John 17:4,5 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

I have glorified thee on earth My doctrine, example, and miracles have manifested thy glory here on earth. I have finished the work thou gavest me to do I have almost finished the work which I undertook for man's redemption. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thyself Or, in thine own presence, as Dr. Campbell translates παρα σεαυτω, observing, that the force of the Greek preposition, παρα, is not rightly expressed by the English with, which, as applied here, is exceedingly vague and indeterminate. With the glory which I had with thee He does not say received. He always had it till he emptied himself of it in the days of his flesh; before the world was “The Socinians, who deny, not only our Lord's divinity, but his existence before he appeared in the world, are at a loss how to explain this passage, in consistency with their opinion. They imagine, that as in the prophetical writings, things to come are spoken of as already existing, to denote the divine decree concerning them, and the certainty of their happening; so, Jesus is here said to possess glory with the Father before the foundation of the world, not because he then existed, but because that glory was appointed him in the divine decree from eternity, and was certainly to be bestowed upon him in the fulness of time. Withal, in confirmation of this observation, they cite Revelation 13:8, where Christ is called a lamb slain from the foundation of the world; and 2 Timothy 1:9, where the apostle, speaking of the favours conferred on Christians, says, Hath saved us, and called us according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. But here, without laying the whole stress of the matter on the answer given by Whitby, namely, that these passages are mistranslated, I observe, that though, for the reasons mentioned, the sacred writers, when warmed with the grandeur of their subject, might, in their discourses, represent the great events which were to befall the church under the gospel dispensation, as existing from eternity; yet, no fire of imagination could authorize the figure in the present instance. For it were absurd to fancy that Jesus, in this his last solemn prayer with his disciples, gravely spake of himself as existing from eternity, and as enjoying with God blessings which were to be bestowed upon him only in time. Such figures, how ever proper they may be in prophecy, are not of the style of prayer, far less of our Lord's prayers, which are remarkable for their simplicity. Besides, it should be remembered that this is not the only passage which speaks of Christ's pre-existence, for the Evangelist John (Joh 1:1) represents him as existing from eternity, and making all things. And (Joh 8:58) Jesus himself tells us that he existed before Abraham. And Paul affirms, (Philippians 2:6,) that before Jesus took the form of a servant, he was in the form of God.” Macknight.