In plain words
Of these, the jñānin, ever collected and one-pointed in Bhakti, excels; for I am exceedingly dear to the jñānin, and the jñānin is dear to Me.
Word for word
Of them the jñānin, ever collected, with bhakti for the One, excels; for I [am] exceedingly dear to the jñānin, and he [is] dear to Me.
तेषां ज्ञानी नित्ययुक्त एकभक्तिर्विशिष्यतेप्रियो हि ज्ञानिनोऽत्यर्थमहं स च मम प्रियः
Other commentaries
The commentators
▸Bhagavadgītābhāṣyam· bhāṣya
तेषां चतुर्णां मध्ये ज्ञानी तत्त्ववित् तत्ववित्त्वात् नित्ययुक्तः भवति एकभक्तिश्च, अन्यस्य भजनीयस्य अदर्शनात् ; अतः स एकभक्तिः विशिष्यते विशेषम् आधिक्यम् आपद्यते, अतिरिच्यते इत्यर्थः । प्रियो हि यस्मात् अहम् आत्मा ज्ञानिनः, अतः तस्य अहम् अत्यर्थं प्रियः ; प्रसिद्धं हि लोके ‘आत्मा प्रियो भवति’ इति । तस्मात् ज्ञानिनः आत्मत्वात् वासुदेवः प्रियो भवतीत्यर्थः । स च ज्ञानी मम वासुदेवस्य आत्मैवेति मम अत्यर्थं प्रियः ॥ १७ ॥
In plain words
Of these four kinds of devotees, the man of knowledge, the one who truly knows reality, stands apart. Because he knows reality, he is unwaveringly steadfast, and his devotion has only one object — he simply doesn't see anything else worth turning to. That's exactly why he's set above the rest, why he excels the others so clearly. And here's why: I am his very Self, so naturally I am exceedingly dear to him. Everyone already knows this much — your own self is always dear to you. So since Vāsudeva is this knower's own Self, of course Vāsudeva is dear to him. And in that very same way, this knower is my own Self too. Which is exactly why he is exceedingly dear to me.
Close to the Sanskrit
Among those four, the man of knowledge, the knower of reality — because he is a knower of reality — is ever steadfast and of single devotion, because of not perceiving any other object worthy of worship; therefore he, of single devotion, is distinguished, attains distinction, superiority, excels; that is the meaning. For, since I am the Self of the man of knowledge, therefore I am exceedingly dear to him; for it is well established in the world that 'one's own self is dear' — thus. Therefore, because Vāsudeva is the Self of the man of knowledge, Vāsudeva is dear [to him]; that is the meaning. And that man of knowledge is, in the very same way, my, Vāsudeva's, own Self; therefore he is exceedingly dear to me.
▸Gītā Vāhini
జ్ఞానిది ఏకభక్తి. మిగిలిన ఆర్తి, అర్థార్థి, జిజ్ఞాసులను మూడు అవస్థల వారిది అనేక భక్తి (అనగా కోరే వస్తువులయందూ, విషయములందూ, భూతములందూ, భగవంతునియందూ, అన్నిటియందూ ప్రేమను ప్రవహింపజేయుదురు). అట్టివారు భగవంతునికే కాక, వస్తు వాహనములకూ విషయ విహారములకూ భక్తులగుదురు. జ్ఞాని భగవంతునకు తప్ప మరే ఇతరమైన వాటిని కన్నెత్తి కూడనూ చూడడు. చూచిననూ అతనికి సర్వమూ భగవంతుడుగానే గోచరించును. అందువలననే పరమాత్ముడు, “జ్ఞాని నాకు అతిప్రియమైన వాడు” అని తెలిపెను. భగవంతునకు అందరూ సమానమే అయిననూ, చెంతచేరి సన్నిహితులుగా ఉన్నవారిపై ప్రేమ ప్రత్యక్ష గోచరము, అనుభవము. కనుక జ్ఞాని భగవంతునికి అతి సమీపమున ఉన్నవాడనే తలంచవలెను.
In plain words
The jñāni's Bhakti is for One alone. That of the other three states, the ārta, the arthārthī and the jijñāsu, is Bhakti spread over many (that is, they let their Prema flow towards the things they desire, towards sense-objects, towards beings, towards God, towards everything). Such people become devotees not of God alone but of possessions and vehicles, of pleasures and pastimes. The jñāni will not so much as lift his eyes to look at anything other than God. Even when he does look, everything appears to him as God alone. That is why the Paramātma declared, “The jñāni is the one most dear to Me.” Though all are indeed equal to God, His Prema towards those who have come close and stay near Him is directly seen and directly experienced. So the jñāni must be understood to be one who stands very near to God.