ἁγίασον (agiason) in John 17:17: Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative

Verb: the form names an action, state, or verbal idea. The verse determines how strongly the verbal form should be pressed.

Aorist: tense and aspect describe how the action is presented in this form, but context decides the exact force.

Active: voice describes how the subject relates to the verbal action in this form.

Imperative: the form's mood helps explain how the verbal idea functions in the clause.

Second Person: the form marks who is involved in the verbal assertion, command, or clause.

Not applicable: this finite verb form is not using noun case to mark its sentence role.

Singular: the form is marked for grammatical number and should be tied to the subject or clause it serves.

Not applicable: this finite verb form does not use grammatical gender to make its point.

ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ

The imperative request in John 17:17

ἁγίασον is a Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative within "ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ". The imperative verb states the prayer request: sanctify them in the truth.

The verb does not make sanctification a human project detached from the Father's action and the truth named in the verse.

High: The form matters because it functions as command in John 17:17.

Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative. states the petition Jesus makes. Attached to Jesus' prayer request to the Father. Governed by the imperative request in John 17:17. The syntax should be explained from the clause, not isolated from the passage.

What does Jesus ask the Father to do? The imperative verb states the prayer request: sanctify them in the truth.

Direct: The imperative directly supports rendering the request as sanctify them.

The same morphology label can function differently in another verse. The immediate wording should decide the contextual force. Grammar identifies the form's role; the passage supplies the interpretive weight. Grammatical gender is not a separate theological claim.

Grammar alone proves doctrine: The form supports interpretation only as it serves the verse and its context. imperative always means command from superior to inferior: Imperative mood must be read in context. Here it functions within Jesus' prayer to the Father. grammatical gender proves theology: Grammatical gender is a language feature and should not be pressed beyond the verse.

The Textus Receptus witness for John 17:17 reads ἁγίασον with the morphology label Verb Second Person Singular Aorist Active Imperative.

The lemma is ἁγιάζω. The guide uses the gloss "I make holy, sanctify" only to orient this occurrence.

ἁγίασον appears in the phrase "ἁγίασον αὐτοὺς ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ". The imperative verb states the prayer request: sanctify them in the truth.

John 17:17 asks the Father to sanctify Jesus' people in the truth, with God's word identified as truth.

The form fits John's emphasis that holiness is bound to the Father's action and the truth of his word.

When teaching John 17:17, use this form to show that sanctification is requested from the Father and tied to truth, not treated as vague self-improvement.

Do not make the imperative imply that Jesus commands the Father as a superior. In context, it is the Son's prayerful petition.