John 17:12

“When I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.”
John 17:12 · direct translation from the Greek

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With the Greek beneath

WhenὅτεI wasἤμηνwithμετ’them,αὐτῶνIἐγὼkeptἐτήρουνthemαὐτοὺςinἐνyour name,τῷ ὀνόματί σουwhichᾧyou have givenδέδωκάςme;μοιandκαὶI guarded them,ἐφύλαξαandκαὶnoneοὐδεὶςofἐξthemαὐτῶνwas lostἀπώλετοexceptεἰ μὴthe sonὁ υἱὸςof destruction,τῆς ἀπωλείαςso thatἵναthe Scriptureἡ γραφὴmight be fulfilled.πληρωθῇ

Quotation · John 18:9

Go to John 18:9

John applies to Jesus the same formula of fulfillment as to Scripture, with words from the prayer of 17:12 (also 6:39).

Formula: ἵνα πληρωθῇ ὁ λόγος ὃν εἶπεν ὅτι “so that the word might be fulfilled that he had spoken” (John 18:9)

John 17:12, word by word

I wasἤμηνēmēn

be present

To be in a place or with someone.

Where else “ēmēn” appears

keptἐτήρουνetēroun

guard

To protect, watch over, or set aside for later.

Where else “etēroun” appears

your nameὀνόματίonomati

name

The word by which a person or thing is called, which often says who they are.

Where else “onomati” appears

you have givenδέδωκάςdedōkas

give

To hand something to another freely, as a gift.

Where else “dedōkas” appears

I guarded themἐφύλαξαephylaxa

protect

To shield from evil, or beware of something.

Where else “ephylaxa” appears

was lostἀπώλετοapōleto

perish

To die, or be cut off from God forever.

Where else “apōleto” appears

the sonυἱὸςhuios

one belonging to

Someone with the character of something: "children of light".

Where else “huios” appears

of destructionἀπωλείαςapōleias

destruction

Final ruin, the opposite of being saved.

Where else “apōleias” appears

the Scriptureγραφὴgraphē

Scripture

Scripture: the sacred text; "the Scriptures", the Old Testament.

Where else “graphē” appears

might be fulfilledπληρωθῇplērōthēi

be fulfilled

For what was foretold to come true.

Where else “plērōthēi” appears

Translation note

“The son of destruction” is a Hebrew expression: the one headed for destruction. It can be understood as referring to Judas (compare 13:18 and Psalm 41:9).

Parallel passages

Other books that tell the same thing or quote these words.

Quotation · John 18:9

John applies to Jesus the same formula of fulfillment as to Scripture, with words from the prayer of 17:12 (also 6:39).

See them side by side

John 17:12

¹²When I was with them, I kept them in your name, which you have given me; and I guarded them, and none of them was lost except the son of destruction, so that the Scripture might be fulfilled.

John 18:9

⁹This was so that the word might be fulfilled that he had spoken, “Of those whom you have given me, I have not lost a single one.”

The context

11And I am no longer in the world, but they are in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name, which you have given me, so that they may be one, as we are.

12 · This verse (above)

13But now I am coming to you, and I speak these things in the world so that they may have my joy made complete in themselves.

Read all of John 17

To study John 17 in a group

1. What it says
In his prayer, what does Jesus say eternal life is, and for whom does he pray? (vv. 3, 9, 20)
2. What it means
Jesus asks that all his own be one, as the Father and he are one (vv. 21-23). What does he say the world will know when that happens?
3. How I live it
Jesus prays for those who would believe through his disciples' word (v. 20). Whom could you pray for today with the same tenderness?

How to use it