John 17:8

8 For the words that thou hast given to me, I gave to them; and they have taken, and have known verily, that I went out from thee; and they believed, that thou sentest me.

John 17:8 Meaning and Commentary

John 17:8

For I have given unto them the words
Not commands, but doctrines; and these not the doctrines of men; nor any of the divers and strange doctrines; but what are called in Scripture the doctrine of God, of Christ, of the apostles, are agreeably to the Scriptures, and according to godliness; and are styled the word of truth, of faith, of righteousness, of peace and reconciliation, of life and salvation, and of the Gospel; and which Christ gave to his disciples, and gifts along with them to preach them, and abilities to help them:

which thou gavest me;
for the words and doctrines which Christ, as the great prophet in Israel spoke, were not his own, but his Father's; and these were given him to speak and deliver to others, and in which he was faithful; so Jonathan ben Uzziel F12 paraphrases the text in ( Deuteronomy 18:18 ) ; concerning that prophet, the Messiah, God would raise up, after this manner;

``a prophet will I raise up unto them from among their brethren, in whom the Holy Spirit shall be, like unto thee; (ymgtp Ntyaw) , "and I will give the words", of my prophecy into his mouth, and he shall speak with them all that I have commanded.''

And so the Messiah Jesus did:

and they have received them;
willingly and gladly, with reverence and meekness, with love, and thankfulness; so as to understand them and believe them, and so as to be affectionately and closely attached to them:

and have known surely that I came out from thee;
which is meant, not of his eternal filiation, but of his constitution and commission, as Mediator by his Father: of which they had certain knowledge, full assurance of faith, and sincerely owned and confessed being fully persuaded he was the true Messiah, and no impostor:

and they have believed that thou didst send me;
into this world, to seek and to save lost sinners, to redeem all the chosen ones, and perform everything necessary to their salvation.


FOOTNOTES:

F12 Targum Jon. in Deut. xviii. 18.

John 17:8 In-Context

6 I have showed thy name to those men, which thou hast given to me of the world [I have showed thy name to the men, whom thou hast given to me of the world]; they were thine, and thou hast given them to me, and they have kept thy word.
7 And now they have known, that all things that thou hast given to me, be of thee.
8 For the words that thou hast given to me, I gave to them; and they have taken, and have known verily, that I went out from thee; and they believed, that thou sentest me.
9 I pray for them, I pray not for the world, but for them that thou hast given to me, for they be thine.
10 And all my things be thine, and thy things be mine [And all mine things be thine, and thine things be mine]; and I am clarified in them.
Copyright © 2001 by Terence P. Noble. For personal use only.