John 13:1

Now before the feast of the passover These words give a date not to any one word in the verse, whether -knew" or -having loved" or -loved," but to the narrative which follows. Their most natural meaning is that some evening before the Passover Jesus was at supper with His disciples. This was probably Thursday evening, the beginning of Nisan 14: but the difficult question of the Day of the Crucifixion is too long for a note and is discussed in Appendix A.

when Jesus knew Or, Jesus knowing (John 13:3). The Greek may mean either -although He knew" or -because He knew." The latter is better: it was precisely because He knew that He would soon return to glory that He gave this last token of self-humiliating love.

his hour was come See on John 2:4; John 7:6; John 11:9. Till His hour had come His enemies could do nothing but plot (John 7:30; John 8:20).

that he should Literally, in order that He should, of the Divine purpose. See on John 12:23.

depart out of Or, pass over out of:it is the same verb and preposition as in John 5:24.; -hath passed overout of death into life."

his own Those whom God had given Him, John 1:11-12; John 17:11; Acts 4:23; Acts 24:23.

unto the end The end of His life is the common interpretation, which may be right Comp. Matthew 10:22; Matthew 24:13, where the same Greek expression is translated as it is here; and 1 Thessalonians 2:16, where it is translated -to the uttermost." In Luke 18:5 -continual coming" is literally -coming to the end." In all these passages the meaning may either be -at the last, finally," or, -to the uttermost, utterly." To the uttermost is perhaps to be preferred here. Comp. the LXX. of Amos 9:8; Psalms 12:1.