And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;
Parallel translations
- WEB As the people were in expectation, and all men reasoned in their hearts concerning John, whether perhaps he was the Christ,
- BSB The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John could be the Christ.
- NKJV Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not,
- NASB Now while the people were in a state of expectation and they all were thinking carefully in their hearts about John, whether he himself perhaps was the Christ,
- NLT Everyone was expecting the Messiah to come soon, and they were eager to know whether John might be the Messiah.
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
The people, full of expectation, wonder whether John himself might be the Messiah. His ministry stirs longing for the promised Christ.
Overview
John's powerful preaching raises messianic hope, and many wonder if he is the Christ they have awaited. This expectation reflects Israel's longing for deliverance. John's reply (next verses) will redirect that hope away from himself and to the One coming after him, modeling the humility that points always to Jesus.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 3
- John 10:24Then came the Jews round about him, and said unto him, How long dost thou make us to doubt? If thou be the Christ, tell us plainly.
- John 3:28–29Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him.
- John 1:19–28And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 3:15 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.