John 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.
John 17:8 nkjv
For I have given to them the words which You have given Me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came forth from You; and they have believed that You sent Me.
John 17:8 niv
For I gave them the words you gave me and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you, and they believed that you sent me.
John 17:8 esv
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 believed that you sent me.
John 17:8 nlt
for I have passed on to them the message you gave me. They accepted it and know that I came from you, and they believe you sent me.
John 17 8 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| John 14:24 | "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you." | Shows the Spirit's role in conveying Jesus' words. |
| John 12:49 | "For I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has himself given me a commandment—what to say and what to speak." | Directly parallels Jesus' statement about divine commission. |
| John 7:16 | "So Jesus answered them, 'My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me.'" | Reinforces the divine origin of Jesus' teachings. |
| Deuteronomy 18:18 | "I will raise up for them a prophet from among their brothers, like you, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him." | Old Testament prophecy fulfilled in Jesus' commission. |
| Matthew 11:27 | "All things have been handed over to me by my Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and anyone to whom the Son chooses to reveal him." | Highlights the unique, divine relationship and transmission of knowledge. |
| Isaiah 55:10-11 | "For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and return there, but water the earth, making it bear and sprout, and to give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it." | Demonstrates the divine efficacy and purpose of God's word, which Jesus delivers. |
| Jeremiah 1:7-9 | "But the Lord said to me, 'Do not say, “I am only a youth”; for to all to whom I send you, you shall go, and whatever I command you, you shall speak. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you, declares the Lord.' Then the Lord put out his hand and touched my mouth. And the Lord said to me, 'Behold, I have put my words in your mouth.'" | Mirrors the prophetic call and the mandate to speak God's words. |
| Acts 4:13 | "Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated common men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus." | Shows how the disciples spoke with the authority of Jesus. |
| 1 Corinthians 15:3 | "For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures," | Paul speaks of receiving and delivering the gospel, mirroring Jesus' action. |
| Colossians 1:28 | "Him we proclaim, warning everyone and teaching everyone with all wisdom, that we may present everyone mature in Christ." | The apostles' mission to proclaim and teach the revealed word of Christ. |
| 2 Timothy 3:16 | "All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness," | Underlines the divine inspiration of God's word. |
| 1 John 1:1-3 | "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we looked upon and have touched with our hands, concerning the word of life— this life was made manifest, and we have seen it, and testify to it and proclaim to you the eternal life, which was with the Father and manifested to us—what we have seen and heard we proclaim also to you..." | Connects the testimony of the disciples to the Word they received from Jesus. |
| John 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." | Directly links the giving of God's word to the disciples and their persecution. |
| John 17:10 | "All mine are yours, and yours are mine, and I am glorified in them." | Expresses the unity between Jesus and the Father, supporting the shared word. |
| 1 John 5:11 | "And this is the testimony, that God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." | Shows that God's word ultimately points to life in Jesus. |
| John 6:38 | "For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me." | Reinforces that Jesus' actions and words are God's will. |
| Luke 24:44-45 | "Then he said to them, 'These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all must be fulfilled that is written in the Law of Moses and the Prophets and the Psalms concerning me.' Then he opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." | Jesus opened the disciples' understanding to the prophetic fulfillment in His words and the Old Testament. |
| John 14:10 | "Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own authority, but the Father who dwells in me does his works." | Another explicit statement on the source of Jesus' words and actions. |
| Acts 7:38 | "This is the one who was in the wilderness among the angel of the Lord, and with our fathers on Mount Sinai, and was with the church in the wilderness, receiving living words to give to us." | Moses received words from God and gave them to Israel. Jesus similarly receives and gives divine words. |
John 17 verses
John 17 8 Meaning
Jesus states that He gave His disciples the words God gave Him. This signifies that Jesus' teachings and message are not His own invention but are divinely given. It emphasizes His unity with the Father and the authority behind His pronouncements. His disciples, by receiving these words, also partake in this divine communication and authority.
John 17 8 Context
John 17 is Jesus' High Priestly Prayer, offered before His arrest and crucifixion. It's a prayer for Himself, for His disciples (both present and future), and for all believers. In this chapter, Jesus intercedes with the Father, expressing His intimacy and unity with Him, and praying for the sanctification and preservation of His followers. This verse specifically is part of Jesus' prayer for His disciples who are "in the world." He has just spoken about the world's hatred for them, stemming from their separation from the world and their belonging to Him.
