Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of John 17:5
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
5. And now ] When the ministry is completed.
glorify thou me ] The pronouns are placed side by side for emphasis, as in Joh 17:4, where the Greek runs, ‘I Thee glorified.’ The two verses are parallels; ‘I Thee glorified on earth; glorify Me Thou in heaven.’
with thine own self ] In fellowship with Thee. The following great truths are contained in these two verses; (1) that the Son is in Person distinct from the Father; (2) that the Son, existing in glory with the Father from all eternity, working in obedience to the Father on earth, existing in glory with the Father now, is in Person one and the same.
I had ] Imperfect tense, implying continual possession.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
With thine own self – In heaven, granting me a participation of the same honor which the Father has. He had just said that he had glorified God on the earth, he now prays that God would glorify him in heaven.
With the glory – With the honor. This word also includes the notion of happiness, or everything which could render the condition blessed.
Before the world was – There could not be a more distinct and clear declaration of the pre-existence of Christ than this. It means before the creation of the world; before there was any world. Of course, the speaker here must have existed then, and this is equivalent to saying that he existed from eternity. See Joh 1:1-2; Joh 6:62; Joh 3:13; Joh 16:28. The glory which he had then was that which was proper to the Son of God, represented by the expression being in the bosom of the Father Joh 1:18, denoting intimacy, friendship, united felicity. The Son of God, by becoming incarnate, is represented as humbling himself (Greek: he emptied himself), Phi 2:8. He laid aside for a time the external aspect of honor, and consented to become despised, and to assume the form of a servant. He now prays that God would raise him up to the dignity and honor which he had before his incarnation. This is the state to which he is now exalted, with the additional honor of having made atonement for sin, and having opened the way to save a race of rebels from eternal death. The lowest condition on earth is frequently connected with the highest honors of heaven. Man looks on the outward appearance. God looks to him that is humble and of a contrite spirit.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Verse 5. Before the world was.] That is, from eternity, before there was any creation-so the phrase, and others similar to it, are taken in the sacred writings; see Joh 17:24; Ps 90:2; Eph 1:4. See Joh 1:1. Let the glory of my eternal divinity surround and penetrate my humanity, in its resurrection, ascension, and in the place which it is to occupy at thy right hand, far above all creatures, Phi 2:6; Phi 2:9.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
Let the glory which, as to my Divine nature, I had with thee before the foundation of the world, be communicated also to my human nature, that my whole person may be made glorious. From hence is easily concluded, against those who deny the Godhead of Christ, that Christ was glorified with his Father before the world was, which he could not have been if he had not been eternal God. He here begs of his Father, that that glory might shine upon his person as Mediator.
Fuente: English Annotations on the Holy Bible by Matthew Poole
5. And nowin return.
glorify thou meThe “IThee” and “Thou Me” are so placed in theoriginal, each beside its fellow, as to show that APERFECT RECIPROCITY OF SERVICES of the Son to the Fatherfirst, and then of the Father to the Son in return, is what our Lordmeans here to express.
with the glory which I hadwith thee before the world waswhen “in the beginning theWord was with God” (Joh1:1), “the only-begotten Son in the bosom of the Father“(Joh 1:18). With thispre-existent glory, which He veiled on earth, He asks to bereinvested, the design of the veiling being accomplishednot,however, simply as before, but now in our nature.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self,…. Not with his perfections, these he had, they dwelt bodily in him; or with his nature, in which he was one with him; but as Mediator, with his glorious presence in heaven, by setting him at his right hand, and crowning him with glory and honour. The Jews have a notion that God will give to the King Messiah, , “of the supreme glory” g: the glory Christ prays for is, as he says,
the glory which I had with thee before the world was; the same phrase with , or , used by the Jews h. This is not to be understood of the glory of the human nature of Christ, abstractly considered; for that is no person of itself, but what is taken up into personal union with the Son of God; and therefore cannot be intended by this personal character I; nor did it exist from eternity; it was indeed written in God’s book of predestination, even all its members, when as yet there were none of them in actual being; it was set up in God’s thoughts and counsel, as the pattern and exemplar of human nature; it had a federal union with the Son of God, or a covenant subsistence with him; and in the Old Testament Christ was often spoken of as man, because of his frequent appearances in an human form, and because of the certainty of his incarnation; but he did not really and actually exist as man, until he took flesh of the virgin; for Christ, as man, is the seed of the woman, the son of David, Abraham, and Adam; he is called the last and second Adam, and was not as man before the first: the Old Testament speaks of his incarnation as future, nor is it possible that a creature can exist before time; for as soon as a creature exists, time begins, which is nothing else than the measure of a creature’s duration; nor was the human nature of Christ with the Father from eternity; nor had it a glory before the world began, neither in whole, nor in part: nor is the glory of the divine nature abstractly considered here meant; this glory indeed Christ had from everlasting; he had it with his Father, in common with him, being in union to him; and it is true that it was in some measure veiled and covered in his state of humiliation; for though there were some breakings forth of it in that state, these were seen but by a few; wherefore he is thought by some, to pray here for the manifestation of this glory; but this glory was essential to him, was his natural right, and not to be prayed for, and which he then had as much as ever, and of which there could be no suspension: but this designs the glory of him as Godman, and Mediator; he was not only predestinated to be a Mediator, but was really set up as such from everlasting, and had a mediatorial fulness of grace put into his hands, and had the honour and glory of that office given unto him by the other two persons; and now that he might appear to be what he was, to be made, that is, made manifest that he was both Lord and Christ, he here prays; which was to be done, upon his ascension to heaven, and session at the right hand of God, by the pouring down of the Holy Ghost.
