John 18:9 kjv
That the saying might be fulfilled, which he spake, Of them which thou gavest me have I lost none.
John 18:9 nkjv
that the saying might be fulfilled which He spoke, "Of those whom You gave Me I have lost none."
John 18:9 niv
This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: "I have not lost one of those you gave me."
John 18:9 esv
This was to fulfill the word that he had spoken: "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one."
John 18:9 nlt
He did this to fulfill his own statement: "I did not lose a single one of those you have given me."
John 18 9 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| The Word Fulfilled | ||
| Jn 17:12 | "While I was with them, I kept them...not one of them has been lost except the son of destruction..." | The very "word spoken" being fulfilled, clarifies Judas' exception. |
| Jn 6:39 | "And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me..." | Theological foundation for Jesus' promise of preservation. |
| Jn 10:28-29 | "I give them eternal life, and they will never perish...no one will snatch them out of my hand." | Jesus' power and assurance of eternal security for His sheep. |
| Divine Guardianship & Protection | ||
| Jn 17:6 | "I have manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world." | Father's act of giving disciples to Jesus. |
| Jn 17:15 | "I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one." | Jesus' prayer for the protection and keeping of His disciples. |
| Heb 2:13 | "And again, 'I will put my trust in him.' And again, 'Behold, I and the children God has given me.'" | Christ's identification with and care for His spiritual children. |
| Ps 121:7-8 | "The LORD will keep you from all evil...The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in." | General promise of God's continuous preservation for His people. |
| 1 Jn 5:18 | "He who was born of God protects him, and the evil one does not touch him." | Spiritual protection of the born-again believer by Christ. |
| Rom 8:38-39 | "Neither death nor life...will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord." | Ultimate assurance of believer's security in Christ. |
| Phil 1:6 | "He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ." | God's faithfulness in preserving and completing salvation. |
| Jude 1:24 | "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before his glory." | God's power to preserve believers from apostasy. |
| Fulfillment of Prophecy/Divine Plan | ||
| Jn 19:28 | "Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), 'I thirst.'" | John's repeated emphasis on actions fulfilling Scripture. |
| Jn 19:36 | "For these things took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled: 'Not one of his bones will be broken.'" | Another example of divine precision in fulfillment. |
| Matt 26:54 | "How then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen this way?" | Necessity of Scripture's fulfillment. |
| Luke 22:37 | "This Scripture must be fulfilled in me: 'And he was numbered with the transgressors.'" | Foreshadowing of Jesus fulfilling prophetic roles. |
| Acts 1:16 | "The Scripture had to be fulfilled, which...spoke beforehand...concerning Judas." | Even Judas' betrayal was part of a divine fulfillment. |
| Jesus' Authority & Shepherdhood | ||
| Jn 18:6 | "When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." | Demonstrates Jesus' inherent power and authority even at His arrest. |
| Jn 10:11 | "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep." | Jesus as the protective Good Shepherd. |
| Matt 28:18 | "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." | Jesus' universal and ultimate authority. |
| Col 1:16-17 | "For by him all things were created...and in him all things hold together." | Christ's active role in creation and sustenance, implying authority. |
John 18 verses
John 18 9 Meaning
John 18:9 explains Jesus' action of ensuring the physical safety of His disciples during His arrest as a direct fulfillment of a profound statement He made previously regarding their spiritual preservation. It highlights His absolute authority, even in His apparent vulnerability, and His unwavering commitment to the Father's will and the protection of those entrusted to Him. The verse emphasizes that not one of the faithful disciples was lost, underscoring both His power to protect and His divine foresight.
John 18 9 Context
John 18:9 is set during the pivotal moment of Jesus' arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane. After the Last Supper and His High Priestly Prayer (John 17), Jesus crosses the Kidron Valley with His disciples. He is met by a detachment of Roman soldiers and Jewish temple guards, led by Judas. When Jesus identifies Himself with the divine "I AM" (Egō Eimi), His captors fall backward, a demonstration of His divine power that underscores His control even in this hour. Peter's attempt to defend Jesus by striking Malchus is immediately rebuked by Jesus, emphasizing that His path is determined by the Father's will, not human resistance. It is in this precise situation that Jesus explicitly states, "Let these men go," referring to His disciples. The verse, John 18:9, then interprets Jesus' protective command as a direct fulfillment of His earlier words, highlighting the continuity between His spoken word and His saving actions, thereby asserting His divine purpose and control over the unfolding events of His passion.
