John 17:19
in John 17For them I sanctify Myself, so that they too may be sanctified by the truth.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth.
KJV
And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.
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This verse in John 17
Commentary
18 notes on this verseLet us pay attention to the distinction of the Godhead from the flesh. In each there speaks one and the same Son of God, for each nature is present in him. And yet, while it is the same person who speaks, he does not always speak in the same way. At one time you see in him the glory of God, at another time human characteristics. As God he speaks the things of God because he is the Word.
This site's exposition
You sent Me into the world
on John 17:18-19
You sent Me into the world sets the pattern. For them I sanctify Myself means the Son setting Himself apart for the sacrifice hours away. Their own setting apart rests on His, and the same sending now falls on them, so that they too are sanctified by the truth.
This site's exposition
For them I sanctify Myself
Jesus had no sin, so to sanctify Himself here is to set Himself apart for the work the Father gave Him, His death for them. Of the disciples the same word adds a cleansing first, for only what is holy can be given to God. The picture is the high priest with the blood.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers5 voices
(Tr. cviii) It is manifest by this, that He is still speaking of the Apostles; for the very word Apostle means in the Greek, sent. But since they are His members, in that He is the Head of the Church, He says, And for their sakes I sanctify Myself; i. e. I in Myself sanctify them, since they are Myself. And to make it more clear that this was His meaning, He adds, That they also might be sanctified through the truth, i. e. in Me; inasmuch as the Word is truth, in which the Son of man was sanctified from the time that the Word was made flesh. For then He sanctified Himself in Himself, i. e. Himself as man, in Himself as the Word: the Word and man being one Christ. But of His members it is that He saith, And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, i. e. them in Me, since in Me both they and I are. That they also might be sanctified in truth: they also, i. e. even as Myself; and in the truth, i. e. Myself.
But since, on the ground that the Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, has become Head of the Church, they are His members; therefore He says in the words that follow, "And for their sakes I sanctify myself." For what means He by the words, "And for their sakes I sanctify myself," but I sanctify them in myself, since they also are [part of] myself? For those of whom He so speaks are, as I have said, His members; and the head and body are one Christ, as the apostle teaches when he says of the seed of Abraham, "And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed," after having said before, "He saith not, And to seeds, as in many, but as in one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." If, then, the seed of Abraham is Christ, what else is declared to those to whom he says, "Then are ye Abraham's seed," but then are ye Christ? Of the same character is what this very apostle said in another place: "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is lacking of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh." He said not, of my afflictions, but "of Christ's;" for he was a member of Christ, and in his persecutions, such as it behoved Christ to suffer in the whole of His body, he also was filling up his own share of His afflictions. And to be assured of the certainty of this in the present passage, give heed to what follows. For after saying, "And for their sakes I sanctify myself," to let us understand that He thereby meant that He would sanctify them in Himself, He immediately added, "That they also may be sanctified in the truth." And what else is this but in me, in accordance with the fact that the truth is that Word in the beginning which is God? In whom also the Son of man was Himself sanctified from the beginning of His creation, when the Word was made flesh, for the Word and the man became one person. […]
A commentator
Cyril of AlexandriaCommentary on the Gospel of John - Book 11 · Written before 444.
proposed
And if we may sum up in brief the whole matter, Christ called down upon us the ancient gift of humanity, that is, sanctification through the Spirit and communion with the Divine Nature, His disciples being the first to receive it; for the saying is true, that the husbandman that laboureth must be the first to partake of the fruits. But that He might herein also indeed have the preeminence (for it was meet that He, being, as it were, one of many brethren, and still Man even as we are men, should, through being in our likeness, be seen to be and in fact be the Beginning, and the Gate, and the Way, of every good thing for us), He is impelled to add what follows, namely, the words: For their sakes I sanctify Myself.
"And for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified in the truth." What is, "I sanctify Myself"? "I offer to Thee a sacrifice." Now all sacrifices are called "holy," and those are specially called "holy things," which are laid up for God. For whereas of old in type the sanctification was by the sheep, but now it is not in type, but by the truth itself, He therefore saith, "That they may be sanctified in Thy truth." "For I both dedicate them to Thee, and make them an offering"; this He saith, either because their Head was being made so, or because they also were sacrificed; for, "Present," it saith, "your bodies a living sacrifice, holy"; and, "We were counted as sheep for the slaughter." And He maketh them; without death, a sacrifice and offering; for that He alluded to His own sacrifice, when He said, "I sanctify," is clear from what follows.
[Christ says], "The reason I bring myself to the passion is so that through me they may obtain the sanctification that comes through the Spirit, and be sanctified and be empowered to preach the truth, being certain of the hope of the resurrection." He says …
10 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
He adds: "As You sent Me into the world... and for them I consecrate Myself," that is, I offer Myself as a sacrifice; so sanctify them also, that is, set them apart as a sacrifice for the sake of preaching and appoint them as witnesses …
And for them I sanctify myself: Chrysostom: "That is, I offer a holy sacrifice. All sacrificial victims were called holy"; Romans 12: "Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing to God"; and as Chrysostom says, "because in ancient times the sanctification was in …
They need to be sanctified not only because of the task they have been given, but also because their sanctification has already been begun by me. Thus he says, and for their sake I sanctify myself. According to Augustine, we should note that there are …
The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices
I sanctify myself - I devote myself as a victim, to be sacrificed.
And for their sakes I sanctify myself,....
The Nineteenth Century5 voices
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
I sanctify myself - I consecrate myself exclusively to the service of God. The word “sanctify” does not refer here to personal sanctification, for he had no sin, but to setting himself apart entirely to the work of redemption. That they also ... - 1. That they might have an example of the proper manner of laboring in the ministry, and might learn of me how to discharge its duties. Ministers will understand their work best when they most faithfully study the example of their great model, the Son of God.
