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Luk 3:16. Ἀπεκρίνατο, answered) To those who were desiring to question him. Comp. Act 13:25, τίνα με ὑπονοεῖτε εῖναι, “As John fulfilled his course, he said, Whom think ye that I am? [implying that they were desiring to ask him the question].-ἔρχεται) Castellio renders it ‘adventat,’ approacheth.-ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου, who is mightier than I) John was powerful: Luk 3:4-5; Luk 3:10-11, ch. Luk 1:17 [He shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias]: but Christ was much more so.-καὶ πυρὶ, and with fire) That fire in respect to believers denotes the fiery power of the Holy Spirit: with which comp. Isa 4:4. And indeed they were actually bathed and baptized in fire: Act 2:3; Act 1:5. Yet nevertheless it is not here as in Joh 3:5, where material water is meant; for in this passage material fire is not signified; since in John the water is named before the mention of the Spirit, whereas here the Spirit and fire are named together. In respect to the impenitent the fire denotes the fire of wrath spoken of in Luk 3:17. In a similar manner fire has a double signification in Mar 9:49, compared with the preceding verses.[35]
[35] “Every one shall be salted with fire:” believers with the purifactory fire of trials, unbelievers with the fire that “is not quenched.”-ED. and TRANSL.