John 17 8 Word Analysis
"I have given" (δέδωκα - dedōka): This is the perfect tense of the verb didōmi, meaning "to give." The perfect tense emphasizes a completed action with a continuing result. Jesus' act of giving His words to the disciples is a finished act with an ongoing significance and effect. It speaks of a transmission that is complete in its provision.
"them" (αὐτοῖς - autois): Dative plural of autos, meaning "self." Refers to the disciples.
"your words" (τὰ ῥήματα τά σοῦ - ta rhemata ta sou):
- "τα" (ta): The definite article "the."
- "ῥήματα" (rhemata): Plural of rhema. This Greek word refers to spoken words, utterances, things spoken, or even promises. Unlike logos, which can refer to the word as a concept or a reasoned discourse, rhema emphasizes the specific word spoken, the utterance itself, and its content. It often implies words that are vital, timely, or significant. In this context, it refers to the specific instructions, teachings, and truths Jesus communicated from the Father.
- "τὰ σοῦ" (ta sou): "Yours" (from the Father).
"they have received" (παρέλαβον - parelabon): This is the aorist indicative active of paralambanō, meaning "to take to oneself," "to receive," "to welcome." The aorist tense signifies a simple past action. The disciples actively took these divine words into themselves. It implies more than just hearing; it signifies acceptance and internalizing of Jesus' message.
"them" (αὐτὰ - auta): Neuter plural of autos, referring back to "τὰ ῥήματα" (ta rhemata) – the words.
"and have known" (καὶ ἔγνωσαν - kai egnōsan):
- "καὶ" (kai): "and."
- "ἔγνωσαν" (egnōsan): Aorist indicative active of ginōskō, meaning "to know," "to perceive," "to understand." This verb signifies experiential knowledge or deep understanding, rather than mere intellectual recognition. It implies a deeper grasping of the truth and reality of these words.
"truly" (ἀληθῶς - alēthōs): An adverb meaning "truly," "in truth," "really." It adds emphasis to the fact that the disciples have genuinely come to know and understand the divine origin and truth of the words given to them by Jesus.
"that I came out from you" (ὅτι ἀπὸ σοῦ ἐξῆλθον - hoti apo sou exēlthen):
- "ὅτι" (hoti): "that" (conjunction introducing a subordinate clause).
- "ἀπὸ" (apo): "from."
- "σοῦ" (sou): "you" (referring to the Father).
- "ἐξῆλθον" (exēlthen): Aorist indicative active of exercheomai, meaning "to go out," "to come out." This phrase emphasizes Jesus' divine origin, His departure from the Father's presence and commission. It reaffirms His subordinate but inseparable relationship with the Father.
John 17 8 Bonus Section
The contrast between rhema and logos in Greek thought and biblical usage is significant here. While logos can represent the divine reason or Word as a person (like Jesus Himself in John 1:1), rhema refers to specific pronouncements or individual words spoken. Jesus is indicating that the specific verbal communications He delivered to the disciples were direct transmissions from the Father. This act of giving and receiving these divine words establishes a foundation for the disciples' ministry and their understanding of God's will. The concept echoes prophetic commissions in the Old Testament where God directly placed His words into the mouths of prophets. The disciples' role as recipients of Jesus' rhemata equips them to carry on His work, sharing the divine message with the world.
John 17 8 Commentary
Jesus, in this solemn prayer, highlights the intimate and divine channel of His communication with His disciples. The "words" (rhema) are not casual sayings but divine utterances entrusted to Jesus by the Father. Jesus confirms that His mission involved taking these words from the Father and giving them to those He chose. The disciples' reception is marked by their active acceptance ("received") and their resulting true knowledge ("truly known"). This signifies a profound understanding born of their relationship with Jesus, not merely intellectual assent. The disciples are assured that these words, originating from the Father through Jesus, represent the true divine reality, and their understanding reflects Jesus' own origin from the Father. This highlights the trustworthy and authoritative nature of Jesus' teachings.