye loved me, ye would rejoice, because I said, I go unto the Father, for my Father is greater than I--**These words, which Arians and Socinians perpetually quote as triumphant evidence against the proper Divinity of Christ, really yield no intelligible sense on their principles. Were a holy man on his deathbed, beholding his friends in tears at the prospect of losing him, to say, "Ye ough...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-26**
Christ, as one with the Father, claimed on behalf of all that had been given to him, and should in due time believe on him, that they should be brought to heaven; and that there the whole company of the redeemed might behold his glory as their beloved Friend and Brother, and therein find happiness. He had declared and would further declare the name or character of God, by his ...
Read full commentary →And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.
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KJV Study Commentary
<strong>And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it</strong> (καὶ ἐγνώρισα αὐτοῖς τὸ ὄνομά σου καὶ γνωρίσω, <em>kai egnōrisa autois to onoma sou kai gnōrisō</em>)—Jesus revealed God's character (ὄνομα, <em>onoma</em>, 'name' meaning nature, character, reputation) during His earthly ministry and will continue through the Spirit (John 16:13-15). γνωρίσω (<em>gnōrisō</em>, 'I will mak...
Read full commentary →Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers
(26) **And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it.**—The Greek word here rendered “declared” is of the same root as the verb rendered “known” in the previous verse. It is better to preserve this connection by rendering the clause, *And I made known Thy name unto them, and will make it known.* His whole teaching had been a making known of the name, character, will of God, to them. ...
Read full commentary →Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary
**Verses 24-26**
Christ, as one with the Father, claimed on behalf of all that had been given to him, and should in due time believe on him, that they should be brought to heaven; and that there the whole company of the redeemed might behold his glory as their beloved Friend and Brother, and therein find happiness. He had declared and would further declare the name or character of God, by his ...
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