JOHN 17:3

This is another text that a lot of people object too.

It reads in the NWT

 "This means everlasting life, their taking in knowledge of you,

the only true God, and of the one whom you sent forth,

Jesus Christ."

Other translations that appear to be more popular in the English language do not use the phrase "taking in knowledge". Instead they say "that they may (or should) know thee" RSV, KJV, ASV. "by knowing you" The Living Bible. "to know you" The Revised Berkeley Version. "that they may know you" NIV.

On reading these translation, the reader gets to fell that salvation comes from just knowing God and his Son, that is alll they have to do is have a knowledge of God. Whereas the NWT we are told that it is an ongoing process, continuing gaining knowledge. This indicates more is involved than just knowing about God but a continual commitment in getting to know God.

The word in question know or knowledge, centres around the Greek word "GINOSKO" GINOSKO.

Vines Expository Dictionary of New Testament Words says

VINE'S NEW TESTAMENT WORD SEARCH -COMPLETE Know, Known, Knowledge, Unknown A-1, ginosko, [Verb, 1097] Signifies "to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, recognize, understand," or "to understand completely," e.g., Mark 13:28,29; John 13:12; 15:18; 21:17; 2 Cor. 8:9; Heb. 10:34; 1 John 2:5; 4:2,6 (twice),7,13; 5:2,20; in its past tenses it frequently means "to know in the sense of realizing," the aorist or point tense usually indicating definiteness, Matt. 13:11; Mark 7:24; John 7:26; in John 10:38 "that ye may know (aorist tense) and understand, (present tense);" John 19:4; Acts 1:7; 17:19; Rom. 1:21; 1 Cor. 2:11 (2nd part),14; 2 Cor. 2:4; Eph. 3:19; 6:22; Phil. 2:19; 3:10; 1 Thess. 3:5; 2 Tim. 2:19; Jas. 2:20; 1 John 2:13 (twice),14; 3:6; 4:8; 2 John 1:1; Rev. 2:24; 3:3,9. In the Passive Voice, it often signifies "to become known," e.g., Matt. 10:26; Phil. 4:5. In the sense of complete and absolute understanding on God's part, it is used e.g., in Luke 16:15; John 10:15 (of the Son as well as the Father); 1 Cor. 3:20. In Luke 12:46, AV, it is rendered "he is ... aware." In the NT ginosko frequently indicates a relation between the person "knowing" and the object known; in this respect, what is "known" is of value or importance to the one who knows, and hence the establishment of the relationship, e.g., especially of God's "knowledge," 1 Cor. 8:3, "if any man love God, the same is known of Him;" Gal. 4:9, "to be known of God;" here the "knowing" suggests approval and bears the meaning "to be approved;" so in 2 Tim. 2:19; cp. John 10:14,27; Gen. 18:19; Nah. 1:7; the relationship implied may involve remedial chastisement, Amos 3:2. The same idea of appreciation as well as "knowledge" underlies several statements concerning the "knowledge" of God and His truth on the part of believers, e.g., John 8:32; 14:20,31; 17:3; Gal. 4:9 (1st part); 1 John 2:3,13,14; 4:6,8,16; 5:20; such "knowledge" is obtained, not by mere intellectual activity, but by operation of the Holy Spirit consequent upon acceptance of Christ. Nor is such "knowledge" marked by finality; see e.g., 2 Pet. 3:18; Hos. 6:3, RV. The verb is also used to convey the thought of connection or union, as between man and woman, Matt. 1:25; Luke 1:34. A-2, oida, [Verb, 1492] from the same root as eidon, "to see," is a perfect tense with a present meaning, signifying, primarily, "to have seen or perceived;" hence, "to know, to have knowledge of," whether absolutely, as in Divine knowledge, e.g., Matt. 6:8,32; John 6:6,64; 8:14; 11:42; 13:11; 18:4; 2 Cor. 11:31; 2 Pet. 2:9; Rev. 2:2,9,13,19; 3:1,8,15; or in the case of human "knowledge," to know from observation, e.g, 1 Thess. 1:4,5; 2:1; 2 Thess. 3:7. The differences between ginosko (No. 1) and oida demand consideration: (a) ginosko, frequently suggests inception orprogress in "knowledge," while oida suggests fullness of "knowledge," e.g., John 8:55, "ye have not known Him" (ginosko), i.e., begun to "know," "but I know Him" (oida), i.e., "know Him perfectly;" John 13:7, "What I do thou knowest not now," i.e. Peter did not yet perceive (oida) its     significance, "but thou shalt understand," i.e., "get to know (ginosko), hereafter;" John 14:7, "If ye had known Me" (ginosko), i.e., "had definitely come to know Me," "ye would have known My Father also" (oida), i.e., "would have had perception of:" "from henceforth ye know Him" (ginosko), i.e., having unconsciously been coming to the Father, as the