Translation commentary on John 17:22

In the Greek text the pronoun I is emphatic.

The verb gave is in the perfect tense in both occurrences, indicating that, just as Jesus continues to possess the glory which the Father has given him, so the disciples continue to possess the glory that Jesus has given them. In translating, I gave them the same glory you gave me a difficulty exists in that one does not know precisely how this glory is to be understood. It would appear that it is related to the glory mentioned in verse 5. But how this glorious quality of existence, associated with the preincarnate Christ, can be transmitted to his disciples, and in what way it manifests itself in their lives and behavior, is difficult to understand. It is evidently a reference to the wonderful quality of live the disciples experienced as the result of their association with Jesus, but it is difficult in some languages to find a term or phrase which will adequately suggest such an experience. The closest equivalent may be “I cause them to be wonderful in the same way that you caused me to be wonderful,” yet this may suggest a self-centered or egoistic attitude toward the Christian experience. In some cases one may have an expression roughly equivalent to “I caused them to experience wonderfulness, even as you caused me to experience it.” Often it is necessary to settle for a relatively obscure expression, for example, “I caused them to become glorious, even as you caused me to be glorious.”

Just as you and I are one is literally “just as we (are) one.” The Greek has no verb, but the verb “are” obviously must be supplied in English. Good News Translation changes the Greek “we” to you and I, making the participants more specific.

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 .

SIL Translator’s Notes on John 17:22

17:22a

I have given them the glory You gave Me: This clause indicates that God gave glory to Jesus and then Jesus gave that glory to his disciples.

The Greek text puts the glory You gave Me first to emphasize it. In some languages it may be natural to rearrange the information, mentioning first that Jesus gave the disciples glory as in the Berean Standard Bible. However, many English translations follow the Greek word order. For example:

The glory that you have given me I have given them (New Revised Standard Version)

I have given them: This clause indicates that Jesus gave to them the glory that the Father gave him. The pronoun them probably refers to the disciples who were with him and not to all believers in all times. Even though 17:20–21 referred to all believers, have given is past tense (which continues in the present) and probably refers to the 11 disciples. If possible, it is recommended that you use a pronoun and do not make the reference explicit. Jesus continues to refer to the 11 disciples through 17:23.

the glory You gave Me: The phrase the glory and the clause that describes it tell what Jesus gave the 11 disciples. It does not explain what this glory was. It could refer to divine life or knowing God or Jesus’ presence with them or the power to serve and even die for others. Because it is not certain, it is best to not explain what glory refers to in your translation. For example:

the honor/privilege that you have given to me
-or-
you have honored me

You gave Me: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as gave here and in the next clause can indicate something that continues. For example:

The glory/honor that you have been giving me I am giving to them

17:22b

so that they may be one as We are one: These clauses indicate Jesus’ purpose in giving his glory to his disciples. That purpose was to unite his followers in the same way that he and his Father were united. See how you translated the expression in 17:11f that is almost the same. See also the notes on the similar expression in 17:21a–b (17:21b is a longer way of saying as We are one).

they: This pronoun here refers to Jesus’ disciples who were with him, those to whom he had given his glory.

We: The pronoun We refers to God the Father and to Christ. In some languages it may be natural to use an inclusive dual form. In other languages it may be more natural to say “you and I.” For example:

just as you and I are one (Good News Translation)

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