Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - John 1:21 - 1:21

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Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - John 1:21 - 1:21


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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:

21. τί οὖν; ‘What art thou then?’ or, ‘What then are we to think?’

Ἡλίας εἶ σύ; The Scribes taught that Elijah would return before the coming of the Messiah (Mat 17:10), and this belief is repeatedly alluded to in the Talmud. Cf. Mal 4:5.

οὐκ εἰμί. A forger would scarcely have written this in the face of Mat 11:14, where Christ says that John is Elijah (in a figurative sense). John here denies that he is Elijah in a literal sense; he is not Elijah returned to the earth.

ὁ προφήτης. ‘The (well-known) Prophet’ of Deu 18:15, who some thought would be a second Moses, others a second Elijah, others the Messiah. We see from Joh 7:40-41, that some distinguished ‘the Prophet’ from the Messiah; and from Mat 16:14, it appears that there was an impression that Jeremiah or other prophets might return. Here as in Joh 7:40, the translation should be ‘the Prophet’ not ‘that prophet.’ We have a similar error Joh 1:25; Joh 6:14; Joh 6:48; Joh 6:69.

This verse alone is almost enough to shew that the writer is a Jew. Who but a Jew would know of these expectations? If a Gentile knew them, would he not explain them?