John 17:9

17:9 I am praying ¹  on behalf of them. I am not praying ²  on behalf of the world, but on behalf of those you have given me, because they belong to you. ³ 

John 17:15

17:15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but that you keep them safe ⁴  from the evil one. ⁵ 

John 17:20

Jesus Prays for Believers Everywhere

17:20 “I am not praying ⁶  only on their behalf, but also on behalf of those who believe ⁷  in me through their testimony, ⁸ 

[17:9]  ¹ tn Grk “I am asking.”

[17:9]  ² tn Grk “I am not asking.”

[17:9]  ³ tn Or “because they are yours.”

[17:15]  ⁴ tn Or “that you protect them”; Grk “that you keep them.”

[17:15]  ⁵ tn The phrase “the evil one” is a reference to Satan. The genitive noun τοῦ πονηροῦ (tou ponhrou) is ambiguous with regard to gender: It may represent the neuter τὸ πονηρόν (to ponhron), “that which is evil,” or the masculine ὁ πονηρός (Jo ponhro"), “the evil one,” i.e., Satan. In view of the frequent use of the masculine in 1 John 2:13-14, 3:12, and 5:18-19 it seems much more probable that the masculine is to be understood here, and that Jesus is praying for his disciples to be protected from Satan. Cf. BDAG 851 s.v. πονηρός 1.b.β and 1.b.γ.

[17:20]  ⁷ tn Or “I do not pray.”

[17:20]  ⁸ tn Although πιστευόντων (pisteuontwn) is a present participle, it must in context carry futuristic force. The disciples whom Jesus is leaving behind will carry on his ministry and in doing so will see others come to trust in him. This will include not only Jewish Christians, but other Gentile Christians who are “not of this fold” (10:16), and thus Jesus’ prayer for unity is especially appropriate in light of the probability that most of the readers of the Gospel are Gentiles (much as Paul stresses unity between Jewish and Gentile Christians in Eph 2:10-22).

[17:20]  ⁹ tn Grk “their word.”