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THE MESSAGE

John 1:26

John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him."

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Baptism;   Jesus, the Christ;   John;   Scofield Reference Index - Life;   Thompson Chain Reference - Baptism;   Ignorance;   John's;   Knowledge-Ignorance;   Sacraments;   Unknown, Christ;   The Topic Concordance - Baptism;   John the Baptist;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - John;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Baptism;   John the baptist;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Baptize, Baptism;   John the Baptist;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Universalists;   Holman Bible Dictionary - John;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John the Baptist;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Benedictus;   John the Baptist;   Manuscripts;   Organization (2);   Pharisees (2);   Pre-Eminence ;   Water (2);   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Prophecy;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Jesus christ;   John the apostle;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Papyrus;   Regeneration;   Text and Manuscripts of the New Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - John the Baptist;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
“I baptize with water,” John answered them. “Someone stands among you, but you don’t know him.
King James Version (1611)
Iohn answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not,
King James Version
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
English Standard Version
John answered them, "I baptize with water, but among you stands one you do not know,
New American Standard Bible
John answered them, saying, "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.
New Century Version
John answered, "I baptize with water, but there is one here with you that you don't know about.
Amplified Bible
John answered them, "I baptize [only] in water, but among you there stands One whom you do not recognize and of whom you know nothing.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
John answered them saying, "I baptize in water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.
Legacy Standard Bible
John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but among you stands One whom you do not know.
Berean Standard Bible
"I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands One you do not know.
Contemporary English Version
John told them, "I use water to baptize people. But here with you is someone you don't know.
Complete Jewish Bible
To them Yochanan replied, "I am immersing people in water, but among you is standing someone whom you don't know.
Darby Translation
John answered them saying, I baptise with water. In the midst of you stands, whom ye do not know,
Easy-to-Read Version
John answered, "I baptize people with water. But there is someone here with you that you don't know.
Geneva Bible (1587)
Iohn answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there is one among you, whom ye knowe not.
George Lamsa Translation
John answered and said to them, I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know;
Good News Translation
John answered, "I baptize with water, but among you stands the one you do not know.
Lexham English Bible
John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water. In your midst stands one whom you do not know—
Literal Translation
John answered them, saying, I baptize in water, but One stands in your midst whom you do not know;
American Standard Version
John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,
Bible in Basic English
John's answer was: I give baptism with water; but there is one among you of whom you have no knowledge;
Hebrew Names Version
Yochanan answered them, "I immerse in water, but among you stands one whom you don't know.
International Standard Version
John answered them, "I am baptizing within
">[fn] water, but among you stands a man whom you do not know,Malachi 3:1; Matthew 3:11;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
Juchanon answered and said to them, I baptize you with waters; but he standeth among you whom you know not:
Murdock Translation
John answered, and said to them; I baptize with water; but among you standeth one, whom ye do not know.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
Iohn aunswered them, saying: I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you, whom ye knowe not,
English Revised Version
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: in the midst of you standeth one whom ye know not,
World English Bible
John answered them, "I baptize in water, but among you stands one whom you don't know,
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water, but there standeth one among you whom ye know not.
Weymouth's New Testament
"I baptize in water only," John answered, "but in your midst stands One whom you do not know--
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Joon answeride to hem, and seide, Y baptise in watir, but in the myddil of you hath stonde oon, that ye knowen not;
Update Bible Version
John answered them, saying, I baptize in water: in the midst of you stands one whom you don't know,
Webster's Bible Translation
John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not;
New English Translation
John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not recognize,
New King James Version
John answered them, saying, "I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.
New Living Translation
John told them, "I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.
New Life Bible
John answered, "I baptize with water. But there is One standing among you Whom you do not know.
New Revised Standard
John answered them, "I baptize with water. Among you stands one whom you do not know,
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
John answered them, saying - I, immerse, in water. In the midst of you, standeth one, whom, ye, know not; -
Douay-Rheims Bible
John answered them, saying: I baptize with water: but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
Revised Standard Version
John answered them, "I baptize with water; but among you stands one whom you do not know,
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
Iohn answered them sayinge: I baptise with water: but one is come amonge you whom ye knowe not
Young's Literal Translation
John answered them, saying, `I baptize with water, but in midst of you he hath stood whom ye have not known, this one it is who is coming after me, who hath been before me,
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Ihon answered them, and sayde: I baptyse with water, but there is one come in amonge you, whom ye knowe not.
Mace New Testament (1729)
John answered them, I baptize with water: but there is one among you, whom ye know not; he it is who coming after me,
Simplified Cowboy Version
John said, "I just baptize with water. But look around, someone is standing right here that you do not recognize.