g Midrash Tillim in Psal. 20 apud Galatin. de Arcan. Cathol. Ver. l. 3. c. 9. h Gloss in T. Bab Pesachim, fol. 54. 1.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
With thine own self ( ). “By the side of thyself.” Jesus prays for full restoration to the pre-incarnate glory and fellowship (cf. 1:1) enjoyed before the Incarnation (Joh 1:14). This is not just ideal pre-existence, but actual and conscious existence at the Father’s side ( , with thee) “which I had” ( , imperfect active of , I used to have, with attraction of case of to because of ), “before the world was” ( ), “before the being as to the world” (cf. verse 24). It is small wonder that those who deny or reject the deity of Jesus Christ have trouble with the Johannine authorship of this book and with the genuineness of these words. But even Harnack admits that the words here and in verse 24 are “undoubtedly the reflection of the certainty with which Jesus himself spoke” (What Is Christianity, Engl. Tr., p. 132). But Paul, as clearly as John, believes in the actual pre-existence and deity of Jesus Christ (Php 2:5-11).
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
With Thyself [ ] . In fellowship with Thyself. So with Thee [ ] .
I had. Actually possessed.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And now, 0 Father, glorify thou me,” (kai nun doksason me su pater) “And now and hereafter, Father you glorify me,” restore me to that glory, glory state from which I came down, 2Co 8:9.
2) “With thine own self,” (para seauto) ”Alongside or with yourself.” in close comradeship with you, Joh 1:1. This indicates the character of glorification He sought, a restoration to His former estate with the Father, indicating one of joy and companionship.
3) “With the glory which I had with thee,” (te dokse he eichion) With the glory I had, held, or possessed with you. One we enjoyed, sharing your throne, your estate, or your kingdom, from which I came down to earth, Php_2:6; Heb 1:1-3; Heb 1:10.
4) “Before the world was.” (pro tou ton kosmon) ”Before or prior to the world,” prior to the existence of the world. (einai para soi) “To be (exist) alongside or with you.” In this statement He reflected His eternal existence, being, and Sonship, in the Godhead bodily, Col 2:9; Joh 1:14; Col 1:19.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
5. The glory which I had with thee. He desires to be glorified with the Father, not that the Father may glorify him secretly, without any witnesses, but that, having been received into heaven, he may give a magnificent display of his greatness and power, that every knee may bow to him, (Phi 2:10.) Consequently, that phrase in the former clause, with the Father, is contrasted with earthly and fading glory, as Paul describes the blessed immortality of Christ, by saying that
he died to sin once, but now he liveth to God, (Rom 6:10.)
The glory which I had with thee before the world was. He now declares that he desires nothing that does not strictly belong to him, but only that he may appear in the flesh, such as he was before the creation of the world; or, to speak more plainly, that the Divine majesty, which he had always possessed, may now be illustriously displayed in the person of the Mediator, and in the human flesh with which he was clothed. This is a remarkable passage, which teaches us that Christ is not a God who has been newly contrived, or who has existed only for a time; for if his glory was eternal, himself also has always been. Besides, a manifest distinction between the person of Christ and the person of the rather is here expressed; from which we infer, that he is not only the eternal God, but also that he is the eternal Word of God, begotten by the rather before all ages.
Fuente: Calvin’s Complete Commentary
(5) And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self.These words are exactly parallel with the commencement of the previous verse. I, Thou, TheeMe, on earth, with Thine own self. (Comp. Joh. 13:31-32.)
