And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
Parallel translations
- WEB They asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” He answered, “No.”
- KJV And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.
- BSB “Then who are you?” they inquired. “Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” He answered, “No.”
- NKJV And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
- NASB And so they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” And he *said, “I am not.” “Are you the Prophet?” And he answered, “No.”
- NLT “Well then, who are you?” they asked. “Are you Elijah?” “No,” he replied. “Are you the Prophet we are expecting?” “No.”
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 denied being Elijah or 'the prophet' in the senses his questioners meant. He would not assume titles that did not fit his true role.
Overview
The leaders probe whether John is the returning Elijah (Malachi 4:5) or the prophet like Moses (Deuteronomy 18:15). John answers no; though Jesus elsewhere says John came 'in the spirit and power of Elijah' (Luke 1:17; Matthew 11:14), John rightly disclaims being literally Elijah returned or the awaited Prophet, who is Christ. His careful answers keep the focus on the One still to be revealed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Mal 4:5Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Deut 18:15–18Yahweh your God will raise up to you a prophet from among you, of your brothers, like me. You shall listen to him.
- Matt 11:14If you are willing to receive it, this is Elijah, who is to come.
- John 1:25They asked him, “Why then do you baptize, if you are not the Christ, nor Elijah, nor the prophet?”
- Matt 16:14They said, “Some say John the Baptizer, some, Elijah, and others, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets.”
- Matt 17:10–12His disciples asked him, saying, “Then why do the scribes say that Elijah must come first?”
- Luke 1:17He will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to prepare a people prepared for the Lord.”
- Matt 11:9–11But why did you go out? To see a prophet? Yes, I tell you, and much more than a prophet.
- John 7:40Many of the multitude therefore, when they heard these words, said, “This is truly the prophet.”
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 1:21 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.