John 18 9 Word analysis
- This: Refers specifically to Jesus' protective command in the preceding verse (Jn 18:8), "Let these men go." It connects Jesus' immediate action to His past prophecy.
- was to fulfill: (Greek: plērōthē, πληρωθῇ). This aorist passive subjunctive verb indicates a divine purpose or necessity, showing that the event transpired according to God's preordained plan, executed by Jesus. It highlights John's frequent emphasis on the prophetic fulfillment embedded in Jesus' life and actions.
- the word that he had spoken: Points back directly to Jesus' statements about His disciples in His High Priestly Prayer (Jn 17:12) and earlier teachings (Jn 6:39), linking His spoken truth to historical reality.
- Of those whom you gave me: (Greek: hous dedōkas moi, οὓς δέδωκάς μοι). "Gave" is in the perfect tense, signifying a completed act with continuing results. This underscores the Father's sovereign act of drawing individuals to Jesus (Jn 6:37, 44), identifying the disciples as those specially entrusted by the Father.
- I have lost not one: (Greek: ouk apōlesa ex autōn oudena, οὐκ ἀπώλεσα ἐξ αὐτῶν οὐδένα). "Lost" (ἀπώλεσα) means to perish or destroy. The double negative (ouk...oudena) emphasizes absolute assurance. While the primary meaning in John 6 and 17 is spiritual salvation, in this context, it takes on an immediate physical application, showing Jesus' care extends to bodily preservation, signifying His protection even unto the cross. This is not contradicted by Judas's perdition (Jn 17:12), as Judas was distinctively the "son of perdition."
- "This was to fulfill the word": This phrase functions as a narrative parenthetical statement by John, providing divine interpretation to Jesus' command. It moves beyond a simple recount of events to reveal God's redemptive purpose unfolding through them.
- "Of those whom you gave me I have lost not one": This complete clause expresses both Jesus' perfect obedience to the Father's will and His effective preservation of His disciples. The protection is divinely enabled and perfectly achieved for those specifically chosen by the Father and given to the Son. The direct parallelism between spiritual keeping and physical deliverance reinforces Jesus' role as the comprehensive Shepherd.
John 18 9 Bonus section
The verse highlights Jesus' incredible self-possession and authority even when facing arrest and immense opposition. His demand, "Let these men go," is not a plea but an assertion of His control over the situation, a subtle but potent act of spiritual warfare that declares His divine prerogative. It illustrates how Jesus consistently works within and through circumstances to fulfill Scripture, proving that even seemingly contingent events are part of God's overarching plan. The tension between the physical protection (allowing disciples to escape arrest) and the deeper spiritual promise of eternal preservation underscores that while Christ cares for the temporal well-being of His followers, His ultimate commitment is to their spiritual salvation and eternal life. This moment thus functions as an early demonstration of His enduring promise to never truly lose any of His own.
John 18 9 Commentary
John 18:9 serves as a theological anchor in the narrative of Jesus' arrest. It moves beyond simply describing an event by providing divine interpretive insight into Jesus' action of protecting His disciples. The primary thrust of "I have lost not one" (found in Jn 6:39 and Jn 17:12) concerns the spiritual, eternal preservation of believers. Here, however, John highlights a tangible, physical fulfillment of that promise. At the moment of His greatest vulnerability, Jesus still wields authority, not merely through His "I AM" declaration but also through His explicit demand for His disciples' freedom. This act of preservation underscores Jesus as the faithful Good Shepherd (Jn 10), who places Himself between the danger and His flock, willing to be apprehended so that His sheep may escape. It reaffirms His sovereignty and absolute control over the unfolding Passion, demonstrating that He goes to the cross not as a helpless victim, but as a deliberate and powerful agent fulfilling the divine will. The apparent surrender is an act of sovereign protection.