John 1:31

John 1:31 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
• New International Version (NIV)I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel."
• New King James Version (NKJV)I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”

Context of John 1:31

29The next day he saw Jesus coming to him and said, “Look! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! 30This is He on behalf of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who has a higher rank than I and has priority over me, for He existed before me.’ I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah]; but I came baptizing in water so that He would be [publicly] revealed to Israel.” 32John gave [further] evidence [testifying officially for the record, with validity and relevance], saying, “I have seen the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven, and He remained upon Him. 33I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah], but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this One is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’

John 1:31 word by word

κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραήλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• And Iκἀγώkagō kamoi kame · and IG2504
• knewεἴδωeidō · to perceive: knowG1492
• himαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• notοὐou · noG3756
• butἀλλάalla · butG235
• thatἵναhina · in order that/toG2443
• he should be made manifestφανερόωphaneroō · to revealG5319
• to IsraelἸσραήλIsraēl · IsraelG2474
• thereforeδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• amἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• baptizingβαπτίζωbaptizō · to baptizeG907
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• waterὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• ·οὗτοςhoutos houtoi hautē hautai · this/he/she/itG3778

Cross-references for John 1:31

• John 1:33I did not recognize Him [as the Messiah], but He who sent me to baptize in water said to me, ‘He upon whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this One is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’
• Luke 1:80The child continued to grow and to become strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel [as John the Baptist, the forerunner of the Messiah].
• Luke 2:39And when they had done everything [in connection with Jesus’ birth] according to the Law of the Lord, they went back to Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth.
• John 1:7This man came as a witness, to testify about the Light, so that all might believe [in Christ, the Light] through him.
• Isaiah 40:3A voice of one is calling out, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness [remove the obstacles]; Make straight and smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
• Malachi 3:1“Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will prepare and clear the way before Me. And the Lord [the Messiah], whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
• Malachi 4:2But for you who fear My name [with awe-filled reverence] the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings. And you will go forward and leap [joyfully] like calves [released] from the stall.
• Luke 1:17It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous [which is to seek and submit to the will of God]—in order to make ready a people [perfectly] prepared [spiritually and morally] for the Lord.”
• Matthew 3:6and they were being baptized by him in the Jordan River, as they confessed their sins.
• Mark 1:3A voice of one shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, Make His paths straight!’ ”
• Luke 3:3And he went into all the country around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sin;
• Acts 19:4Paul said, “John performed a baptism of repentance, continually telling the people to believe in Him who was coming after him, that is, [to confidently accept and joyfully believe] in Jesus [the Messiah and Savior].”

Commentaries on John 1:31

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 31And I knew him not, etc. - John did not know our Lord personally, and perhaps had never seen him, at the time he spoke the words in John 1:15. Nor is it any wonder that the Baptist should have been unacquainted with Christ, as he had spent thirty years in the hill country of Hebron, and our Lord remained in a state of great privacy in the obscure city of Nazareth, in the extreme borders of Galilee. But that he should be made manifest to Israel - One…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 31I knew him not - John was not personally acquainted with Jesus. Though they were remotely related to each other, yet it seems that they had had heretofore no personal acquaintance. John had lived chiefly in the hill country of Judea. Jesus had been employed with Joseph at Nazareth. Until Jesus came to be baptized Matthew 3:13-14, it seems that John had no acquaintance with him. He understood that he was to announce that the Messiah was about to appear. He…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 29-36Verses 29-36 John saw Jesus coming to him, and pointed him out as the Lamb of God. The paschal lamb, in the shedding and sprinkling of its blood, the roasting and eating of its flesh, and all the other circumstances of the ordinance, represented the salvation of sinners by faith in Christ. And the lambs sacrificed every morning and evening, can only refer to Christ slain as a sacrifice to redeem us to God by his blood. John came as a preacher of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 19-51John’s Gospel focuses less on John the Baptist compared to the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew 3:1–6; Mark 1:2–6; Luke 1:1–24, 57–80; 3:1–13). However, the apostle John wants us to understand that John the Baptist correctly identified and honored Jesus. John the Baptist’s disciples leave him to follow Jesus. Jesus continued the work that John had begun. As the ministry of Jesus grew, John’s ministry became smaller, just as John had said (John 3:30).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 31-3431-34. knew him not--Living mostly apart, the one at Nazareth, the other in the Judean desert--to prevent all appearance of collusion, John only knew that at a definite time after his own call, his Master would show Himself. As He drew near for baptism one day, the last of all the crowd, the spirit of the Baptist heaving under a divine presentiment that the moment had at length arrived, and an air of unwonted serenity and dignity, not without traits…Read the comment

Topics related to John 1:31

• Baptism
• Jesus, the Christ
• John

In the dictionaries

• Israel
• Israel, Israelites
• Jacob, Israel
• Behold
• Believe
• Blood
• Dwell
• Flesh
• Guile
• Light

Commentaries on John 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings