John 14:17 kjv
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
John 14:17 nkjv
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:17 niv
the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.
John 14:17 esv
even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.
John 14:17 nlt
He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn't looking for him and doesn't recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
John 14 verses
MeaningJohn 14:17 introduces the Holy Spirit as the "Spirit of truth," clarifying His nature as the revealer of divine reality and the embodiment of all that is true about God. It contrasts the inability of the "world"—humanity hostile or indifferent to God—to recognize, receive, or know Him, due to spiritual blindness and a lack of desire for spiritual things. In stark contrast, Jesus affirms that His disciples already possess a degree of experiential knowledge of the Spirit because the Spirit has been active with them through Jesus' ministry, and He promises an even deeper, intimate, and permanent indwelling presence of the Spirit within them after His departure.
Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Jhn 15:26 | "When the Advocate comes... the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, he will bear witness about me." | Holy Spirit as Spirit of Truth and Witness |
| Jhn 16:13 | "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth..." | Spirit of Truth guides believers into truth |
| 1 Jhn 4:6 | "We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us... by this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error." | Discernment between Spirit of truth and error |
| 1 Cor 2:14 | "The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him..." | World's inability to receive spiritual truths |
| Rom 8:7-8 | "For the mind that is set on the flesh is hostile to God, for it does not submit to God's law..." | Hostility of the flesh to God and His Spirit |
| Jhn 3:19-20 | "And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world... but people loved the darkness..." | World's preference for darkness over light/truth |
| Jhn 1:10 | "He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him." | World's rejection/ignorance of Christ/God |
| 2 Cor 4:4 | "...the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing..." | Spiritual blindness induced by "god of this world" |
| Heb 11:6 | "And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe..." | Necessity of faith for spiritual understanding |
| Mt 13:13-15 | "This is why I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear..." | Spiritual blindness of unbelievers |
| Jhn 6:44-45 | "No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him... taught by God." | Divine initiative in coming to Christ/knowledge |
| 1 Jhn 2:20, 27 | "But you have been anointed by the Holy One, and you all have knowledge... the anointing that you received from him abides in you..." | Believers' anointing and Spirit-given knowledge |
| Rom 8:9 | "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you..." | Spirit's indwelling distinguishes believers |
| Rom 8:11 | "If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus..." | Spirit's indwelling provides life and resurrection |
| 1 Cor 3:16 | "Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?" | Believers as temples of the Holy Spirit |
| 1 Cor 6:19 | "Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?" | Individual believers as Spirit's temple |
| Jhn 14:16 | "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever." | Promise of the Advocate (Spirit) forever with them |
| Jhn 7:38-39 | "Whoever believes in me... Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water." Now this he said about the Spirit..." | Spirit's outflowing life to believers |
| Eze 36:26-27 | "And I will give you a new heart... and I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." | OT prophecy of God's Spirit within His people |
| Joel 2:28-29 | "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh..." | OT prophecy of Spirit poured out on all people |
| Acts 2:33 | "...having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing." | Fulfillment of the indwelling promise (Pentecost) |
| Gal 2:20 | "I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me..." | Union with Christ by the Spirit's indwelling |
| Phil 2:1 | "So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit..." | Believers' participation/fellowship with the Spirit |
| 1 Thess 4:8 | "Therefore whoever disregards this disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you." | God giving His Spirit to believers |
ContextThis verse is nestled within Jesus' "Farewell Discourse" (John 13-17), delivered to His disciples in the Upper Room on the night before His crucifixion. The disciples are deeply troubled by Jesus' announcement of His imminent departure (Jhn 13:33, 14:1). In response, Jesus reassures them, promises to prepare a place for them, and crucially, introduces the coming of "another Helper" or "Advocate" (Jhn 14:16) – the Holy Spirit. Verse 17 specifically defines this Helper as the "Spirit of truth" and establishes a sharp dichotomy between the "world" (humanity alienated from God, steeped in unspiritual values) which cannot comprehend or receive Him, and the disciples who, through their relationship with Jesus, are already poised for His intimate indwelling. The historical context includes the expectation of a divine Comforter or Messiah, but Jesus' specific articulation of an indwelling Spirit was a significant revelation beyond prevailing Jewish understanding of a Spirit working primarily externally or ephemerally.
Word analysis
even the Spirit of truth:
- Spirit (Πνεῦμα - Pneuma): This Greek word refers to wind, breath, or spirit. Here, it denotes the Third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. Its connection to "truth" signifies His essential nature as the revealer and embodiment of divine reality. He illuminates, guides, and validates God's truth.