One who was in Him, they would now consciously be in the constant and progressive experience of "knowing" Him; in Mark 4:13, "Know ye not (oida) this parable? and how shall ye know (ginosko) all the parables?" (RV), i.e., "Do ye not understand this parable? How shall ye come to perceive all ..." the intimation being that the first parable is a leading and testing one; (b) while ginosko frequently implies an active     relation between the one who "knows" and the person or thing "known" (see No. 1, above), oida expresses the fact that the object has simply come within the scope of the "knower's" perception; thus in Matt. 7:23 "I never knew you" (ginosko) suggests "I have never been in approving connection with you," whereas in Matt. 25:12, "I know you not" (oida) suggests "you stand in no relation to Me." A-3, epiginosko, [Verb, 1921] denotes (a) "to observe, fully perceive, notice attentively, discern, recognize" (epi, "upon," and No. 1); it suggests generally a directive, a more special, recognition of the object "known" than does No. 1; it also may suggest advanced "knowledge" or special appreciation; thus, in Rom. 1:32, "knowing the ordinance of God" (epiginosko) means "knowing full well," whereas in verse Rom. 1:21 "knowing God" (ginosko) simply suggests that they could not avoid the perception. Sometimes epiginosko implies a special participation in the object "known," and gives greater weight to what is stated; thus in John 8:32, "ye shall know the truth," ginosko is used, whereas in 1 Tim. 4:3, "them that believe and know the truth," epiginosko lays stress on participation in the truth. Cp. the stronger statement in Col. 1:6 (epiginosko) with that in 2 Cor. 8:9 (ginosko), and the two verbs in 1 Cor. 13:12, "now I know in part (ginosko); but then shall I know (piginosko) even as also I have been known (epiginosko)," "a knowledge which perfectly unites the subject with the object; (b) "to discover, ascertain, determine," e.g., Luke 7:37; 23:7; Acts 9:30; 19:34; 22:29; 28:1; in Acts 24:11 the best mss. have this verb instead of No. 1; hence the RV, "take knowledge." J. Armitage Robinson (on Ephesians) points out that epignosis is "knowledge directed towards a particular object, perceiving, discerning," whereas gnosis is knowledge in the abstract. See ACKNOWLEDGE. A-4, proginosko, [Verb, 4267] "to know beforehand," is used (a) of the Divine "foreknowledge" concerning believers, Rom. 8:29; Israel, 11:2; Christ as the Lamb of God, 1 Pet. 1:20, RV, "foreknown" (AV, "foreordained"); (b) of human previous "knowledge," of a person, Acts 26:5, RV, "having knowledge of" (AV, "which knew"); of facts, 2 Pet. 3:17. See FOREKNOW. A-5, epistamai, [Verb, 1987] "to know, know of, understand" (probably an old Middle Voice form of ephistemi, "to set over"), is used in Mark 14:68, "understand," which follows oida "I (neither) know;" most frequently in the Acts, 10:28; 15:7; 18:25; 19:15,25; 20:18; 22:19; 24:10; 26:26; elsewhere, 1 Tim. 6:4; Heb. 11:8; Jas. 4:14; Jude 1:10. See UNDERSTAND. A-6, sunoida, [Verb, 4923] sun, "with," and No. 2, a perfect tense with a present meaning, denotes (a) "to share the knowledge of, be privy     to," Acts 5:2; (b) "to be conscious of," especially of guilty consciousness, 1 Cor. 4:4, "I know nothing against (AV, by) myself." The verb is connected with suneidon, found in Acts 12:12; 14:6 (in the best texts). See CONSIDER,PRIVY, WARE. A-7, agnoeo, [Verb, 50] "not to know, to be ignorant:"  A-8, gnorizo, [Verb, 1107] signifies (a) "to come to know, discover, know," Phil. 1:22, "I wot (not)," i.e., "I know not," "I have not come to know" (the RV, marg. renders it, as under (b), "I do not make known"); (b) "to make known," whether (I) communicating things "before unknown," Luke 2:15,17; in the latter some mss. have the verb diagnorizo (hence the AV, "made known abroad);" John 15:15, "I have made known;" 17:26; Acts 2:28; 7:13 (1st part), see Note (3) below; Rom. 9:22,23; 16:26 (Passive Voice); 2 Cor. 8:1, "we make known (to you)," RV, AV, "we do (you) to wit;" Eph. 1:9; 3:3,5,10 (all three in the Passive Voice); 6:19,21; Col. 1:27; 4:7,9, "shall make known" (AV, "shall declare"); 2 Pet. 1:16; or (II) reasserting things already "known," 1 Cor. 12:3, "I give (you) to understand" (the Apostle reaffirms what they knew); 1 Cor. 15:1, of the Gospel; Gal. 1:11 (he reminds them of what they well knew, the ground of his claim to Apostleship); Phil. 4:6 (Passive Voice), of requests to God.  