With the glory which I had with thee before the world was.This clause admits of but one meaningviz., that Jesus claimed for Himself the possession of the divine glory in His pre-existent state before the world was; and that He claimed this in personality distinct from, but in essence one with God. (Comp. Joh. 1:1; Joh. 1:18, and on the whole passage, Notes on Php. 2:4-9.) The special importance of the thought here is that it is uttered in the words of Christ Himself, and that these words are a prayer to the Father. There can be no explanation of Joh. 17:1-5 of this chapter, which denies that our Lord Jesus Christ claimed for Himself that He was divine, and co-eternal with the Father.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
5. With thine own self In blessed and eternal society with thy own nature.
Glory which I had before the world That is, the glory which I, as eternal Logos, had with the eternal God. See note on Joh 1:1. Into that glory admit me, the incarnate Logos, so that the God-man shall be eternally recognized as eternally divine. The eternal Logos and the incarnate Logos are the same person in different eras of existence. So that the incarnate Logos could claim on earth that as Logos he possessed an eternal glory in heaven, to which he might ascend and therewith be invested.
Before the world was The term world here includes the entire universe of worlds. Some have affirmed that God has eternally been creating worlds after worlds. In that case the priority of the glory of the Logos would be rather priority in the order of nature than of time, as regards the absolute universe.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
5 And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Ver. 5. With the glory which I had, &c. ] Our Saviour then is no upstart God, and of a later standing, as the Arians and Mahometans would make of him. Mahomet speaks very honourably of Christ, except only in two things. First, he denied that he was crucified, but that some other was crucified for him. Secondly, he took up the opinion of the Arians, to deny his Divinity. Arius at Constantinople, sitting upon the close stool, purged out his guts. Mahometism is now there in that place, as it were the excrements of Arius.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
5. ] Notice the correlation, which Meyer has pointed out, between before and now. The same Person ( ) who had with the Father glory before the world, also glorified the Father in the world, and prays to be again received into that glory. A decisive proof of the unity of the Person of Christ , in His three estates of eternal pr-existence in glory, humiliation in the flesh, and glorification in the Resurrection Body.
This direct testimony to the eternal pr-existence of the Son of God has been evaded by the Socinian and also the Arminian interpreters, by rendering , “habebam destinatione tua ,” Grot., Wets [232] . On the identity of the in Joh 17:22 with this , see note there.
[232] Wetstein.
] “ Hic non dicit accepi . Semper habebat: nunquam cpit habere.” Bengel.
. . ., before the , Joh 17:24 ; ‘before all creation.’ “Antequam fieret mundus, gloriam illam habebat Filius; sed cum fieret mundus, gloria illa se cpit (?) exserere.” Bengel.
= , ch. Joh 1:1 ; , ch. Joh 1:18 .
Fuente: Henry Alford’s Greek Testament
Joh 17:5 . . The precise character of the glorification He looks for is here presented. It is , and it is a restoration to the glory He had enjoyed . By it is rendered impossible to understand of an “ideal” pre-existence; because these two expressions are here equivalents, and Christ cannot be supposed to have prayed for an “ideal” glory when He asked that God would glorify Him . “There is, consequently, here, as in Joh 6:62 , Joh 8:58 , a continuity of the consciousness of the historical Christ with the Logos.” Tholuck. On this verse Beyschlag remarks (i. 254): “The possibility of such a position was first won by Jesus through His life and death on earth, so that, in point of fact, it forms the divine reward of that life and death; how then could He have possessed it realiter before the world was?” But the representation given by Paul in Phi 2 is open to the same objection. Christ is represented as leaving a glory He originally enjoyed and returning to it when His work on earth was done and as the result of that work. The humanity was now to share in and to be in some way the organ of that divine glory; and this it could not be until it had been perfected by the experience of a human life. Wendt ( Teaching of Jesus , ii. 169) says: “According to the mode of speech and conception prevalent in the N.T., a heavenly good, and so also a heavenly glory, can be conceived and spoken of as existing with God, and belonging to a person, not because this person already exists, and is invested with glory, but because the glory of God is in some way deposited and preserved for this person in heaven”. The passages, however, on which he depends for this principle do not sustain it. Such expressions as Joh 1:14 , Joh 2:11 , which indicate that already while on earth a divine glory was manifest in Christ, in no degree contradict but rather confirm such statements as the present.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
now. Greek. nun, as in Joh 13:31.
with = beside. Greek. para. App-104.
glory. Greek. doxa. See p. 1511.
before. Greek. pro. App-104.
world. App-129.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
5. ] Notice the correlation, which Meyer has pointed out, between before and now. The same Person () who had with the Father glory before the world, also glorified the Father in the world, and prays to be again received into that glory. A decisive proof of the unity of the Person of Christ, in His three estates of eternal pr-existence in glory, humiliation in the flesh, and glorification in the Resurrection Body.
