John 14:26

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(26) But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost.—Better, as before, but the Advocate . . . (Comp. Excursus G: The Meaning of the word Paraclete.) For the words “Holy Ghost” comp. John 7:39; John 20:22, which are the only passages where we find them in this Gospel. They are frequent in the earlier Gospels. (See Note on Matthew 12:31.) In four passages in the New Testament (Luke 11:13; Ephesians 1:13; Ephesians 4:30; 1Thessalonians 4:8) our translators have preferred the rendering “Holy Spirit.” The identification here with the Advocate brings out the contrast between the practical obedience and holiness (John 14:23) of those to whom the Holy Spirit should be sent, and the disobedience (John 14:24) of those who rejected the revelation by the Son.

Whom the Father will send in my name—i.e., as My representative. (Comp. John 14:13.) Their Master will depart from them, but the Father will send them another Teacher who will make clear to them the lessons they have already heard, and teach them things which they cannot bear now.

He shall teach you all things.—Comp. John 16:13. The words are here without an expressed limitation, but the “all things” here is equal to the “all truth” in the later passage.

And bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.—The limitation, “whatsoever I have said unto you,” is to be taken with this clause only, and is not to be extended to the words, “He shall teach you all things.” For instances of the recurrence of words spoken by our Lord with a fulness of new meaning revealed in them by the Holy Spirit, comp. John 2:22; John 12:16. The Gospel according to St. John, with its full records of the words spoken by our Lord, is itself a commentary on this text.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

14:25-27 Would we know these things for our good, we must pray for, and depend on the teaching of the Holy Ghost; thus the words of Jesus will be brought to our remembrance, and many difficulties be cleared up which are not plain to others. To all the saints, the Spirit of grace is given to be a remembrancer, and to him, by faith and prayer, we should commit the keeping of what we hear and know. Peace is put for all good, and Christ has left us all that is really and truly good, all the promised good; peace of mind from our justification before God. This Christ calls his peace, for he is himself our Peace. The peace of God widely differs from that of Pharisees or hypocrites, as is shown by its humbling and holy effects.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Will send in my name - On my account. To perfect my work. To execute it as I would in applying it to the hearts of men. See John 14:13.

Shall teach you all things - All things which it was needful for them to understand in the apostolic office, and particularly those things which they were not prepared then to hear or could not then understand. See John 16:12. Compare the notes at Matthew 10:19-20. This was a full promise that they would be inspired, and that in organizing the church, and in recording the truths necessary for its edification, they would be under the infallible guidance of the Holy Spirit.

Bring all things to your remembrance - This probably refers to two things:

1. He would seasonably remind them of the sayings of Jesus, which they might otherwise have forgotten. In the organization of the church, and in composing the sacred history, he would preside over their memories, and recall such truths and doctrines as were necessary either for their comfort or the edification of his people. Amid the multitude of things which Jesus spake during a ministry of more than three years, it was to be expected that many things which he had uttered, that would be important for the edification of the church, would be forgotten. We see, hence, the nature of their inspiration. The Holy Spirit made use of their memories, and doubtless of all their natural faculties. He so presided over their memories as to recall what they had forgotten, and then it was recorded as a thing which they distinctly remembered, in the same way as we remember a thing which would have been forgotten had not some friend recalled it to our recollection.

2. The Holy Spirit would teach them the meaning of those things which the Saviour had spoken. Thus they did not understand that he ought to be put to death until after his resurrection, though he had repeatedly told them of it, Luke 24:21, Luke 24:25-26. So they did not until then understand that the gospel was to be preached to the Gentiles, though this was also declared before. Compare Matthew 4:15-16; Matthew 12:21, with Acts 10:44-48.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

25, 26. he shall teach you all things, and bring all to … remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you—(See on [1854]Joh 14:15; [1855]Joh 14:17). As the Son came in the Father's name, so the Father shall send the Spirit in My name, says Jesus, that is, with like divine power and authority to reproduce in their souls what Christ taught them, "bringing to living consciousness what lay like slumbering germs in their minds" [Olshausen]. On this rests the credibility and ultimate divine authority of THE Gospel history. The whole of what is here said of THE Spirit is decisive of His divine personality. "He who can regard all the personal expressions, applied to the Spirit in these three chapters ('teaching,' 'reminding,' 'testifying,' 'coming,' 'convincing,' 'guiding,' 'speaking,' 'hearing,' 'prophesying,' 'taking') as being no other than a long drawn-out figure, deserves not to be recognized even as an interpreter of intelligible words, much less an expositor of Holy Scripture" [Stier].

