John 17:2

As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(2) As thou hast given him power over all flesh.—Better, According as thou gavest Him . . . This is the ground on which the prayer in John 17:1 is based. (Comp. John 10:36; John 13:3.) The glory for which He asks is in accordance with the decree which appointed His Messianic work.

“All flesh” represents a Greek translation of a Hebrew phrase. It occurs again in Matthew 24:22; Mark 13:20; Luke 3:6; Acts 2:17; Romans 3:20; 1Corinthians 1:29; 1Corinthians 15:39; Galatians 2:16; 1Peter 1:24. St. John uses it in this place only. Its especial signification is humanity as such, considered in its weakness and imperfection.

That he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.—Literally, That all whom thou gavest Him, He may give to them eternal life. (Comp. John 17:6, and Note on John 6:37 et seq.) The word “all” is in the Greek a neuter singular, and signifies collectively the whole body of humanity given to Christ. The word for “to them” is masculine and plural, and signifies the individual reception on the part of those to whom eternal life is given. (Comp. Notes on John 6:39-40.)

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

17:1-5 Our Lord prayed as a man, and as the Mediator of his people; yet he spoke with majesty and authority, as one with and equal to the Father. Eternal life could not be given to believers, unless Christ, their Surety, both glorified the Father, and was glorified of him. This is the sinner's way to eternal life, and when this knowledge shall be made perfect, holiness and happiness will be fully enjoyed. The holiness and happiness of the redeemed, are especially that glory of Christ, and of his Father, which was the joy set before him, for which he endured the cross and despised the shame; this glory was the end of the sorrow of his soul, and in obtaining it he was fully satisfied. Thus we are taught that our glorifying God is needed as an evidence of our interest in Christ, through whom eternal life is God's free gift.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

As thou hast given him power - It was on the ground of this power given to Christ that the apostles were commanded to go and teach all nations. See the notes at Matthew 28:18-19.

All flesh - All men, Matthew 24:22; Luke 3:6.

That he should give eternal life - See the notes at John 5:24.

To as many as thou hast given him - See the notes at John 10:16; John 6:37. To all on whom the Father has purposed to bestow the blessings of redemption through his Son. God has a plan in all he does, extending to men as well as to other objects. One part of his plan was that the atonement of Christ should not be in vain. Hence he promised him that he should see of the travail of his soul and should be satisfied Isaiah 53:11; and hence the Saviour had the assurance that the Father had given him a portion of the human family, and would apply this great work to them. It is to be observed here that the Saviour in this prayer makes an important distinction between "all flesh" and those who were "given to him." He has power over all. He can control, direct, restrain them. Wicked men are so far under his universal dominion, and so far restrained by his power, that they will not be able to prevent his bestowing redemption on those were given him that is, all who will believe on him. Long ago, if they had been able, they would have banished religion from the world; but they are under the power of Christ, and it is his purpose that there shall be "a seed to serve him," and that "the gates of hell shall not prevail" against his church. Men who oppose the gospel should therefore feel that they cannot prevent the salvation of Christians, and should be alarmed lest they be found "fighting against God."

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

2. given—gavest

him power over all flesh—(See on [1871]Mt 11:27; [1872]Mt 28:18-20).

give eternal life to as many as, &c.—literally, "to all that which thou hast given him." (See on [1873]Joh 6:37-40).

Matthew Poole's Commentary

I see no reason for any to contend here, that by all flesh the elect only, who shall be eternally saved, are to be understood; Christ’s power undoubtedly extendeth further than to the elect, though to them only for salvation; he hath a power over reprobates and unbelievers to condemn them, as well as over his elect, to bring them to eternal life and salvation. The former part of the text speaketh of the more general power and authority, by which the Father had already made Christ glorious; putting all things under his feet, and causing all knees to bow down unto him; which are other phrases by which the same things are expressed, 1 Corinthians 15:27 Philippians 2:10. This general power our Saviour executeth according to the counsels of God, with respect to their faith or unbelief. As to those given to Christ, that he should die in their stead, and with the price of his blood purchase eternal life for them; Christ executeth his power in giving them eternal life: under which notion (as appeareth from many other scriptures) is comprehended, not the end only, which is eternal life and happiness, but all the necessary means in order to that end; from whence we are to observe, that eternal life is a free gift, that the Son gives only to such as the Father hath given him by his eternal counsels; so that all shall not be saved; for the term

as many as, & c., is plainly restrictive, and limits the gift to a certain number. And to examine our right to it, we need not ascend up into heaven, to search the rolls of the eternal counsels; for all whom the Father hath given him shall come unto him, and not only receive him as their High Priest, but give up themselves to be ruled and guided by him, by the efficacious working of the Spirit of his grace. By such a receiving of Christ, and giving up of ourselves to his conduct and government, we shall know whether we be of the number of those that are given to Christ; and till we find this, we have no reason to conclude it, but to fear and suspect the contrary.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