Contextual Overview

19When Jews from Jerusalem sent a group of priests and officials to ask John who he was, he was completely honest. He didn't evade the question. He told the plain truth: "I am not the Messiah." 21 They pressed him, "Who, then? Elijah?" "I am not." "The Prophet?" "No." 22 Exasperated, they said, "Who, then? We need an answer for those who sent us. Tell us something—anything!—about yourself." 23 "I'm thunder in the desert: ‘Make the road straight for God!' I'm doing what the prophet Isaiah preached." 24Those sent to question him were from the Pharisee party. Now they had a question of their own: "If you're neither the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet, why do you baptize?" 26John answered, "I only baptize using water. A person you don't recognize has taken his stand in your midst. He comes after me, but he is not in second place to me. I'm not even worthy to hold his coat for him." 28 These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

I: Matthew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, Acts 1:5, Acts 11:16

whom: John 1:10, John 1:11, John 8:19, John 16:3, John 17:3, John 17:25, Malachi 3:1, Malachi 3:2, 1 John 3:1

Reciprocal: Luke 3:4 - Prepare Luke 17:21 - within you John 1:7 - a witness John 3:26 - to whom Acts 13:25 - whom

Cross-References

Genesis 1:6
God spoke: "Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!" God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was: he named sky the Heavens; It was evening, it was morning— Day Two.
Genesis 1:9
God spoke: "Separate! Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place; Land, appear!" And there it was. God named the land Earth. He named the pooled water Ocean. God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:20
God spoke: "Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!" God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters, And every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good. God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean! Birds, reproduce on Earth!" It was evening, it was morning— Day Five.
Genesis 1:24
God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds." And there it was: wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:29
Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food. To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food." And there it was.
Genesis 3:22
God said, "The Man has become like one of us, capable of knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never—this cannot happen!"
Genesis 5:1
This is the family tree of the human race: When God created the human race, he made it godlike, with a nature akin to God. He created both male and female and blessed them, the whole human race.
Psalms 100:3
Know this: God is God, and God, God . He made us; we didn't make him. We're his people, his well-tended sheep.
Isaiah 64:8
Still, God , you are our Father. We're the clay and you're our potter: All of us are what you made us. Don't be too angry with us, O God . Don't keep a permanent account of wrongdoing. Keep in mind, please, we are your people—all of us. Your holy cities are all ghost towns: Zion's a ghost town, Jerusalem's a field of weeds. Our holy and beautiful Temple, which our ancestors filled with your praises, Was burned down by fire, all our lovely parks and gardens in ruins. In the face of all this, are you going to sit there unmoved, God ? Aren't you going to say something? Haven't you made us miserable long enough?
John 5:17
But Jesus defended himself. "My Father is working straight through, even on the Sabbath. So am I."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

John answered them, saying, I baptize with water,.... Or in water, so the Vulgate Latin, and all the Oriental versions render it. The sense of the answer is, that he indeed baptized persons in water, which was all that he could do, or pretended to do; and he owned, that this was a new rite, and that he was the administrator of a new ordinance; but he suggests, as may be supplied from Matthew 3:11 that there was one at hand, and even now among them, that should baptize, and so it is read in one of Stephens's copies here, in the Holy Ghost, and in fire; and it was by his authority, by a commission he had received from him, that he baptized in water; and that his speedy manifestation and appearance as the Messiah, which would be confirmed by his power of baptizing in the Holy Ghost, and by his ministry and miracles, would be a sufficient vindication of his conduct, and support him in his administration of water baptism:

but there standeth one among you; or "hath stood", as the Vulgate Latin version renders it; referring, not to his being among them at twelve years of age, but a few days ago when he came to John to be baptized, and was baptized by him; for from John 1:29 it is plain he was not now, or "today", as Nounus expresses it, standing in the midst of them. The Ethiopic version renders it, there is one about to stand among you, as he did the next day: though the meaning of the phrase may only be, that he was then in being, and dwelt somewhere among them, and not that he was personally present at that time:

whom ye know not; neither from whence he is, nor who he is, or what is his work and office; neither the dignity of his person, nor the end of his coming into the world, nor the nature of his business in it.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

I baptize - He did not deny it; nor did he condescend to state his authority. That he had given. He “admitted” that he had introduced an important “change” in the rites of religion, and he goes on to tell them that this was not all. Greater and more important changes would soon take place without their authority. The Messiah was about to come, and the “power” was about to depart from “their” hands.

There standeth one - There is one.

Among you - In the midst of you. He is undistinguished among the multitude. The Messiah had already come, and was about to be manifested to the people. It was not until the next day John 1:29 that Jesus was manifested or proclaimed as the Messiah; but it is not improbable that he was then among the people that were assembled near the Jordan, and mingled with them, though he was undistinguished. He had gone there, probably, with the multitudes that had been drawn thither by the fame of John, and had gone without attracting attention, though his real object was go receive baptism in this public manner, and to be exhibited and proclaimed as the Messiah.

Whom ye know not - Jesus was not yet declared publicly to be the Christ. Though it is probable that he was then among the multitude, yet he was not known as the Messiah. We may hence learn:

  1. That there is often great excellency in the world that is obscure, undistinguished, and unknown. Jesus was near to all that people, but they were not conscious of his presence, for he was retired and obscure. Though the greatest personage ever in the world, yet he was not externally distinguished from others.
  2. Jesus may be near to men of the world, and yet they know him not. He is everywhere by his Spirit, yet few know it, and few are desirous of knowing it.



Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse 26. I baptize with waterMark 1:8; Mark 1:8. I use the common form, though I direct the baptized to a different end, viz. that they shall repent of their sins, and believe in the Messiah.

There standeth one among you — That is, the person whose forerunner I am is now dwelling in the land of Judea, and will shortly make his appearance among you. Christ was not present when John spoke thus, as may be seen from John 1:29.


 
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