Matthew Poole's Commentary

The word is the same which was so translated before; (see the import of it, John 14:16,17) he is there called the

Comforter, and the Spirit of truth; here, the Holy Spirit. The Father here is said to send in the name, that is, with the authority and upon the mediation, of the Lord Jesus Christ: and two pieces of the Spirit’s work, besides comforting, are here expressed.

He shall teach you all things; he shall more fully explain to you all things. Three of the apostles themselves had already in this chapter discovered great degrees of ignorance as to the doctrine of the Trinity, Christ’s union or oneness with his Father, &c. You shall not be left (saith our Saviour) in this ignorance; for when the Holy Spirit shall come, he shall more fully and perfectly instruct you in all things, in which I have already instructed you, and which are necessary for you to know in order to your eternal happiness.

And bring all things to your remembrance; whatsoever I have said unto you; and shall bring to your remembrance the things I have taught you, so as you shall more fully and clearly understand them; and though you may have forgotten them, yet they shall by the Holy Spirit be revived in your memories; so as they shall not be like water spilt on the ground, which cannot again be gathered up, but like seed sown in the earth; which, though it may at present rot, and die under the clods, or at least not spring up, yet it shall spring up, and bring forth desired fruit. It is one great work of the Holy Spirit, to bring the revelations of holy writ to our remembrance, and withal to clear to us the sense of them, and confirm our faith in them, and chiefly quicken us to practise what is our duty: but it is to be observed, that the Spirit doth not make revelations of new notions; it only brings to our remembrance what Christ hath said, and further revealeth what was before in the word revealed, though possibly particular persons were ignorant of such revelations of the word: so things may be new, and newly revealed to us, which in themselves are not so. There are no new truths, but particular persons may have new discoveries of old truth, which they had before misapprehensions of.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost,.... Before spoken of, John 14:16, for whom Christ promised to pray the Father that he might be given to them. The word used there, as here, signifies an "advocate", and is so rendered, 1 John 2:1, a patron, one that pleads and defends, the cause of another, before kings and princes; so the Jewish writers (z) use the word the same with here, and give this as the sense of it: and which agrees well enough with the work and office of the Spirit of God, who has promised to the apostles to speak in them and for them, when they should be brought before kings and governors for Christ's sake; and would so thoroughly plead his cause and theirs, as to convince the world of sin, righteousness and judgment; and who acts the part of an intercessor, or advocate, for private believers, in prayer to the King of kings: but inasmuch as it also signifies a "comforter", and this being agreeably to the present condition of the apostles, as before observed; it may be most proper to retain that sense of it here, who is explained to be the Holy Ghost; which is a more clear and explicit account of him than before, and very distinctly points out the third person in the Trinity, who is in his nature holy, equally with the Father and Son, and the author of holiness in all the saints:

whom the Father will send in my name. The mission of the Spirit is here ascribed to the Father, but not to the exclusion of the Son, who is also said to send him, John 15:26, which was not so proper to be mentioned here, because he speaks of his being sent, "in his name"; that is, at his request, through his mediation and intercession, in his room and stead, acting, the same part, and bearing the same flame of an advocate or comforter, and for the glory and honour of his name: which act of sending does not suppose any local motion, which cannot agree with an infinite and immense spirit; nor inferiority in him to the other two persons, since he who is sent by Christ, and in his name, is also the sender of Christ; but it denotes the joint consent and agreement of Father, Son, and Spirit, in this affair:

he shall teach you all things: this is the proper work and business of the Spirit, to teach, interpret, and explain all things which Christ had said to them; to make them more plain and easy to their understandings; to instruct them in all things necessary to salvation, and to be known by them, that they might teach them others:

and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said to you; which through inattention, or want of understanding in them, had slipped their minds, and were forgotten by them. This accounts for it, how the evangelists some years after the death of Christ; at different times and places, and without consulting each other, could commit to writing the life, actions, sayings, and sermons of Christ, with all the minute circumstances attending them.

