Luke 3:16

Luke 3:16 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:
• New International Version (NIV)John answered them all, “I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• English Standard Version (ESV)John answered them all, saying, "I baptize you with water, but he who is mightier than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• New King James Version (NKJV)John answered, saying to all, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

Context of Luke 3:16

14Then some soldiers asked John, ‘What about us? What should we do?’ John replied, ‘Do not rob people of their money. Do not say that a person is guilty if he has not done anything wrong. You must not take money for yourself in that way. You should be happy with the money that you receive for your work.’ 15At this time people were thinking, ‘Is John the Messiah that God has promised?’ They were all hoping that he might be. John knew what they were thinking. He said to them, ‘I baptize you with water. But someone else is coming soon. He is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to undo his shoes for him. This other person will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. 17He is like a farmer that brings the wheat home from his field. He uses a special tool to throw the wheat up in the air. He does this to make the wheat seeds separate from what remains. Then he cleans his yard. He carefully stores all the seeds to keep them safe. But he burns everything else in a great fire that nobody can put out.’ 18John said many more things to the people. He was telling them the good news about how God could change their lives.

Luke 3:16 word by word

ἀπεκρίνατο λέγων πᾶσιν ὁ Ἰωάννης· ἐγὼ μὲν ὕδατι βαπτίζω ὑμᾶς· ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ. αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
• answeredἀποκρίνωapokrinomai · to answerG611
• sayingλέγωlegō · to sayG3004
• untoἅπαςhapas · allG537
• Iἐγώegō · I/weG1473
• indeedμένmen · on the other handG3303
• baptizeβαπτίζωbaptizō · to baptizeG907
• youσύsu · youG4771
• with waterὕδωρhudōr hudatos · waterG5204
• butδέde · thenG1161
• one mightier thanἰσχυρόςischuros · strongG2478
• comethἔρχομαιerchomai · to come/goG2064
• the latchetἱμάςhimas · leather strapG2438
• ·αὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• of whoseὅςhos hē ho · whichG3739
• shoesὑπόδημαhupodēma · sandalG5266
• I amεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• notοὐou · noG3756
• worthyἱκανόςhikanos · sufficientG2425
• to unlooseλύωluō · to looseG3089
• withἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• theπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• with fireπῦρpur · fireG4442

Cross-references for Luke 3:16

• Matthew 3:11I baptize you with water. This shows that you want to change the way that you live. But another person will come soon. He is greater than I am. I am not good enough even to carry his shoes for him. This other person will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
• Mark 1:7John said to the people, ‘Another person will come soon. He is much greater than I am. I am not good enough even to undo his shoes for him.
• John 1:26John replied, ‘I baptize people with water. But there is someone here among you that you do not know.
• Acts 1:5John baptized people with water, but after a few days God will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.’
• Acts 11:16Then I remembered what the Lord Jesus had said to us: “John baptized people with water, but God will baptize you with his Holy Spirit.”
• Acts 13:24Before Jesus began his work in this world, John spoke a message to all the people of Israel. He told people to stop doing wrong things and to turn to God. Then he would baptize them.
• Acts 19:4Then Paul said, ‘John baptized people who knew that they had done wrong things. They wanted to stop doing these things. But John also said to the people, “You must believe in the man who will come soon.” This person is Jesus.’
• Proverbs 1:23Listen to me as I warn you of danger! Then I will let you know my thoughts. I will let you hear my message.
• Isaiah 32:15It will be like that until God pours a new spirit on us from heaven. Then, deserts will become fields of fruit trees. And fields of fruit trees will seem like forests.
• Isaiah 44:3I will pour water onto land that is thirsty. I will pour streams of water on the dry ground. I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and I will bless them.
• Ezekiel 36:25You will become pure, as if I splash you with clean water. I will remove all the things that make you unclean. I will take away the idols that you worship.
• Joel 2:28After that, I will pour out my Holy Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will be prophets. Your old men will dream and your young men will see pictures in their minds. (The Lord will send these to them.)
• John 7:38It says in the Bible, “God will cause streams of water to pour out from anyone who believes in me. Water that gives life will come out from inside that person.” ’
• Acts 2:33God took Jesus back up to heaven. He caused Jesus to sit at his right side, the place of great honour. Jesus received the Holy Spirit from his Father God, so that he could give the Spirit to us. This is what God had promised to do. God has poured his Holy Spirit on us. Now you are seeing and hearing the result of this.
• Acts 10:44While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit came down on all the people who were listening to his message.
• Acts 11:15When I started to speak to Cornelius and his family, the Holy Spirit came down on them. It happened in the same way that he first came down on us at the beginning.

Commentaries on Luke 3:16

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 16On these verses see Matthew 3:11, Matthew 3:12, and Mark 1:7, Mark 1:8, and particularly the note on John 3:5; (note).Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 16-18Verses 16-18 See the notes at Matthew 3:11-12.Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 15-20Verses 15-20 John the Baptist disowned being himself the Christ, but confirmed the people in their expectations of the long-promised Messiah. He could only exhort them to repent, and assure them of forgiveness upon repentance; but he could not work repentance in them, nor confer remission on them. Thus highly does it become us to speak of Christ, and thus humbly of ourselves. John can do no more than baptize with water, in token that they ought to purify…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 16the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie: The untying of sandals was done only by slaves. John was showing great honor to Jesus the Messiah. Baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire: Old Testament prophets said God would give his Spirit to his people in the last times (Isaiah 32:15, Ezekiel 36:28–29; Joel 2:28). This prophecy partly came true on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2). Fire often represents judgment (see Luke 3:9). It can also…Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 15-1715-17. whether he were the Christ--showing both how successful he had been in awakening the expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high estimation, and even reverence, which his own character commanded. (Also see on Mt 3:10.)Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 3:16

• Baptism
• Fire
• Humility
• Jesus Continued
• John
• Shoe
• Trinity

In the dictionaries

• Holy Ghost
• Demand
• Latchet
• Mary
• Reprove
• Unquenchable
• Violence
• Wages
• Antediluvian Patriarchs
• Baptism (lutheran Doctrine)

Commentaries on Luke 3

• 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