As thou hast given him power over all flesh,.... All men, in distinction from angels; and these as fallen, as weak, frail, sinful, and mortal creatures; men of every nation, Jew or Gentile, and of every character, elect or non-elect: not but that he has also a power over angels; nor is his power over men limited to their "flesh" or bodies, but reaches to their spirits or souls also: which power is a governing, disposing, and judicial one; he rules them with a sceptre of righteousness, he disposes of them in providence as he pleases, and will judge them at the last day: and this is a power that is "given" him by his Father, and is not that original power over all things he has as God, and the Creator of them, which is natural, essential, and underived; but is a derived and delegated power, which he has as Mediator, as subservient to the ends and designs of his office: and as God glorified him as such, by giving him this power; so he glorifies him again, by acknowledging it, and by using it for the end for which it is given:

that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him; eternal life is a gift, and not owing to the merits of men; indeed there is no merit in men's works, no, not in the best; for these are previously due to God, cannot be profitable to him, if done aright, are not done in the creature's strength, but through the grace of God, and bear no proportion to eternal life; which is in Christ's gift: not only the promise of it is in him, but that itself; it is put into his hands, and he came into this world, that his people might have it; he has procured it, and has removed what lay in the way of their enjoyment of it; he has a right to bestow it, and their right unto it comes by him, through his blood and righteousness: the persons on whom he confers this gift, are not all men, but such as the Father in the everlasting covenant has given to him, as his people and portion, his spouse and children, his jewels and his treasure, to be saved and enjoyed by him; whom he has chosen and preserved in him, and made his care and charge; to these, and every one of these, Christ gives this great blessing; nor shalt any of them come short of it; and it is for the sake of this, that all creatures and things, all power in heaven and in earth, are given to him.

Geneva Study Bible

As thou hast given him power over {a} all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.

(a) Over all men.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Expositor's Greek Testament

John 17:2. This is the object of Christ’s manifestation and reign. This glorification of the Son, which is now imminent, is in accordance with the purpose of the Father in giving the Son power over men: καθὼς ἔδωκας αὐτῷ ἐξουσίαν … αἰώνιον. Only by His being glorified could the Son give this eternal life, and so fulfil the commission with which He was entrusted ἐξουσίαν ἔδωκας is explained in John 12:27 and the verses preceding: Matthew 11:27; Hebrews 1:2. πάσης σαρκὸς represents כָּל־בָשָׂר, Genesis 6:12, Isaiah 40:6, etc., and denotes the human race as possessed of a frail, terrestrial existence, lacking ζωὴν αἰώνιον. ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκας αὐτῷ, the neuter, as in John 6:39, resolved into the individuals in αὐτοῖς; and on the nominative absolute, see Buttmann’s N.T. Gram., 379; and Kypke in loc.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

2. As thou hast given him power] Better, Even as Thou gavest Him authority. The authority was given once for all, and is the reason for the petition in John 17:1. Comp. John 5:27.

all flesh] A Hebraism not used elsewhere in this Gospel. Comp. Matthew 24:22; Luke 3:6; Acts 2:17; Romans 3:20, &c. Fallen man, man in his frailty, is specially meant; but the Second Adam has dominion also over ‘all sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field, the fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea.’ Psalm 8:7-8. In the following texts ‘all flesh’ includes the brute creation; Genesis 6:19; Genesis 7:15-16; Genesis 7:21; Genesis 8:17; Genesis 9:11; Genesis 9:15-17; Psalm 136:25; Jeremiah 32:27; Jeremiah 45:5. Once more, therefore, Jewish enclusiveness is condemned. The Messiah is King of ‘all flesh,’ not of the Jews only.

that he should give, &c.] Literally, in order that all that Thou hast given Him, He should give to them eternal life. ‘All that’ is neuter singular; ‘to them’ is masculine plural. Believers are given to Christ as a united whole; they earn eternal life as individuals. Comp. John 1:11, John 6:37.

Bengel's Gnomen

John 17:2. Καθὼς, even as) This clause answers to the former member, glorify, etc.—ἐξουσίαν, power) against the enemy, who had brought into subjection all flesh. Colossians 1:13, “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son.”—ἵνα πᾶν, that all, etc.) This clause answers to the former member, ἵνα, that Thy Son also may glorify Thee.—πᾶν—αὐτοῖς, all—to them) See note on ch. John 6:37, πᾶν ὃ δίδωσίν μοι ὁ Πατὴρ, all that the Father giveth Me shall come to Me [In the discourses of Jesus, what the Father gave to Him is called in the singular number and neuter gender πᾶν, all, everything: those who come to the Son Himself are described in the masculine or even in the plural, πᾶς, every one, or they. The Father gave the whole mass, as it were, in order that they all whom He gave should be one, ἕν, one whole: this whole the Son evolves in detail, and singly (one by one) in the execution. What some would call a solecism of construction in the Greek here, really contains beneath it a divine elegance of style, which would never seem harsh to Hebrews]. The collective singular πᾶν, all, everything, and the ἓν, one, one thing, John 17:11 (That they may be one) accord one with another.—δώσῃ) The Future Subjunctive, as θεωρήσωσι, ch. John 7:3, “Go into Judea that Thy disciples also may see.” For if it were not the Future, the Evangelist would probably have written θεωρῶσι, after the Present ὕπαγε. So we have θήσω, ἔσῃ, καυθήσωμαι, κερδηθήσωμαι used as Future Subjunctives. Comp. ἵνα ἔσται, in order that there may be to them. Others read δώσει.[369]

