He declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
Parallel translations
- KJV And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
- BSB He did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
- ESV He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
- NKJV He confessed, and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Christ.”
- NASB And he confessed and did not deny; and this is what he confessed: “I am not the Christ.”
- NLT He came right out and said, “I am not the Messiah.”
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
John openly confessed that he was not the Messiah. He refused any honor that belonged to Christ alone.
Overview
With emphatic clarity, John denies being the Christ, the awaited Messiah. The threefold phrasing ('declared, didn't deny, declared') stresses his honesty and humility under pressure. By renouncing messianic claims, John embodies the witness whose entire purpose is to magnify Jesus, not himself.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- Matt 3:11–12I indeed baptize you in water for repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit.
- Mark 1:7–8He preached, saying, “After me comes he who is mightier than I, the thong of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and loosen.
- John 3:28–36You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’
- Luke 3:15–17As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Pastoral
Henry on the prologue — rich on the Word and the incarnation.
Seminary
- ★ Start hereCommentaryThe Gospel According to John (Pillar NT Commentary)D. A. Carson · ~720 pp · Paid · reformed
The go-to mid-level exegetical commentary on John — rigorous and readable.
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
John declares him plainly: the eternal Word made flesh, the Lamb of God, the great 'I AM' — bread, light, door, shepherd, way, truth, life, resurrection — that you may believe and have life in his name.
How John 1:20 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.