God’s Word Translation
John 17:3
3This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
John 17:3 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
- New International Version (NIV)Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent.
Context of John 17:3
1After saying this, Jesus looked up to heaven and said, “Father, the time is here. Give your Son glory so that your Son can give you glory. 2After all, you’ve given him authority over all humanity so that he can give eternal life to all those you gave to him. This is eternal life: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you sent. 4On earth I have given you glory by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5Now, Father, give me glory in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world existed.
Read all of John 17John 17:3 word by word
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἡ αἰώνιος ζωὴ ἵνα γινώσκωσιν σὲ τὸν μόνον ἀληθινὸν θεὸν καὶ ὃν ἀπέστειλας Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
- Andδέde · thenG1161
- thisοὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778
- isεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
- lifeζωήzōē · lifeG2222
- eternalαἰώνιοςaiōnios · eternalG166
- thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
- they might knowγινώσκωginōskō · to knowG1097
- theeσύsu · youG4771
- the onlyμόνοςmonos · aloneG3441
- trueἀληθινόςalēthinos · trueG228
- Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
- andκαίkai · andG2532
- JesusἸησοῦςIēsous · JesusG2424
- ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547
- whomὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
- thou hast sentἀποστέλλωapostellō · to sendG649
Cross-references for John 17:3
- John 17:25Father, you have done what is right and the world didn’t know you. Yet, I knew you, and these ⌞disciples⌟ have known that you sent me.
- John 8:19The Pharisees asked him, “Where is your father?” Jesus replied, “You don’t know me or my Father. If you knew me, you would also know my Father.”
- 1 Chronicles 28:9“And you, my son Solomon, learn to know your father’s God. Serve the Lord wholeheartedly and willingly because he searches every heart and understands every thought ⌞we have⌟. If you dedicate your life to serving him, he will accept you. But if you abandon him, he will reject you from then on.
- Psalms 9:10Those who know your name trust you, O Lord, because you have never deserted those who seek your help.
- Isaiah 53:11He will see and be satisfied because of his suffering. My righteous servant will acquit many people because of what he has learned ⌞through suffering⌟. He will carry their sins as a burden.
- Jeremiah 9:23This is what the Lord says: Don’t let wise people brag about their wisdom. Don’t let strong people brag about their strength. Don’t let rich people brag about their riches.
- Jeremiah 31:33“But this is the promise that I will make to Israel after those days,” declares the Lord: “I will put my teachings inside them, and I will write those teachings on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
- Hosea 6:3Let’s learn about the Lord. Let’s get to know the Lord. He will come to us as sure as the morning comes. He will come to us like the autumn rains and the spring rains that water the ground.
- 1 Corinthians 15:34Come back to the right point of view, and stop sinning. Some people don’t know anything about God. You should be ashamed of yourselves.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
- 2 Thessalonians 1:8He will take revenge on those who refuse to acknowledge God and on those who refuse to respond to the Good News about our Lord Jesus.
- Hebrews 8:11No longer will each person teach his neighbors or his relatives by saying, ‘Know the Lord.’ All of them from the least important to the most important will all know me
- 1 John 4:6We belong to God. The person who knows God listens to us. Whoever doesn’t belong to God doesn’t listen to us. That’s how we can tell the Spirit of truth from the spirit of lies.
- 1 John 5:11This is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is found in his Son.
- John 14:9Jesus replied, “I have been with all of you for a long time. Don’t you know me yet, Philip? The person who has seen me has seen the Father. So how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
- 2 Chronicles 15:3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest who taught ⌞correctly⌟, and without Moses’ Teachings.
Commentaries on John 17:3
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 3This is life eternal - The salvation purchased by Christ, and given to them who believe, is called life: Because the life of man was forfeited to Divine justice; and the sacrifice of Christ redeemed him from that death to which he was exposed. Because the souls of men were dead in trespasses and sins; and Christ quickens them by his word and Spirit. Because men who are not saved by the grace of Christ do not live, they only exist, no good purpose of life…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 3This is life eternal - This is the source of eternal life; or it is in this manner that it is to be obtained. The knowledge of God and of his Son Jesus Christ is itself a source of unspeakable and eternal joy. Compare John 11:25; John 6:63; John 12:50. Might know thee - The word “know” here, as in other places, expresses more than a mere speculative acquaintance with the character and perfections of God. “It includes all the impressions on the mind and…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3that they may know you: In the Hebrew language, "knowing" includes experience and intimacy. For Christians, this means loving God and obeying him. whom You have sent: Jesus came from heaven and was returning (John 17:5). So he has divine authority as God's agent.Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-26(See on Joh 14:1). Had this prayer not been recorded, what reverential reader would not have exclaimed, Oh, to have been within hearing of such a prayer as that must have been, which wound up the whole of His past ministry and formed the point of transition to the dark scenes which immediately followed! But here it is, and with such signature of the Lips that uttered it that we seem rather to hear it from Himself than read it from the pen of His faithful…Read the comment
Topics related to John 17:3
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on John 17
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
God’s Word Translation — © 1995 God’s Word to the Nations Bible Society
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