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
These wonderful verses form a fitting conclusion of the most wonderful prayer that was ever prayed on earth —the last Lord's prayer after the first Lord's Supper. They contain three most important petitions which our Lord offered up in behalf of His disciples. On these three petitions let us fix our attention. Passing by all other things in the passage, let us look steadily at these three points. We should mark, first, how Jesus prays that His people may be sanctified. "Sanctify them," He says, "through your truth—Your word is truth."
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
"The only difference between the application of the same term to Christ and the disciples is, as applied to Christ, that it means only to 'consecrate'; whereas, in application to the disciples, it means to 'consecrate' with the additional idea of previous sanctification, since nothing but what is holy can be presented as an offering.
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — odd-straight-quotes
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1869)
proposed
These wonderful verses form a fitting conclusion of the most wonderful prayer that was ever prayed on earth —the last Lord's prayer after the first Lord's Supper. They contain three most important petitions which our Lord offered up in behalf of His disciples. On these three petitions let us fix our attention. Passing by all other things in the passage, let us look steadily at these three points. We should mark, first, how Jesus prays that His people may be sanctified. "Sanctify them," He says, "through your truth—Your word is truth." We need not doubt that, in this place at any rate, the word "sanctify" means "make holy." It is a prayer that the Father would make His people more holy, more spiritual, more pure, more saintly in thought and word and deed, in life and character. Grace had done something for the disciples already—called, converted, renewed, and changed them. The great Head of the Church prays that the work of grace may be carried higher and further, and that His people may be more thoroughly sanctified and made holy in body, soul, and spirit—in fact more like Himself. Surely we need not say much to show the matchless wisdom of this prayer. More holiness is the very thing to be desired for all servants of Christ. Holy living is the great proof of the reality of Christianity. Men may refuse to see the truth of our arguments, but they cannot evade the evidence of a godly life. Such a life adorns religion and makes it beautiful, and sometimes wins those who are not "won by the Word." Holy living trains Christians for heaven. The nearer we live to God while we live, the more ready shall we be to dwell forever in His presence when we die. Our entrance into heaven will be entirely by grace, and not of works; but heaven itself would be no heaven to us if we entered it with an unsanctified character. Our hearts must be in tune for heaven if we are to enjoy it.
I sanctify myself - I consecrate and devote myself to death - that I may thereby purchase eternal salvation for them. There seems to be here an allusion to the entering of the high priest into the holy of holies, when, having offered the sacrifice, he sprinkled the blood before the ark of the covenant. So Jesus entered into the holiest of all by his own blood, in order to obtain everlasting redemption for men: see Heb 9:11-13. The word, ἁγιαζω, to consecrate or sanctify, is used in the sense of devoting to death, in Jer 12:3, both in the Hebrew and in the Septuagint: the Hebrew קדש signifies also to sacrifice.
The words behind it
13 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| ὑπὲρ | huper | for | G5228 → | 155 times |
| αὐτῶν | auton | them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἐγὼ | ego | I myself | G1473 → | 839 times |
| ἁγιάζω | hagiazo | sanctify | G37 → | 28 times |
| ἐμαυτόν, | emauton | Myself, | G1473 → | 839 times |
| ἵνα | ina | that | G2443 → | 668 times |
| ὦσιν | osin | may be | G1510 → | 2333 times |
| καὶ | kai | also | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| αὐτοὶ | autoi | they themselves | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ἡγιασμένοι | hegiasmenoi | sanctified | G37 → | 28 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| ἀληθείᾳ. | aletheia | truth. | G225 → | 109 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
ὑπὲρfor
huperG5228 →155 times
αὐτῶνthem
autonG846 →5565 times
ἐγὼI myself
egoG1473 →839 times
ἁγιάζωsanctify
hagiazoG37 →28 times
ἐμαυτόν,Myself,
emautonG1473 →839 times
ἵναthat
inaG2443 →668 times
ὦσινmay be
osinG1510 →2333 times
καὶalso
kaiG2532 →9120 times
αὐτοὶthey themselves
autoiG846 →5565 times
ἡγιασμένοιsanctified
hegiasmenoiG37 →28 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
ἀληθείᾳ.truth.
aletheiaG225 →109 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
John 17:17Sanctify them by the truth; Your word is truth.
it leads to
- John 15:3
You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you.
- Psalms 119:160
The entirety of Your word is truth, and all Your righteous judgments endure forever.
- Ephesians 5:26
to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word,
- 1 Peter 1:22–23
Since you have purified your souls by obedience to the truth so that you have a genuine love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from a pure heart.
- John 8:32
Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
- John 15:3
Through
Titus 2:14He gave Himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.
it leads to
- Hebrews 9:14
how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself unblemished to God, purify our consciences from works of death, so that we may serve the living God!
- Ephesians 2:10
For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance as our way of life.
- 1 Peter 2:9
But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, to proclaim the virtues of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.
- Hebrews 9:14
Where this verse is studied
By subject
Holiness35 verses
On this page
About John
This page draws on 18 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Gospels; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Exposition of the Christian Faith 2.9.77-78; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Augustine of Hippo, Tractates on John 108; Bonaventure, Commentary on John, Chapter 17; Brooke Foss Westcott, The Gospel according to St. John; Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on the Gospel of John - Book 11; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: John (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Homily on the Gospel of John 82; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Theodore of Mopsuestia, COMMENTARY ON JOHN 6.17.19; Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on John and Thomas Aquinas, Commentary on John.