This direct testimony to the eternal pr-existence of the Son of God has been evaded by the Socinian and also the Arminian interpreters, by rendering ,-habebam destinatione tua, Grot., Wets[232]. On the identity of the in Joh 17:22 with this , see note there.
[232] Wetstein.
] Hic non dicit accepi. Semper habebat: nunquam cpit habere. Bengel.
. . ., before the , Joh 17:24;-before all creation. Antequam fieret mundus, gloriam illam habebat Filius; sed cum fieret mundus, gloria illa se cpit (?) exserere. Bengel.
= , ch. Joh 1:1; , ch. Joh 1:18.
Fuente: The Greek Testament
Joh 17:5. , I had) Here He does not say, I received. He always was having it, was in possession of it; He never began to have it.- , before that the world was) In the appellation, the world, in this place angels also are included. Even before that the world was made, the Son was having that glory; Joh 17:24, Thou lovedst Me before the foundation of the world; but when the world was made, that glory began to put itself forth. Herein is implied the eternity of the Son of God. The beginning of the world and of time were coincident. Whatever is before the world is before time. Whatever is before time is eternal.- , with Thee) because there was then nothing external to God. Construe the words with , I was having with Thee.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
Joh 17:5
Joh 17:5
nd now, Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.-Jesus was in heaven with God before the world was. To show the way for mans return to God he gave up that glory, came to earth, took upon himself the nature of man, became subject to mortality and death to save man. The end of this work on earth now approaches and he prays that he might be delivered from these earthly trials and be restored to his original position of honor in heaven. [Jesus here goes back of history, back of creation itself, and speaks of the glory which he then had with the Father. This can be understood only in the light of the opening verses of the first chapter of John, where not only pre-existence, but deific and eternal pre-existence is predicated of him.]
Fuente: Old and New Testaments Restoration Commentary
glorify: Joh 17:24, Joh 1:18, Joh 3:13, Joh 10:30, Joh 14:9, Pro 8:22-31, Phi 2:6, Col 1:15-17, Heb 1:3, Heb 1:10, 1Jo 1:2, Rev 5:9-14
before: Joh 1:1-3, Mat 25:34, 1Pe 1:20, Rev 13:8
Reciprocal: Num 6:20 – and after 1Sa 2:30 – them 2Ki 2:5 – thy master Psa 2:8 – Ask Psa 21:5 – glory Psa 73:24 – receive Isa 42:4 – shall not Isa 42:21 – it Isa 49:4 – yet Mar 16:19 – he was Luk 10:22 – and no Luk 13:32 – I shall Joh 1:15 – he was Joh 6:62 – General Joh 7:18 – seeketh his glory Joh 7:39 – glorified Joh 8:54 – it is Joh 8:58 – Before Joh 10:17 – General Joh 10:36 – sent Joh 11:4 – that Joh 12:16 – when Joh 13:1 – depart Joh 13:3 – and that Joh 14:13 – that Joh 16:16 – because Joh 16:28 – I leave Joh 17:1 – glorify Joh 20:17 – I ascend Act 2:33 – by Rom 8:6 – to be spiritually minded Phi 2:9 – God Col 1:17 – he 1Ti 3:16 – received Heb 5:7 – and
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
Glory is the noun form of the same word for glorify. Before Jesus came to the earth he was wholly divine. In order to fulfill the work his Father had for him to do, it was necessary for him to take upon him the nature of man in the flesh. That required him to “lay aside his robes of glory” and humble himself to the rank of a servant (Php 2:7). Now that his mission was performed, and he was about ready to leave the earth, he prayed his Father to restore him to his former place in the glory world. The passage in 1Jn 3:2 indicates that his prayer was answered, since “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God” (1Co 15:50).
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Joh 17:5. And now glorify thou me, O Father, with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. The glory prayed for is distinguished by two particulars: (1) It is with Thine own Self (comp. chap, Joh 13:31-32), in contrast with the words on earth of Joh 17:4. (2) It is a glory that Jesus had possessed before the world was; that is, from eternity. Thus the prayer is that the clouds which during His earthly life had obscured the glory of His Divine Sonship may be rolled back, and that as Son of man (as well as Son of God) it may now appear that He possesses that glory in all the brightness with which it encompassed Him before He came into the world (comp. on chap, Joh 13:32). The word glory, in short, is to be understood in the sense of glory to be manifested as well as in a sense expressing the contents of the glory; and the petition is for a bestowal of the manifested glory rather than of the original real glory considered in itself. Thus the unity of thought in the whole passage is preserved. Not the Sons personal exaltation, but the Fathers glory through the Sons, is still the keynote; for, when the glory of the Son is seen the glory of the Father is seen also, and the less the obscurity resting on the former the less also that resting on the latter. With this petition the first section of the prayer closes.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
From the connection of this with the former verse learn, 1. That whoever expects to be glorified of God in heaven, must glorify him first here upon earth.
