I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
Parallel translations
- WEB I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.”
- KJV And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
- ESV I myself did not know him, but for this purpose I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.”
- NKJV I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I came baptizing with water.”
- NASB And I did not recognize Him, but so that He would be revealed to Israel, I came baptizing in water.”
- NLT I did not recognize him as the Messiah, but I have been baptizing with water so that he might be revealed to Israel.”
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 admits he did not previously know Jesus as Messiah; his baptizing ministry served to reveal Him to Israel. God's plan, not John's insight, identified the Christ.
Overview
Though John and Jesus were kin (Luke 1), John says he did not recognize Jesus' messianic identity until God disclosed it. His whole baptizing work was ordained so that the Messiah might be revealed to Israel. This underscores that recognizing Christ depends on divine revelation, which John faithfully awaited and obeyed.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Mal 3:1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He is coming,” says the LORD of Hosts.
- John 1:33I myself did not know Him, but the One who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit descend and rest is He who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’
- John 1:7He came as a witness to testify about the Light, so that through him everyone might believe.
- Luke 1:17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
- Mark 1:3–5“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
- Luke 3:3–4He went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,
- Mal 4:2–5“But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in its wings, and you will go out and leap like calves from the stall.
- Isa 40:3–5A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- Matt 3:6Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.
- Acts 19:4Paul explained: “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the One coming after him, that is, in Jesus.”
- Luke 1:76–80And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
- Luke 2:39–42When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth.
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 1:31 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.