Bible Strands
John 17:2
For You granted Him authority over all people, so that He may give eternal life to all those You have given Him.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — Jesus addresses the Father in prayer at the threshold of the cross (John 17:1), speaking of Himself in the third person within what is often called the high priestly prayer.
The words — ἐξουσία (exousia) carries the verse: not raw power but delegated authority, the right to act on another's behalf. The scope is πᾶσης σαρκός, "all flesh," a universal range that the BSB renders "all people."
The thread — Daniel 7:14 grants the Son of Man dominion over every nation, language, and people; John 6:39 and 10:28 tie the giving of eternal life specifically to those the Father has delivered to the Son.
Why it lands — The verse places the reader inside "those You have given Him," making eternal life a function of delegated authority rather than human effort. It asks the reader to locate their standing in that chain: Father → Son → them.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.
Cross-references
- John 10:28 I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them out of My hand.
- John 6:39 And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of those He has given Me, but raise them up at the last day.
- Daniel 7:14 And He was given dominion, glory, and kingship, that the people of every nation and language should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and His kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.
- John 6:37 Everyone the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will never drive away.
- Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me.
- John 17:24 Father, I want those You have given Me to be with Me where I am, that they may see the glory You gave Me because You loved Me before the foundation of the world.
- John 17:9 I ask on their behalf. I do not ask on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those You have given Me; for they are Yours.
- Hebrews 2:8 and placed everything under his feet.” When God subjected all things to him, He left nothing outside of his control. Yet at present we do not see everything subject to him.
- 1 John 5:20 And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true—in His Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life.
- Psalms 2:6 “I have installed My King on Zion, upon My holy mountain.”