2. That, after we have glorified him, we may expect to be glorified with him and by him. I have glorified thee, and now, O Father, glorify thou me; it follows, with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.
Here note, 1. That Christ as God, had an essential glory with God the Father before the world was: he had this glory not in the purpose and decree of God only, as the Socinians would have it; for he doth not say, “Glorify me with the glory which thou didst purpose and prepare for me before the world was:” but “which I had and enjoyed with thee before the world was:” by which words our Lord plainly asserts his own existence and being from eternity, and prays for a re-exaltation to that glory which he enjoyed with his Father before his incarnation.
Note, 2. That Christ, as Mediator, did so far humble himself, that he needed to pray for his Father to bestow upon him the glory which he wanted; namely, the glory of his ascension and exaltation: Now, O Father, Glorify me with thine own self.
As if Christ had said, “Father, glorify me, embrace and honour me as thy Son, who have been, in the eyes of the world, handled disgracefully as a servant.” It is an actual glory that Christ speaks of, not in decree and purpose only, for that believers had as well as he; but this was a glory when no creature was in being.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Ver. 5. The most potent means of action of which He has need in order to continue this task, He can only obtain by recovering His state anterior to the incarnation. And this is the purpose for which He asks it again. There cannot be any temerity on His part in doing this, since this state of divine glory appertains to His nature, and He has voluntarily renounced it in order to serve God here on earth.
By the words: with thyself, Jesus opposes the divine sphere to that in which He is at present living (on the earth, Joh 17:4.), Joh 13:32. The expression: the glory which I had, is opposed to His present humiliation. No doubt, in His human state He has also a glory, even a glory as that of the only begotten Son having come from the Father (Joh 1:14). But it differs from His heavenly glory as the dependent form of the human existence differs from the autonomous form of the divine existence. This filial position in relation to God, which He has as man, is only a reflection of the filial position which He has had as God. Reuss thinks that this verse does not imply absolute pre- existence, eternity, but only a certain priority with relation to the world. But from the biblical point of view, the world embraces all that appertains to the sphere of becoming, and beyond this sphere there is only being, eternity. Comp. the opposition between and , Joh 1:1; Joh 1:3, Joh 8:58, and Psa 90:2. , with thee, cannot have the purely ideal sense which the Socinians give to it, and which now again Beyschlagand Sabatier endeavor to maintain in somewhat different forms. This theory does violence to John’s terms no less than to those of Paul (Php 2:6-11). He who says, I had…with thee, emphasizes His own personality previous to the incarnation, no less than that of God (Joh 17:24). The I who asks for the glory is the one who has had it. It is equally impossible to find here the least trace of the idea which Sabatier finds in the passage of Paul (Phil.),that of a progress from the glory of Christ before His earthly life to His glory afterwards. The only difference between these two conditions is that this latter glory is possessed by Him even in His humanity, elevated to the sphere of the divine existence (Act 7:55, Mat 26:64, where the term Son of man is still applied to the glorified Christ). See on Joh 8:58.
From the fact that Jesus says: before the world was, and not before I came into the world, Schelling concluded that the humiliation of the Logos began from the time of the creation, and not only with the incarnation. This conclusion is not well founded exegetically. For Jesus only means here to oppose this glory to a glory which may have had some sort of beginning in time.
Fuente: Godet Commentary (Luke, John, Romans and 1 Corinthians)
Joh 17:5-8. It is a return to former glory for which He prays. Are we to regard this petition as exclusively the authors addition, on the lines of his theology of the pre-existent Logos, or the real expression of Christs consciousness of former life with God, expressed in language which could be used in speaking to the Father, though He could not have used it in teaching men; or as a real expression of consciousness of pre-existence, in the sense which it would naturally have to the Jews of our Lords own time (cf. Jer 1:5), which the author interprets in the terms of his doctrine of pre-existence? In Joh 17:6-8 He pleads the accomplishment of His appointed work for those whom the Father has given Him, into whose hearts God has put it to accept the message. To them He has made known the nature of God. God gave them to Him to shepherd, and they have received and made effective in their lives His word. So they have learned the Divine origin of His teaching and the truth that God sent Him.