See CERTIFY, DECLARE (Note),UNDERSTAND, WIT, WOT. Notes: (1) In 2 Tim. 3:10, AV, parakoloutheo, "to follow closely, follow as a standard of conduct," is translated "hast fully known" (RV, "didst follow"). See FOLLOW. (2) In 2 Tim. 4:17, AV, plerophoreo, "to fulfill, accomplish," is translated "might be fully known" (RV, "might be fully proclaimed"). See FULFILL. (3) In Acts 7:13, some mss. have the verb anagnorizo, "to make oneself known," "was made known," instead of No. 8 (which see). (4) In Acts 7:13 (2nd part) the AV, "was made known" translates the phrase phaneros ginomai, "to become manifest" (RV, "became manifest"). See MANIFEST. (5) For diagnorizo, "to make known," in Luke 2:17, see No. 8. (6) For diagnosko, in Acts 24:22, "I will know the uttermost of,"  B-1, gnostos, [Adjective, 1110]  later form of gnostos (from No. 1), most frequently denotes "known;" it is used ten times in the Acts, always with that meaning (save in Acts 4:16, where it means "notable"); twice in the Gospel of John, John 18:15,16; in Luke 2:44; 23:49 it denotes "acquaintance;" elsewhere only in Rom. 1:19, "(that which) may be known (of God)," lit., "the knowable of God," referring to the physical universe, in the creation of which God has made Himself "knowable," that is, by the exercise of man's natural faculties, without such supernatural revelations as those given to Israel.  B-2, phaneros, [Adjective, 5318] "visible, manifest," is translated "known" in Matt. 12:16; Mark 3:12. B-3, epistemon, [Adjective, 1990] akin to A, No. 5, "knowing, skilled," is used in Jas. 3:13, AV, "endued with knowledge" (RV "understanding"). B-4, agnostos, [Adjective, 57] the negative of No. 1, "unknown," is found in Acts 17:23. C-1, gnosis, [Noun, 1108] primarily "a seeking to know, an enquiry, investigation" (akin to A, No. 1), denotes, in the NT, "knowledge," especially of spiritual truth; it is used (a) absolutely, in Luke 11:52; Rom. 2:20; 15:14; 1 Cor. 1:5; 8:1 (twice),7,10,11; 13:2,8; 14:6; 2 Cor. 6:6; 8:7; 11:6; Eph. 3:19; Col. 2:3; 1 Pet. 3:7; 2 Pet. 1:5,6; (b) with an object: in respect of (1) God, 2 Cor. 2:14; 10:5; (2) the glory of God, 2 Cor. 4:6; (3) Christ Jesus, Phil. 3:8; 2 Pet. 3:18; (4) salvation, Luke 1:77; (c) subjectively, of God's "knowledge," Rom. 11:33; the word of "knowledge," 1 Cor. 12:8; "knowledge" falsely so called, 1 Tim. 6:20. C-2, epignosis, [Noun, 1922] akin to A, No. 3, denotes "exact or full knowledge, discernment, recognition," and is a strengthened form of No. 1, expressing a fuller or a full "knowledge," a greater participation by the "knower" in the object "known," thus more powerfully influencing him. It is not found in the Gospels and Acts. Paul uses it 15 times (16 if Heb. 10:26 is included) out of the 20 occurrences; Peter 4 times, all in his 2nd Epistle. Contrast Rom. 1:28 (epignosis) with the simple verb in Rom. 1:21. "In all the four Epistles of the first Roman captivity it is an element in the Apostle's opening prayer for his correspondents' well-being, Phil. 1:9; Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:9; Philem. 1:6" (Lightfoot). It is used with reference to God in Rom. 1:28; 10:2; Eph. 1:17; Col. 1:10; 2 Pet. 1:3; God and Christ, 2 Pet. 1:2; Christ, Eph. 4:13; 2 Pet. 1:8; 2:20; the will of the Lord, Col. 1:9; every good thing, Philem. 1:6, RV (AV, "acknowledging"); the truth, 1 Tim. 2:4; 2 Tim. 2:25, RV; 3:7; Titus 1:1, RV; the mystery of God. Col. 2:2, RV, "(that they) may know" (AV, "to the acknowledgment of"), lit., "into a full knowledge." It is used without the mention of an object in Phil. 1:9; Col. 3:10, RV, "(renewed) unto knowledge."  C-3, agnosia, [Noun, 56] the negative of No. 1, "ignorance," is rendered "no knowledge" in 1 Cor. 15:34, RV (AV, "not the knowledge"); in 1 Pet. 2:15, ignorance. Note: In Eph. 3:4, AV, sunesis, "understanding," is translated "knowledge;" RV, "understanding." For kardiognostes

"GINOSKO … signifies to be taking in knowledge, to come to know, understand, or to understand completely"

A Manual Greek Lexicon of the New Testament by G. Abbott-Smith says "to be taking in knowledge, come to know, recognise, perceive, understand…. Of the knowledge of divine things, of God and Christ… Jo 17:3

 The Greek word verb GINOSKO  denotes the act of knowing through experience. Getting to know our Creator and his Son is always ongoing, just as it takes a lifetime to get to really know a close friend or relative. And the only way that we can really get to know our God is by regular and consistent study of his word.