John 17

John 17

The big picture

John 17 opens in verse 1 with “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is…”, reaches its middle movement near verse 13 with “And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my…”, and closes in verse 26 with “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith…” Repeated or prominent terms include world, Father, gavest, known, name. Together, those details trace this chapter’s own movement from its opening to its conclusion.

Scripture beside the summary

John · King James Version · 26

John 17:1-7

1–7: These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said…

John 17:1–7 opens with “These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come…” and reaches “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus praying for his disciples and future believers before crossing the brook, with particular weight carried by gavest, glorify, eternal.

Context that brings the passage to life

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that…” Naming Son and Father keeps the account rooted in particular people or places. Follow where the name returns and what changes around it.

“As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” The line’s distinctive content terms include eternal, flesh, life. Its relationship to verses 1 and 3 shows what work it does in this passage.

John 17:1-7

King James Version

1These 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:

2As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

3And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

4I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.

5And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.

6I 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.

7Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.

John 17:8-14

8–14: For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have…

John 17:8–14 opens with “For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have…” and reaches “I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus praying for his disciples and future believers before crossing the brook, with particular weight carried by world, fulfilled, gavest.

Context that brings the passage to life

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I…” This line supplies a reason, result, or conclusion. It should stay attached to the claim or action that gives it meaning.

“I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.” The line’s distinctive content terms include pray, world. Its relationship to verses 8 and 10 shows what work it does in this passage.

“And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.” The line’s distinctive content terms include glorified. Its relationship to verses 9 and 11 shows what work it does in this passage.

John 17:8-14

King James Version

8For 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.

9I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.

10And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.

11And 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.

12While 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.

13And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

14I 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.

John 17:15-21

15–21: I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou…

John 17:15–21 opens with “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them…” and reaches “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus praying for his disciples and future believers before crossing the brook, with particular weight carried by world, truth, believe.

Context that brings the passage to life

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.” The line’s distinctive content terms include shouldest, evil, keep. Its relationship to verses 16 shows what work it does in this passage.

John 17:15-21

King James Version

15I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.

16They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.

17Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

18As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.

19And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21That 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.

John 17:22-26

22–26: The glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one…

John 17:22–26 opens with “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” and reaches “And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast…” by its final verse. That movement develops the focus on Jesus praying for his disciples and future believers before crossing the brook, with particular weight carried by known, loved, world.

Context that brings the passage to life

“And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:” The number one makes the report concrete. Ask whether it measures time, people, distance, repetition, or completeness before deciding what weight it carries.

John 17:22-26

King James Version

22And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23I 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.

24Father, 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.

25O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me.

26And 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.

Details worth noticing

26verses in this reading
4major movements
1verses with speech

The opening image

John 17:1 begins with “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:”

Where the chapter turns

John 17:7 forms a natural hinge: “Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.”

The final note

John 17:26 leaves the reader with “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.”

A word trail through the chapter

The words world, Father, gavest, known, name, pray help reveal the chapter’s repeated concerns.

What does the covenant promise besides descendants?

Kings, land and an enduring relationship in which God is their God.

How are Isaac and Ishmael distinguished without erasing either?

Isaac carries the named covenant line; Ishmael is heard and promised fruitfulness and twelve princes.

KJV words made clear

behold
look, or pay close attention
unto
to
thee
you
thou
you
thy
your

Text first

Where readers differ

The chapter summary begins with what the passage says and how its parts fit together. It does not assume one denomination has already settled every question. Where a conclusion depends on a tradition, literary theory, or historical reconstruction, that dependence is named openly.

The KJV text is presented first. Interpretive conclusions are labeled, and differences are introduced only when they help a reader understand why serious communities do not always reach the same answer.

Comparative interpretive notes for this chapter are in preparation. Until reviewed notes are ready, this page separates the KJV text from summary and application without claiming that serious readers agree on every question.