John 17:3

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.
• 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.
• New Living Translation (NLT)And this is the way to have eternal life—to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, the one you sent to earth.

Context of John 17:3

1After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven and prayed: “Father, the hour has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. 2For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent. 4I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do. 5And now, Father, glorify me in your presence with the glory I had with you before the world began.

John 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 17:25“Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me.
• John 8:19Then they asked him, “Where is your father?” “You do not know me or my Father,” Jesus replied. “If you knew me, you would know my Father also.”
• 1 Chronicles 28:9“And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever.
• Psalms 9:10Those who know your name trust in you, for you, Lord, have never forsaken those who seek you.
• Isaiah 53:11After he has suffered, he will see the light of life and be satisfied; by his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.
• Jeremiah 9:23This is what the Lord says: “Let not the wise boast of their wisdom or the strong boast of their strength or the rich boast of their riches,
• Jeremiah 31:33“This is the covenant I will make with the people of Israel after that time,” declares the Lord. “I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts. I will be their God, and they will be my people.
• Hosea 6:3Let us acknowledge the Lord; let us press on to acknowledge him. As surely as the sun rises, he will appear; he will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.”
• 1 Corinthians 15:34Come back to your senses as you ought, and stop sinning; for there are some who are ignorant of God—I say this to your shame.
• 2 Corinthians 4:6For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.
• 2 Thessalonians 1:8He will punish those who do not know God and do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
• Hebrews 8:11No longer will they teach their neighbor, or say to one another, ‘Know the Lord,’ because they will all know me, from the least of them to the greatest.
• 1 John 4:6We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spirit of truth and the spirit of falsehood.
• 1 John 5:11And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.
• John 14:9Jesus answered: “Don’t you know me, Philip, even after I have been among you such a long time? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?
• 2 Chronicles 15:3For a long time Israel was without the true God, without a priest to teach and without the law.

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

• God Continued...
• Immortality
• Jesus Continued
• Life
• Prayer
• Wisdom

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• God
• Jesus
• Christ, Messiah
• Jesus, Jesus Christ, Christ Jesus
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Jesus Christ
• Fellowship
• Perseverance of the saints
• Sanctify

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