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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.comRobertson Word Pictures - John 1:15 - 1:15
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
Beareth witness (marturei). Historical (dramatic) present indicative of this characteristic word in John (cf. Joh 1:17.). See Joh 1:32, Joh 1:34 for historical examples of John’s witness to Christ. This sentence is a parenthesis in Westcott and Hort’s text, though the Revised Version makes a parenthesis of most of Joh 1:14. The witness of John is adduced in proof of the glory full of grace and truth already claimed for the Incarnate Logos.
Crieth (kekragen). Second perfect active indicative of krazō, old verb for loud crying, repeated in dramatic form again for emphasis recalling the wonderful Voice in the wilderness which the Beloved Disciple can still hear echoing through the years.
This was (houtos ēn). Imperfect indicative where John throws the tense back in past time when he looked forward to the coming of the Messiah as in Act 3:10 where we should prefer “is” (estin). Gildersleeve (Syntax, p. 96) calls this the “imperfect of sudden appreciation of the real state of things.”
Of whom I said (hon eipon). But B C and a corrector of Aleph (Westcott and Hort) have ho eipōn “the one who said,” a parenthetical explanation about the Baptist, not the words of the Baptist about Christ.
After me (opisō mou). See also Joh 1:27. Later in time John means. He described “the Coming One” (ho erchomenos) before he saw Jesus. The language of John here is precisely that in Mat 3:11 ho opisō mou erchomenos (cf. Mar 1:7). The Beloved Disciple had heard the Baptist say these very words, but he also had the Synoptic Gospels.
Is become (gegonen). Second perfect active indicative of ginomai. It is already an actual fact when the Baptist is speaking.
Before me (emprosthen mou). In rank and dignity, the Baptist means, ho ischuroteros mou “the one mightier than I” (Mar 1:7) and ischuroteros mou “mightier than I” (Mat 3:11). In Joh 3:28 emprosthen ekeinou (before him, the Christ) does mean priority in time, but not here. This superior dignity of the Messiah John proudly recognizes always (Joh 3:25-30).
For he was before me (hoti prōtos mou ēn). Paradox, but clear. He had always been (ēn imperfect) before John in his Pre-incarnate state, but “after” John in time of the Incarnation, but always ahead of John in rank immediately on his Incarnation. Prōtos mou (superlative with ablative) occurs here when only two are compared as is common in the vernacular Koiné. So the Beloved Disciple came first (prōtos) to the tomb, ahead of Peter (Joh 20:4). So also prōton humōn in Joh 15:18 means “before you” as if it were proteron humōn. Joh 1:30 repeats these words almost exactly.