JHN 17:6-19

Prayer for the Disciples

6'I have revealed your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. [17:7] Now they know that everything you have given me is from you. [17:8] For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have trusted that you sent me. [17:9] I am making request for them. I am not making request for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. [17:10] All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. [17:11] And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one. [17:12] While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been destroyed except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. [17:13] But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves. [17:14] I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17:15] I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. [17:16] They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. [17:17] Set them apart in truth; your word is truth. [17:18] As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. [17:19] And for their sake I set myself apart in truth, so that they also may be set apart in truth.'

In the world it was spoken into

In this prayer, Jesus speaks of revealing God’s name to those given to Him by the Father. In a 1st-century Jewish context, the 'name' of God was not merely a label but encapsulated His character, authority, and covenantal presence. For Jesus’ disciples, this revelation would have been deeply significant, affirming their identity as God’s chosen people. The (world) here is portrayed as a realm opposed to God, a common theme in Johannine literature, reflecting the tension between the disciples and the broader Greco-Roman and Jewish societal structures. Jesus’ use of (to ask) underscores His unique relationship with the Father, as this term implies a request made by an equal or superior, not a subordinate. The call to (sanctify) the disciples would have resonated with Jewish notions of being set apart for God’s purposes, akin to the consecration of priests or sacred objects in the Temple. This prayer frames the disciples’ mission as one of divine consecration in a hostile world.

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How other translations render this

JHN 17:6

KJV: 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.
BSB: I have revealed Your name to those You have given Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word.
Koinōnos: I have revealed your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. They were yours, and you gave them to me, and they have kept your word.

JHN 17:7

KJV: Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee.
BSB: Now they know that everything You have given Me comes from You.
Koinōnos: Now they know that everything you have given me is from you.

JHN 17:8

KJV: 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.
BSB: For I have given them the words You gave Me, and they have received them. They knew with certainty that I came from You, and they believed that You sent Me.
Koinōnos: For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have trusted that you sent me.

JHN 17:9

KJV: I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine.
BSB: I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours.
Koinōnos: I am making request for them. I am not making request for the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours.

JHN 17:10

KJV: And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.
BSB: All I have is Yours, and all You have is Mine; and in them I have been glorified.
Koinōnos: All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them.

JHN 17:11

KJV: 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.
BSB: I will no longer be in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to You. Holy Father, protect them by Your name, the name You gave Me, so that they may be one as We are one.
Koinōnos: And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, that they may be one, even as we are one.

JHN 17:12

KJV: 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.
BSB: While I was with them, I protected and preserved them by Your name, the name You gave Me. Not one of them has been lost, except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.
Koinōnos: While I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has been destroyed except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

JHN 17:13

KJV: And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves.
BSB: But now I am coming to You; and I am saying these things while I am in the world, so that they may have My joy fulfilled within them.
Koinōnos: But now I am coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in themselves.

JHN 17:14

KJV: 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.
BSB: I have given them Your word and the world has hated them. For they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Koinōnos: I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

JHN 17:15

KJV: I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
BSB: I am not asking that You take them out of the world, but that You keep them from the evil one.
Koinōnos: I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one.

JHN 17:16

KJV: They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
BSB: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.
Koinōnos: They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.

JHN 17:17

KJV: Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
BSB: Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
Koinōnos: Set them apart in truth; your word is truth.

JHN 17:18

KJV: As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world.
BSB: As You sent Me into the world, I have also sent them into the world.
Koinōnos: As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world.

JHN 17:19

KJV: And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
BSB: For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
Koinōnos: And for their sake I set myself apart in truth, so that they also may be set apart in truth.

Only verses where the wording diverges meaningfully are shown. Identical phrasings are suppressed.

Translator's notes

JHN 17:6

name:The word translated 'name' here often carried the full weight of a person's character, reputation, and authority, not just a label.
world;:The term used here for 'world' often referred to the created order, but also frequently to humanity organized in opposition to God.

JHN 17:9

am praying;:The word translated 'am praying' here implies a request made to an equal or superior, often with a sense of earnestness or urgency.

JHN 17:17

do sanctify:The word translated 'do sanctify' means to set apart for sacred use or to make holy, implying a dedication to God's purpose.