(z) Maimon. & Bartenora in Pirke Abot, c. 4. sect. 11.

Geneva Study Bible

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 14:26. But His teaching would be continued and completed by the Paraclete: ὁ δὲ παράκλητος … ὑμῖν. The Paraclete is now identified with τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, and His connection with Christ is further guaranteed by the clause ὃ πέμψει ὁ πατὴρ ἐν τῷ ὀνόματί μου, “which the Father will send in my name,” that is, as representing me and promoting my interests. And this He will accomplish by teaching: ἐκεῖνος “He,” and no longer the visible Christ, “will teach you all things,” πάντα in contrast to the ταῦτα (John 14:25) with which Christ had to be satisfied; but πάντα must itself be limited by the needs and capacities of the disciples.—καὶ ὑπομνήσει … “and will bring to your remembrance all that I said to you,” that is, the teaching of the Spirit should so connect itself with the teaching of Christ as to revive the memory of forgotten words of His, and give them a new meaning. Cf. especially John 16:12-14.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

26. But the Comforter] Better, But the Advocate (see on John 14:16).

which is the Holy Ghost] Even the Holy Spirit. The epithet ‘holy’ is given to the Spirit thrice in this Gospel; John 1:33, John 20:22, and here (in John 7:39 the ‘holy’ is very doubtful). It is not frequent in any Gospel but the third; five times in S. Matthew, four in S. Mark, twelve in S. Luke. S. Luke seems fond of the expression, which he uses about forty times in the Acts; and he rarely speaks of the Spirit without prefixing the ‘holy.’ Here only does S. John give the full phrase, both substantive and epithet having the article: in John 1:33 and John 20:22 there is no article.

in my name] As My representative, taking My place and continuing My work (see on John 14:13). ‘He shall not speak of Himself … He shall receive of Mine and shew it unto you’ (John 16:13-14). The mission of the Paraclete in reference to the glorified Redeemer, is analogous to the mission of the Messiah in reference to the Father.

shall teach you all things] i.e. ‘guide you into all the truth’ (John 16:13). He shall teach them the Divine truth in its fulness; all those things which they ‘cannot bear now,’ and also ‘things to come.’

bring all things to your remembrance] Not merely the words of Christ, a particular in which this Gospel is a striking fulfilment of this promise, but also the meaning of them, which the Apostles often failed to see at the time: comp. John 2:22, John 12:16; Luke 9:45; Luke 18:34; Luke 24:8. “It is on the fulfilment of this promise to the Apostles, that their sufficiency as Witnesses of all that the Lord did and taught, and consequently the authenticity of the Gospel narrative, is grounded” (Alford).

Bengel's Gnomen

John 14:26. Ἐκεῖνος, [That Person], He) So ch. John 15:26 [ἐκεῖνος], “He shall testify of Me;” John 16:8, “And when He is come, He (ἐκεῖνος) will reprove the world of sin,” etc.; 13, 14, “When He (ἐκεῖνος), the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you, etc.: He (ἐκεῖνος) shall glorify Me.”—διδάξει πάντα. He shall teach you all things) There is not added here the clause, which I said unto you. For that Paraclete taught other things also: ch. John 16:12-13, “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth.” Nor, however, even subsequently, were the whole of the dogmas of Christian truth infused into the apostles in one condensed mass; but as often as they needed them, and as the occasion suggested, the Paraclete instructed them in all the parts of the Apostolic office.—ὑπομνήσει, shall bring to your remembrance) This very discourse (homily) furnishes an instance, as having been a long time afterwards so accurately written out by John. Add Acts 11:16, [Peter says] “Then remembered I the word of the Lord, how that He said, John indeed baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost.”

John 14:26

Vincent's Word Studies

In my name

See on John 14:13.

He (ἐκεῖνος)

Setting the Advocate distinctly and sharply before the hearers. The pronoun is used in John's First Epistle, distinctively of our Lord. See 1 John 2:6; 1 John 3:3, 1 John 3:5, 1 John 3:7, 1 John 3:16; 1 John 4:17.

I have said (εἶπον)

The aorist tense, I said.