[369] So Δ. D reads ἔχῃ for δώσῃ αὐτοῖς, evidently to avoid the more difficult construction, Πᾶν—δώση αὐτοῖς. But Bengel’s canon holds good, “Priestat ardua lectio procliviori,” as being the least likely to be due to interpolation. ABabc Vulg. Hil. read δώσῃ.—E. and T.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 2. - Even as thou gavest him authority - an indefeasible claim of influence and intimate organic relations with humanity - over all flesh. [This phrase answers to (col bosor) the Old Testament term for the whole of humanity, the entire race, and is one adopted by New Testament writers (Matthew 24:22; Luke 3:6; 1 Corinthians 1:29; Galatians 2:16).] This authority was implied in his incarnation and sacrifice, and in the recapitulation of all things in him. St. Paul says, "Because he tasted death for every man, God has highly exalted him, and given him the Name that is above every name," etc. These opening words reveal the universality and world-wide aspects of the mission and authority and saving power of the Son of God. He holds the keys of the kingdom and city of God. The government is upon his shoulder. Through him all the nations on earth are to be blessed. But the dependence of "all flesh" upon a Divine gift of eternal life through him is no less conspicuous; hence the hopelessness of human nature as it is and apart from grace. The end of this glorification of the Son in the Father is that, in the exercise of this authority, he may give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. The construction is unusual, and literally rendered would be, that with reference to the whole of that which thou hast given him, to them he should give eternal life. The clause, πᾶν ὅ δέδωκας, may be a nominative or accusative absolute, which, by the defining αὐτοῖς, is subsequently resolved into individual elements. The redeemed humanity of all time has been given to the incarnate Son, and is undoubtedly different from the (πάσα σάρξ) "all flesh" of the previous clause, but it is further explained to mean the individual men and women who receive from him eternal life. The bestowment of eternal life on those thus given to him is the method in which he will glorify the Father (see notes on John 6:37, where the Father is said to draw men to himself by means of the unveiling of his own true character in the Son, and where this drawing is seen to be another way of describing the Father's gift to the Son). Those who are given to Christ are those who are drawn by the Father's grace to see his perfect self-revelation in the face of Jesus Christ, of whom Jesus says, "I will by no means cast them out" (John 6:37), and concerning whom he avers, "No one cometh unto the Father but by me" (John 14:6). Ζώη αἰώνιος, life eternal, is frequently described as his gift. From the first the evangelist has regarded ξώη as the inherent and inalienable prerogative of the "Logos," and the source of all the "light" which has lighted men. This "life," which is "light," came into the world in his birth, and became the head of a new humanity. It is clearly more than, and profoundly different from, the principle of unending existence. Life is more than perpetuity of being, and eternity is not endlessness, nor is "eternal life" a mere prolongation of duration; it refers rather to state and quality than to one condition of that state; it is the negation of time rather than indefinite or infinite prolongation of time. That which Christ gives to those who believe in him, receive him, is the life of God himself. It is strongly urged by many that this eternal life is a present realizable possession, that he that hath the Son hath life, and that we are to disregard the future in the conscious enjoyment of this blessedness; but we must not forget that our Lord obviously refers the life eternal to the future in Matthew 19:29; Mark 10:30; Luke 18:30; Matthew 25:46. Nor are these statements, as some have said, incompatible with the representations of this Gospel (see John 6:40, 54; John 11:25; John 12:25). The aionian blessedness may have a partial realization here and now, but not fill our vision is less clouded and our perils are less severe shall we fully apprehend it. Nor is this inconsistent with Ver. 3. John 17:2

Vincent's Word Studies

Power (ἐξουσίαν)

Rev., rightly, authority. See on John 1:12.

All flesh

A Hebrew phrase, denoting the whole of humanity in its imperfection. See Genesis 6:12; Psalm 65:2; Isaiah 40:5, etc.

That He should give eternal life to as many as Thou hast given Him (ἵνα πᾶν ὃ δέδωκας αὐτῷ, δώσῃ αὐτοῖς ζωὴν αἰώνιον)

Literally, that all that Thou hast given Him, to them He should give eternal life. All (πᾶν), singular number, regards the body of Christian disciples collectively: to them, individually.