Limitless Word
I have glorified You on earth by accomplishing the work You gave Me to do.
John 17:4 · Berean Standard Bible
Parallel translations
  • WEB I glorified you on the earth. I have accomplished the work which you have given me to do.
  • KJV I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.
  • NKJV I have glorified You on the earth. I have finished the work which You have given Me to do.
  • NASB I glorified You on the earth by accomplishing the work which You have given Me to do.
  • NLT I brought glory to you here on earth by completing the work you gave me to do.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

Jesus declares that he has glorified the Father on earth by finishing the work given to him. His obedient life and impending death accomplish the Father's saving purpose.

Overview

Spoken on the eve of the cross, this verse views his redemptive work as so certain that it is already as good as done. Jesus glorifies the Father not by avoiding the cross but by completing the mission of salvation. This anticipates his cry 'It is finished' (19:30) and assures believers that their redemption rests on a work fully accomplished by Christ.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 12

  • John 4:34Jesus explained, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me and to finish His work.
  • Acts 20:24But I consider my life of no value to me, if only I may finish my course and complete the ministry I have received from the Lord Jesus—the ministry of testifying to the good news of God’s grace.
  • 2 Tim 4:7I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.
  • John 14:31But I do exactly what the Father has commanded Me, so that the world may know that I love the Father. Get up! Let us go on from here.
  • John 19:30When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished.” And bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.
  • John 13:31–32When Judas had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man is glorified, and God is glorified in Him.
  • John 15:10If you keep My commandments, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and remain in His love.
  • John 12:28Father, glorify Your name!” Then a voice came from heaven: “I have glorified it, and I will glorify it again.”
  • Luke 22:37For I tell you that this Scripture must be fulfilled in Me: ‘And He was numbered with the transgressors.’ For what is written about Me is reaching its fulfillment.”
  • John 9:3Jesus answered, “Neither this man nor his parents sinned, but this happened so that the works of God would be displayed in him.
  • John 14:13And I will do whatever you ask in My name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
  • John 5:36But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works that the Father has given Me to accomplish—the very works I am doing—testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (2)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — John videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on John 17:4YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on JohnMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.

How John 17:4 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.