John 17:9-11

17:9 I am praying on behalf of them. I am not praying on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. 17:10 Everything I have belongs to you, and everything you have belongs to me, and I have been glorified by them. 17:11 I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them safe 10  in your name 11  that you have given me, so that they may be one just as we are one. 12 

John 17:15

17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe 13  from the evil one. 14 

John 17:20

Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere

17:20 “I am not praying 15  only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe 16  in me through their testimony, 17 


tn Grk “I am asking.”

tn Grk “I am not asking.”

tn Or “because they are yours.”

tn Grk And all things.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

tn Or “Everything I have is yours.”

tn Or “everything you have is mine.”

tn Or “I have been honored among them.”

sn The theme of glory with which Jesus began this prayer in 17:1-5 now recurs. Jesus said that he had been glorified by his disciples, but in what sense was this true? Jesus had manifested his glory to them in all of the sign-miracles which he had performed, beginning with the miracle at the wedding feast in Cana (2:11). He could now say that he had been glorified by them in the light of what he had already said in vv. 7-8, that the disciples had come to know that he had come from the Father and been sent by the Father. He would, of course, be glorified by them further after the resurrection, as they carried on his ministry after his departure.

tn Grk And I.” The conjunction καί (kai, “and”) has not been translated here in keeping with the tendency of contemporary English style to use shorter sentences.

tn The context indicates that this should be translated as an adversative or contrastive conjunction.

10 tn Or “protect them”; Grk “keep them.”

11 tn Or “by your name.”

12 tn The second repetition of “one” is implied, and is supplied here for clarity.

13 tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

14 tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

15 tn Or “I do not pray.”

16 tn Although πιστευόντων (pisteuontwn) is a present participle, it must in context carry futuristic force. The disciples whom Jesus is leaving behind will carry on his ministry and in doing so will see others come to trust in him. This will include not only Jewish Christians, but other Gentile Christians who are “not of this fold” (10:16), and thus Jesus’ prayer for unity is especially appropriate in light of the probability that most of the readers of the Gospel are Gentiles (much as Paul stresses unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Eph 2:10-22).

17 tn Grk “their word.”