Darby Bible
John 1:31
31and I knew him not; but that he might be manifested to Israel, therefore have I come baptising with water.
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
29On the morrow he sees Jesus coming to him, and says, Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. 30He it is of whom I said, A man comes after me who takes a place before me, because he was before me; and I knew him not; but that he might be manifested to Israel, therefore have I come baptising with water. 32And John bore witness, saying, I beheld the Spirit descending as a dove from heaven, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with [the] Holy Spirit.
Read all of John 1John 1:31 word by word
κἀγὼ οὐκ ᾔδειν αὐτόν, ἀλλ᾽ ἵνα φανερωθῇ τῷ Ἰσραήλ, διὰ τοῦτο ἦλθον ἐγὼ ἐν ὕδατι βαπτίζων.Read the interlinear
Cross-references for John 1:31
- John 1:33And I knew him not; but he who sent me to baptise with water, he said to me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding on him, he it is who baptises with [the] Holy Spirit.
- Luke 1:80— And the child grew and was strengthened in spirit; and he was in the deserts until the day of his shewing to Israel.
- Luke 2:39And when they had completed all things according to the law of [the] Lord, they returned to Galilee to their own city Nazareth.
- John 1:7He came for witness, that he might witness concerning the light, that all might believe through him.
- Isaiah 40:3The voice of one crying in the wilderness: Prepare ye the way of Jehovah, make straight in the desert a highway for our God!
- Malachi 3:1Behold, I send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord whom ye seek will suddenly come to his temple, and the Angel of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he cometh, saith Jehovah of hosts.
- Malachi 4:2And unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth and leap like fatted calves.
- Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in [the] spirit and power of Elias, to turn hearts of fathers to children, and disobedient ones to [the] thoughts of just [men], to make ready for [the] Lord a prepared people.
- Matthew 3:6and were baptised by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
- Mark 1:3Voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare the way of [the] Lord, make his paths straight.
- Luke 3:3And he came into all the district round the Jordan, preaching [the] baptism of repentance for [the] remission of sins,
- Acts 19:4And Paul said, John indeed baptised [with] the baptism of repentance, saying to the people that they should believe on him that was coming after him, that is, on Jesus.
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
In the dictionaries
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
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