John 17:19

And I set myself apart ¹  on their behalf, ²  so that they too may be truly set apart. ³ 

For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.

"For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.

And I give myself entirely to you so they also might be entirely yours.

I'm consecrating myself for their sakes So they'll be truth-consecrated in their mission.

And for them I make myself holy, so that they may be made truly holy.

And for their sakes I sanctify myself, so that they also may be sanctified in truth.

"And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also may be sanctified by the truth.

And I set myself apart ¹  on their behalf, ²  so that they too may be truly set apart. ³ 

¹ tn Or “I sanctify.”

sn In what sense does Jesus refer to his own ‘sanctification’ with the phrase I set myself apart? In 10:36 Jesus referred to himself as “the one whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world,” which seems to look at something already accomplished. Here, however, it is something he does on behalf of the disciples (on their behalf) and this suggests a reference to his impending death on the cross. There is in fact a Johannine wordplay here based on slightly different meanings for the Greek verb translated set apart (ἁγιάζω, Jagiazw). In the sense it was used in 10:36 of Jesus and in 17:17 and here to refer to the disciples, it means to set apart in the sense that prophets (cf. Jer 1:5) and priests (Exod 40:13, Lev 8:30, and 2 Chr 5:11) were consecrated (or set apart) to perform their tasks. But when Jesus speaks of setting himself apart (consecrating or dedicating himself) on behalf of the disciples here in 17:19 the meaning is closer to the consecration of a sacrificial animal (Deut 15:19). Jesus is “setting himself apart,” i.e., dedicating himself, to do the will of the Father, that is, to go to the cross on the disciples’ behalf (and of course on behalf of their successors as well).

² tn Or “for their sake.”

³ tn Or “they may be truly consecrated,” or “they may be truly sanctified.”