- of truth (τῆς ἀληθείας - tēs alētheias): Truth, reality, unhiddenness. This title underscores the Holy Spirit's primary function: to make known the true nature of God, Christ, salvation, and righteousness, countering all falsehood and deception. He leads believers into all truth (Jhn 16:13).
whom the world cannot receive:
- whom (ὃ - ho): Refers directly to "the Spirit of truth."
- the world (ὁ κόσμος - ho kosmos): In Johannine literature, "the world" often refers to humanity outside of Christ, governed by earthly values, alienated from God, and hostile to divine revelation. It signifies fallen human society that lives in opposition or indifference to God's ways.
- cannot (οὐ δύναται - ou dynamai): Not able, lacks the power or capacity. This isn't a physical inability but a spiritual and volitional incapacity. The "world" lacks the spiritual faculties or the desire to apprehend or accept divine truth. It implies a spiritual blindness and hardening.
- receive (λαμβάνειν - lambanein): To take, grasp, accept, apprehend. The world cannot genuinely take hold of, comprehend, or welcome the Spirit into its heart and life because of its inherent disposition.
because it neither sees Him nor knows Him;
- sees Him (θεωρεῖ αὐτόν - theōrei auton): To gaze at, observe, perceive. This refers to spiritual discernment and apprehension, not physical sight. The world cannot perceive the Spirit's reality or work due to its spiritual darkness and preoccupation with material things.
- knows Him (γινώσκει αὐτόν - ginōskei auton): To know by experience, to have an intimate and personal acquaintance with. This is not mere intellectual understanding, but a relational, experiential knowledge. The world lacks this intimate spiritual relationship because it does not acknowledge God.
but you know Him,
- but (ἀλλὰ - alla): Strong contrast, emphasizing the disciples' distinct status.
- you (ὑμεῖς - hymeis): Refers to the disciples specifically. Their experience stands in stark opposition to the "world."
- know Him (γινώσκετε αὐτόν - ginōskete auton): Present tense. The disciples already possess this experiential, intimate knowledge. This knowledge stemmed from their close fellowship with Jesus, through whom the Spirit was already at work, preparing them.
for He dwells with you and will be in you.
- for (ὅτι - hoti): Introduces the reason for the disciples' knowledge.
- He dwells with you (παρ' ὑμῖν μένει - par' hymin menei): "With" (para) indicates alongside, in the company of. The Spirit was already present with them, accompanying them through Jesus' ministry and person. The Spirit's power was active among them (e.g., in Jesus' miracles and teaching). This describes the preliminary, preparatory presence of the Spirit.
- and will be in you (καὶ ἐν ὑμῖν ἔσται - kai en hymin estai): "In" (en) denotes an internal, permanent indwelling. "Will be" (estai) is future tense, pointing to a profound shift and the coming event of Pentecost (Acts 2). This is the promise of the Spirit's intimate, personal, and abiding presence within each believer, transforming them from the inside out, making them God's temple.
CommentaryJohn 14:17 illuminates the profound chasm between those aligned with God and those alienated from Him, defining the Spirit as the quintessential "Spirit of truth." The "world," a term signifying humanity apart from Christ, is inherently incapable of perceiving or receiving the Holy Spirit. This inability is not merely intellectual, but stems from a spiritual disposition: its focus on temporal realities renders it blind to eternal truths and averse to the Spirit's convicting and transforming work. Conversely, Jesus declares that His disciples already know the Spirit in an experiential sense, facilitated by their relationship with Him during His earthly ministry. The crucial promise lies in the transition from the Spirit being with them—active through Jesus' presence and power—to His promised future state of being in them. This foretells the coming of Pentecost, inaugurating the New Covenant era where the Holy Spirit would indwell every believer, providing an intimate, constant, and internal fellowship with God, empowering them to live a Christ-like life and comprehend divine truth directly. This indwelling is foundational to the Christian experience, enabling believers to transcend the world's spiritual limitations and participate in the very life of God.
Bonus sectionThe progressive nature of the Spirit's presence—from "with you" to "in you"—signifies a profound theological shift from the Old Covenant and the earthly ministry of Jesus to the New Covenant reality. Under the Old Covenant, the Spirit "came upon" individuals for specific tasks, often transiently. During Jesus' ministry, the Spirit was certainly "with" the disciples through Jesus' own anointing and power. However, the "in you" promises a new and permanent indwelling for all believers, marking a distinct work post-Pentecost, fulfilling Old Testament prophecies like Ezekiel 36:26-27 and Joel 2:28. This establishes the Spirit's internal and permanent work as foundational to the identity and experience of New Covenant believers. This also implies that knowing Christ (Jhn 14:7-9) is intrinsically linked to knowing the Spirit, as they share the same divine nature and purpose in revelation. The kosmos remains ignorant of Christ because it is ignorant of the Spirit's witness.