Translation commentary on John 17:7

Good News Translation does not have a full stop at the end of verse 6, as some translations do, but there is no shift in focus.

In Greek the adverb now is emphatic. The meaning is, “now, at the end of my ministry.”

The verb know is in the perfect tense in the Greek, as is have obeyed in verse 6.

Everything you gave me comes from you sounds redundant to the English reader, but the Greek structure emphasizes the Son’s dependence upon the Father. To avoid some of the redundancy of this expression, it may be possible to translate “everything you gave me comes really from you.”

Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .

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