John Bengel Commentary - John 1:21 - 1:21

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John Bengel Commentary - John 1:21 - 1:21


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Joh 1:21. Σύ, thou?) John had said, I am not the Christ. They persevere in asking about the subject: it would have been better for them to have asked about the prædicate, Who is the Christ? Where is He? But John presently leads on the conversation to this.-οὐκ εἰμί, I am not) He was a second Elijah; he was not the Tishbite himself, about whom their enquiry was. He rejects from himself all things [all the characters, which their conjectures attributed to him], in order that he may confess Christ, and bring the enquirers to Christ.-ὁ προφήτης, the Prophet) that one, of whom Deu 18:15; Deu 18:18, spake [The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken, etc.] The article has reference to the promise of the prophet, who was about to teach all things, and to the expectation of the people. Yet they supposed Him not only to be distinct from Christ, but even inferior to Elias, as is evident from the gradually descending climax here, and in Joh 1:25 [Christ-Elias-that prophet]: although the people afterwards regarded the prophet as the same as Messiah the King, ch. Joh 6:14-15 [Then those men, when they had seen the miracle that Jesus did, said, This is of a truth that prophet that should come into the world; When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take Him by force, to make him a king, etc.]; and again, on the contrary, they looked on the prophet as a distinct person from the Christ, ch. Joh 7:40-41. [Many said, Of a truth this is the Prophet; others said, This is the Christ.]-εἶ σύ, art thou) they enumerate all those of whose coming prophecy had foretold.