There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
Parallel translations
- WEB There came a man, sent from God, whose name was John.
- BSB There came a man who was sent from God. His 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 3:1Behold, 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 3:28Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
- 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.
- Luke 1:76And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
- Acts 13:24When John had first preached before his coming the baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.
- 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.
- Matt 11:10For this is he, of whom it is written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.
- Mark 1:1–8The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God;
- Matt 3:1–11In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea,
- Mal 4:5–6Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the LORD:
- Luke 1:13But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
- Luke 3:2–20Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
- Luke 1:15–17For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
- Luke 1:61–63And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
- Matt 21:25The baptism of John, whence was it? from heaven, or of men? And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we shall say, From heaven; he will say unto us, Why did ye not then 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.