John 17:3

And this is life eternal More exactly, But the life eternal is this. - Thelife eternal" means that which has just been mentioned; and -is this" means -this is what it consists in:" comp. John 3:19; John 15:12.

that they might know Literally, in order that they may recognise; comp. John 6:29; John 15:12; 1 John 3:11; 1 John 3:23; 1 John 5:3; 2 John 1:6. The eternal life is spoken of as already present (see on John 3:36; John 5:24; John 6:47; John 6:54); hence -may," not -might." Moreover it is the appropriationof the knowledge that is specially emphasized; hence -recognise" rather than simply -know." Comp. Wis 15:3.

thee the only true God i.e. -Thee as the only true God." For -true" see note on John 1:9 and comp. John 4:23; John 6:32; John 15:1: -the only true God" is directed against the many false, spurious gods of the heathen. This portion of the truth was what the Gentilesso signally failed to recognise.

Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent Better, Him whom Thou didst send Jesus Christ; or, Jesus as Christ. This portion of the truth the Jewsfailed to recognise. But the words are not without difficulty, even when, we insert the -as;" and the run of the Greek words is rather against the insertion of -as." If -Christ" were a predicate and not part of the proper name we should expect -Jesus, whom Thou didst send, as Christ." Probably in this verse we have the substanceand not the exact words of Christ's utterance. That He should use the name -Jesus" here is perhaps improbable; that He should anticipate the use of -Jesus Christ" as a proper name is very improbable; and the expression -the true God" is not used elsewhere by Christ and is used by S. John (1 John 5:20), We conclude, therefore, that the wordinghere is the Evangelist's, perhaps abbreviated from the actual words.