There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.
Parallel translations
- WEB There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
- KJV There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- ESV There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- NKJV There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- NASB A man came, one sent from God, and his name was John.
- NLT God sent a man, John the Baptist,
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
God sent a man named John (the Baptist) with a divine commission. His ministry was ordained to prepare the way for Christ.
Overview
After exalting the eternal Word, John shifts to a particular man in history. John the Baptist was 'sent from God,' marking him as a true prophet after centuries of prophetic silence. His God-given role was not to draw attention to himself but to point others to the coming Messiah, modeling faithful witness.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- 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 3:28You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but am sent ahead of Him.’
- 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.
- Luke 1:76And 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,
- Acts 13:24Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
- 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.’
- Matt 11:10This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
- Mark 1:1–8This is the beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- Matt 3:1–11In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
- Mal 4:5–6Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
- Luke 3:2–20during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
- Luke 1:15–17for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
- Luke 1:61–63They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”
- Matt 21:25What was the source of John’s baptism? Was it from heaven or from men?” They deliberated among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will ask, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’
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 1:6 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.