Translation commentary on John 17:3

This verse, which defines eternal life, is a kind of parenthetical explanation, and so New American Bible places it in parenthesis.

To know you is more literally “that they may know you.” The belief that knowledge is essential to salvation is common in both Jewish and Greek thought. In particular, the Gnostic religions emphasized that knowledge (that is, an intuitive understanding of the nature of God) was essential to salvation. The Old Testament also indicates that the knowledge of God is essential to salvation, but with a different focus. In Judaism the knowledge of God is primarily the revelation of God contained in his Law, and obedience to this Law means life. That is, true knowledge of God was tied to a particular historical revelation, and this knowledge demanded faith and obedience. The same belief is reflected in the Gospel of John. The knowledge of God referred to here is the knowledge which comes through a specific revelation in Jesus Christ, and it demands a response of love and obedience on the part of those who follow. Knowledge, then, for both Old Testament and New Testament writers is not a beatific vision or an intuitive feeling about God; rather it is based on an objective revelation and demands a positive response in obedience and love.

In 5.44 God is spoken of as “the only God,” while 1 John 5.20 refers to him as, “the true (God).” These two attributes are basic affirmations of monotheism. They distinguish the God of the Old Testament (and of the New Testament) from the many false gods of polytheism.

The only true God may be rendered in some languages “the only one who is really God.” This appositional definition of God must be closely combined in some languages with the preceding you, for example, “to know you, you are the only God that really exists” or “… you are the only God there is.”

The only other place where the title Jesus Christ occurs in the Fourth Gospel is in 1.17. It is rather surprising to find it in this particular context, where one would normally expect “the Son.” However, since one of the strong emphases here is on the historical revelation, it may be that the historical name Jesus Christ was chosen specifically for this purpose.

The thought that God sent Jesus is frequent in the Fourth Gospel (note 3.17). The same thought occurs in verses 8,18,21,23, and 25.

The principal difficulty for a translator in rendering verse 3 is to know precisely the relation between the initial statement this is eternal life and what follows. One could interpret the relation as one of purpose, for example, “this is the purpose of eternal life, namely, for people to know the only true God and Jesus Christ.” Another possibility is that of means or cause; that is, through knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ, one acquires eternal life, or, Knowing the only true God and Jesus Christ causes one to live eternally. In view of the manner in which John emphasizes the importance of knowing God as a means of eternal life, it may be possible in some languages to restructure verse 3 to read as follows: “By knowing you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you sent, people are caused to live forever”; or even, “If people know you, the only true God, and if they know me, the one whom you sent, then they will live without ceasing.” Note that in the second restructuring the first person pronoun is used to refer to “Jesus Christ,” and that under these circumstances, the name “Jesus Christ” would normally be omitted. It is possible to indicate in a footnote that, in the Greek text, a third person reference is employed and the full name “Jesus Christ” occurs. It would be awkward in almost any language to have an apposition with the first person pronoun, for example, “to know me, Jesus Christ.” The relation of means may be expressed somewhat differently, for example, “This is how people live forever; they know you, the only true God, and they know Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.”

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 17:3

17:3a

Now this is eternal life, that they may know You: These clauses explain what the eternal life that Jesus will give is like and what it means. Having eternal life means knowing God. Here are other ways to translate these clauses:

this is ⌊the meaning of⌋ eternal life–knowing you
-or-
this is ⌊what it means to have⌋ eternal life: they will know you
-or-
And eternal life means to know you (Good News Translation)

Now this: The pronoun this here refers forward, to the idea of knowing God and Jesus Christ. And so knowing God and Jesus Christ is what eternal life really is. That is what eternal life is like—knowing and worshiping God and enjoying his presence forever.

eternal life: This phrase here is defined as a quality of life, not just as a life that does not end. See how you translated the phrase in 17:2. For example:

Really living is…
-or-

⌊The really important thing about⌋ eternal life is…
-or-

⌊good⌋ life forever

that they may know You: The phrase know You here means “have a close relationship with God.” This type of knowledge here implies love for God, and faith and trust in God.

the only true God: This phrase indicates that there is only one God. The many idols and other things that people believe are gods and worship are not truly gods at all. They do not have divine power and do not have the divine nature of the true God. In some languages it is more natural to translate this phrase with an additional clause or sentence. For example:

the only one who is really God (TH)
-or-
that they may know you. You are true and you are the only true God there is.

true: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as true in this context means “real” or “genuine,” the opposite of “false.” See how you translated this word in 1 John 5:20 and 1 Thessalonians 1:9.

17:3b

and Jesus Christ: This phrase here means that eternal life also includes knowing Jesus Christ. Because Jesus was speaking, in some languages it is more natural to include a first-person pronoun. See the General Comment on 17:1–3. For example:

and knowing ⌊me⌋ , Jesus Christ,

Jesus Christ: The word Christ is a title. The Jews used it to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as king and savior. But here the title Christ is used as one of Jesus’ names. See how you translated the phrase Jesus Christ in 1:17.

The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” which means “the anointed one.” In Old Testament times, kings and priests were anointed with oil (oil was put on their head). That was done to show that God had chosen and appointed them as leaders.

Here are some ways to translate Christ :

• Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:

Messiah
-or-
Promised Deliverer
-or-
the Rescuer-King whom God appointed

• Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:

Christ, the appointed one
-or-
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send
-or-
the Christ who comes from God

• Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:

the Christ
-or-
the Kirisita

If you do not indicate the meaning of Christ in the text, you may want to include a footnote to explain it. Or you may want to explain the meaning in a glossary. For example:

The word/title “Christ” refers to the king and savior whom God had promised to send. The word means “anointed,” which means to pour oil on someone to show that God chose him for a special purpose.

See also Christ Messiah, in Key Biblical Terms.

whom You have sent: This clause gives more information about Jesus Christ. In some languages it is more natural to make this clause a separate sentence. For example.

And you sent him/me into the world.

General Comment on 17:1–3

In these verses Jesus referred to himself in the third person, as “your Son,” “the Son,” “him,” and “Jesus Christ.” In some languages a literal translation may cause readers to think that Jesus was talking about someone else. In those languages it may be necessary to include first person pronouns. For example:

⌊me,⌋ your Son
-or-

⌊me⌋
-or-
so that ⌊I⌋ might glorify you

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