John 1:20

John 1:20 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
• New International Version (NIV)He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, "I am not the Christ."
• New King James Version (NKJV)He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”

Context of John 1:20

18No one has seen God at any time; God the only Son, who is in the arms of the Father, He has explained Him. 19This is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites to him from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?” And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “I am not the Christ.” 21And so they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.” 22Then they said to him, “Who are you? Tell us, so that we may give an answer to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

John 1:20 word by word

καὶ ὡμολόγησεν καὶ οὐκ ἠρνήσατο καὶ ὡμολόγησεν ὅτι ἐγὼ οὐκ εἰμὶ ὁ χριστός.¶Read the interlinear

• And he confessedὁμολογέωhomologeō · to confess/professG3670
• and did not denyἀρνέομαιarneomai · to denyG720
• I amεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• ChristΧριστόςChristos · ChristG5547

Cross-references for John 1:20

• John 3:28You yourselves are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’
• Matthew 3:11“As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.
• Mark 1:7And he was preaching, saying, “After me One is coming who is mightier than I, and I am not fit to bend down and untie the straps of His sandals.
• Luke 3:15Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, whether he himself perhaps was the Christ,

Commentaries on John 1:20

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 20He confessed, and denied not; but confessed - A common mode of Jewish phraseology. John renounces himself, that Jesus may be all in all. Though God had highly honored him, and favored him with peculiar influence in the discharge of his work, yet he considered he had nothing but what he had received, and therefore, giving all praise to his benefactor, takes care to direct the attention of the people to him alone from whom he had received his mercies. He…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 20I am not the Christ - This confession proves that John was not an impostor. He had a wide reputation. The nation was expecting that the Messiah was about to come, and multitudes were ready to believe that John was he, Luke 3:15. If John had been an impostor he would have taken advantage of this excited state of public feeling, proclaimed himself to be the Messiah, and formed a large party in his favor. The fact that he did not do it is full proof that he…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 19-28Verses 19-28 John disowns himself to be the Christ, who was now expected and waited for. He came in the spirit and power of Elias, but he was not the person of Elias. John was not that Prophet whom Moses said the Lord would raise up to them of their brethren, like unto him. He was not such a prophet as they expected, who would rescue them from the Romans. He gave such an account of himself, as might excite and awaken them to hearken to him. He baptized…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 20The Jews expected the Christ (the Greek form of the Hebrew word Messiah) to bring spiritual leadership and political redemption to Israel. Both words mean “Anointed One” (a king chosen and set apart by God). They believed this promised leader would guide them back to faithful worship and free them from foreign rule (see Deuteronomy 18:15; see also the Jewish book Psalms of Solomon from the period between the Old and New Testaments).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 2020. confessed, &c.--that is, While many were ready to hail him as the Christ, he neither gave the slightest ground for such views, nor the least entertainment to them.Read the comment

Topics related to John 1:20

• Jesus, the Christ

In the dictionaries

• Christ
• Christ, Messiah
• Behold
• Believe
• Blood
• Dwell
• Flesh
• Guile
• Light
• Prefer

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