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Commentary Index | Return to PrayerRequest.com | DownloadCambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges - John 1:32 - 1:32
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This Chapter Verse Commentaries:
32. ἐμαρτ. The Evangelist insists again and again on this aspect of the Baptist: he bears witness to the Messiah; 7, 8, 15, 19, 34.
τεθέαμαι. I have beheld (Joh 1:14; Joh 1:38; 1Jn 4:12; 1Jn 4:14). The testimony of the vision still remains; hence the perfect.
ὡς περιστερὰν. Perhaps visible only to Jesus and the Baptist. A real appearance is the natural meaning here, and is insisted on by S. Luke (Luk 3:22); just as a real voice is the natural meaning in Joh 12:29. And if we admit the ‘bodily shape,’ there is no sound reason for rejecting the dove. The marvel is that the Holy Spirit should be visible in any way, not that He should assume the form of a dove or of ‘tongues of fire’ (Act 2:3) in particular. This symbolical vision of the Spirit seems to be analogous to the visions of Jehovah granted to Moses and other Prophets.
The descent of the Spirit made no change in the nature of Christ: but possibly it awoke a full consciousness of His relation to God and to man: He had been increasing in favour with both (Luk 2:52). It served two purposes; (1) to make the Messiah known to the Baptist and through him to the world; (2) to mark the official beginning of His ministry, like the anointing of a king. As at the Transfiguration, Christ is miraculously glorified before setting out to suffer, a voice from heaven bears witness to Him, and ‘the goodly fellowship of the Prophets’ shares in the glory. For ἔμεινεν see next verse.
ἐπ' αὐτόν. Pregnant construction; a preposition of motion with a verb of rest. Thus both the motion and the rest are indicated. Comp. Joh 1:18, Joh 3:36, Joh 19:13, Joh 20:19, Joh 21:4; Gen 1:2.