And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
What does John 17:3 mean?
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.
Key themes
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Keep this verse inside John 17:1-3 and alongside a few nearby related passages.
Commentary on John 17:3
This 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 life which a just view of God and of the Saviour is fitted to produce." It includes, of course, love, reverence, obedience, honor, gratitude, supreme affection.
Key words
- eternal
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And this is life eternal,.
- might
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That is, the beginning and pledge of it, the way unto it, and means of it, and what will certainly issue in it: that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
- Jesus
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That is, the beginning and pledge of it, the way unto it, and means of it, and what will certainly issue in it: that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
Context in John 17
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John 17 belongs to the middle movement of the book, especially the section often described as passion, resurrection, and epilogue. John presents Jesus in contemplative, symbolic, and theological richness as the Word, Lamb, Light, Bread, Shepherd, Resurrection, Way, Vine, and Son. Read this chapter with the wider themes of incarnation, life, and light in view so the individual verses keep their proper weight.
Related topics
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