And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
Parallel translations
- WEB I didn’t know him, but for this reason I came baptizing in water: that he would be revealed to Israel.”
- BSB I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was 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 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 3:1Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the LORD, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.
- John 1:33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
- John 1:7The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
- Luke 1:17And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
- Mark 1:3–5The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
- Luke 3:3–4And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
- Mal 4:2–5But unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall.
- Isa 40:3–5The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
- Matt 3:6And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
- Acts 19:4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
- Luke 1:76–80And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
- Luke 2:39–42And when they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city 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.