This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me.
Parallel translations
- WEB This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is preferred before me, for he was before me.’
- BSB This is He of whom I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’
- ESV This is he of whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who ranks before me, because he was before me.’
- NKJV This is He of whom I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
- NASB This is He in behalf of whom I said, ‘After me is coming a Man who has proved to be my superior, because He existed before me.’
- NLT He is the one I was talking about when I said, ‘A man is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.’
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 repeats that Jesus, though coming after him, outranks him because He existed before him. He reaffirms Christ's superiority and pre-existence.
Overview
Echoing his earlier testimony (1:15), John again insists that Jesus' temporal lateness does not diminish His priority; He 'was before' John eternally. The repetition stresses how central this confession is to John's witness. It guards the truth that the One being baptized is the eternal Son, not merely a later prophet.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- John 1:27He it is, who coming after me is preferred before me, whose shoe’s latchet I am not worthy to unloose.
- John 1:15John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
- Luke 3:16John 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:
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 1:30 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.