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.
- KJV There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
- BSB There came a man who was sent from God. His 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 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 send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to his temple; and the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, behold, he comes!” says Yahweh of Armies.
- John 3:28You yourselves testify that I said, ‘I am not the Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent before him.’
- Isa 40:3–5The voice of one who calls out, “Prepare the way of Yahweh in the wilderness! Make a level highway in the desert for our God.
- Luke 1:76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High, for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways,
- Acts 13:24before his coming, when John had first preached the baptism of repentance to Israel.
- John 1:33I didn’t recognize him, but he who sent me to baptize in water, he said to me, ‘On whomever you will see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he who baptizes in the Holy Spirit.’
- Matt 11:10For this is he, of whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send my messenger before your face, who will prepare your way before you.’
- Mark 1:1–8The beginning of the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
- Matt 3:1–11In those days, John the Baptizer came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea, saying,
- Mal 4:5–6Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of Yahweh comes.
- Luke 1:13But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John.
- Luke 3:2–20in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zacharias, in the wilderness.
- Luke 1:15–17For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. 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 is called by this name.”
- Matt 21:25The baptism of John, where was it from? From heaven or from men?” They reasoned with themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask us, ‘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.