John 14:7
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him.
Original Language Analysis
γινώσκετε
ye had known
G1097
γινώσκετε
ye had known
Strong's:
G1097
Word #:
2 of 17
to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
καὶ
also
G2532
καὶ
also
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
4 of 17
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
τὸν
G3588
τὸν
Strong's:
G3588
Word #:
5 of 17
the (sometimes to be supplied, at others omitted, in english idiom)
πατέρα
Father
G3962
πατέρα
Father
Strong's:
G3962
Word #:
6 of 17
a "father" (literally or figuratively, near or more remote)
γινώσκετε
ye had known
G1097
γινώσκετε
ye had known
Strong's:
G1097
Word #:
8 of 17
to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
καὶ
also
G2532
καὶ
also
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
10 of 17
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
ἀπ'
from
G575
ἀπ'
from
Strong's:
G575
Word #:
11 of 17
"off," i.e., away (from something near), in various senses (of place, time, or relation; literal or figurative)
γινώσκετε
ye had known
G1097
γινώσκετε
ye had known
Strong's:
G1097
Word #:
13 of 17
to "know" (absolutely) in a great variety of applications and with many implications (as follow, with others not thus clearly expressed)
αὐτόν
him
G846
αὐτόν
him
Strong's:
G846
Word #:
14 of 17
the reflexive pronoun self, used (alone or in the comparative g1438) of the third person, and (with the proper personal pronoun) of the other persons
καὶ
also
G2532
καὶ
also
Strong's:
G2532
Word #:
15 of 17
and, also, even, so then, too, etc.; often used in connection (or composition) with other particles or small words
Cross References
John 8:19Then said they unto him, Where is thy Father? Jesus answered, Ye neither know me, nor my Father: if ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also.Luke 10:22All things are delivered to me of my Father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him.John 17:8For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me.John 17:6I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.1 John 2:13I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you, little children, because ye have known the Father.John 17:21That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.John 17:26And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them.John 16:3And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me.John 17:23I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.Hebrews 1:3Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high;
Historical Context
Spoken in the Upper Room on Passover night, hours before crucifixion (AD 33). Jesus addresses disciples' anxiety about his departure (14:1-6). Philip's Hellenistic background may explain his desire for visible theophany (v. 8), recalling Moses's request in Exodus 33:18. Jewish monotheism made Jesus's claim to reveal God scandalous—this statement asserts deity without qualification.
Questions for Reflection
- How does knowing Christ as He reveals Himself in Scripture change your understanding of God the Father's character?
- What difference does it make that we 'know' God through relationship with Jesus rather than through mystical experience or philosophical speculation?
Related Resources
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Analysis & Commentary
If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also (εἰ ἐγνώκειτέ με καὶ τὸν Πατέρα μου ἂν ᾔδειτε)—Jesus employs two Greek verbs for 'knowing': ginōskō (experiential knowledge) and oida (intuitive, complete knowledge). To truly know Christ is necessarily to know the Father, for they share the same divine essence (John 1:1, 10:30). This isn't merely intellectual assent but intimate, transformative relationship.
And from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him (ἀπ' ἄρτι γινώσκετε αὐτὸν καὶ ἑωράκατε αὐτόν)—The perfect tense heōrakate ('have seen') indicates ongoing reality: in beholding Christ's glory, character, and works for three years, the disciples have been gazing upon the invisible God made visible (Colossians 1:15, Hebrews 1:3). This declaration transforms their past confusion into present certainty—they already possess what Philip will shortly request to see (v. 8).