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Selected Verse: John 1:7 - King James
| Verse |
Translation |
Text |
| Joh 1:7 |
King James |
The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe. |
Summary Of Commentaries Associated With The Selected Verse
| A Commentary, Critical, Practical, and Explanatory on the Old and New Testaments, by Robert Jamieson, A.R. Fausset and David Brown [1882] |
| through him--John. |
| Notes on the Bible, by Albert Barnes, [1834] |
For a witness - To give testimony. He came to prepare the minds of the people to receive him Matt. 3; Luke 3; to lead them by repentance to God; and to point out the Messiah to Israel when he came, Joh 1:31.
Of the Light - That is, of the Messiah. Compare Isa 60:1.
That all men ... - It was the object of John's testimony that all people might believe. He designed to prepare them for it; to announce that the Messiah was about to come, to direct the minds of men to him, and thus to prepare them to believe on him when he came. Thus, he baptized them, saying "That they should believe on him who should come after him" Act 19:4, and thus he produced a very general expectation that the Messiah was about to come. The testimony of John was especially valuable on the following accounts:
1. It was made when he had no personal acquaintance with Jesus of Nazareth, and of course there could have been no collusion or agreement to deceive them, Joh 1:31.
2. It was sufficiently long before he came to excite general attention, and to fix the mind on it.
3. It was that of a man acknowledged by all to be a prophet of God - "for all men held John to be a prophet," Mat 21:26.
4. It was "for the express purpose" of declaring beforehand that he was about to appear.
5. It was "disinterested."
He was himself extremely popular. Many were disposed to receive him as the Messiah. It was evidently in his "power" to form a large party, and to be regarded extensively as the Christ. This was the highest honor to which a Jew could aspire; and it shows the value of John's testimony, that he was willing to lay all his honors at the feet of Jesus, and to acknowledge that he was unworthy to perform for him the office of the humblest servant, Mat 3:11.
Through him - Through John, or by means of his testimony.
Was not that Light - Was not "the Messiah." This is an explicit declaration designed to satisfy the disciples of John. The evidence that he was not the Messiah he states in the following verses.
From the conduct of John here we may learn,
1. The duty of laying all our honors at the feet of Jesus.
2. As John came that all might believe, so it is no less true of the ministry of Jesus himself. He came for a similar purpose, and we may all, therefore, trust in him for salvation.
3. We should not rely too much on ministers of the gospel. They cannot save us any more than John could; and their office, as his was, is simply to direct people "to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the world." |
| Vincent's Word Studies, by Marvin R. Vincent [1886] |
The same (οὗτος)
Compare Joh 1:2, and the pronoun ἐκεῖνος, he, in Joh 1:8.
For a witness (εἰς μαρτυρίαν)
Revised version of the New Testament, more correctly, for witness: a witness would be, μάρτυρα as Act 1:8. The sense is for witness-bearing or to bear witness. On the word, see Act 1:22; Pe1 5:1. It is one of John's characteristic words, occurring nearly fifty times in various forms in his Gospel, and thirty or forty times in the Epistles and Revelation. The emphatic development of the idea of witness is peculiar to this Gospel. "It evidently belongs to a time when men had begun to reason about the faith, and to analyze the grounds on which it rested" (Westcott). He develops the idea under the following forms: The witness of the Father (Joh 5:31, Joh 5:34, Joh 5:37); the witness of Christ himself (Joh 8:14; Joh 18:37); the witness of works (Joh 5:17, Joh 5:36; Joh 10:25; Joh 14:11; Joh 15:24); the witness of Scripture (Joh 5:39, Joh 5:40, Joh 5:46; Joh 1:46); the witness of the forerunner (Joh 1:7; Joh 5:33, Joh 5:35); the witness of the disciples (Joh 15:27; Joh 19:35; Joh 21:24; Jo1 1:2; Jo1 4:14); the witness of the Spirit (Joh 15:26; Joh 16:13, Joh 16:14; Jo1 5:6). Note the emphasis attached to the idea here, by the twofold form in which it is put: first, generally, for witness, and then by giving the subject of the testimony.
All
The Baptist took up the work of the prophets, as respects their preparation for the universal extension of the divine call (Isa 49:6). His message was to men, without regard to nation, sect, descent, or other considerations.
Through him
John the Baptist. |
| Explanatory Notes on the Whole Bible, by John Wesley [1754-65] |
| The same came for (that is, in order to give) a testimony - The evangelist, with the most strong and tender affection, interweaves his own testimony with that of John, by noble digressions, wherein he explains the office of the Baptist; partly premises and partly subjoins a farther explication to his short sentences. What St. Matthew, Mark, and Luke term the Gospel, in respect of the promise going before, St. John usually terms the testimony, intimating the certain knowledge of the relator; to testify of the light - Of Christ. |
| Adam Clarke Commentary on the Whole Bible - Published 1810-1826 |
| That all men through him might believe - He testified that Jesus was the true light - the true teacher of the way to the kingdom of glory, and the lamb or sacrifice of God, which was to bear away the sin of the world, Joh 1:29, and invited men to believe in him for the remission of their sins, that they might receive the baptism of the Holy Ghost, Joh 1:32-34. This was bearing the most direct witness to the light which was now shining in the dark wilderness of Judea; and, from thence, shortly to be diffused over the whole world. |
11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
26 But if we shall say, Of men; we fear the people; for all hold John as a prophet.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
4 Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
1 Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.
31 And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
6 And he said, It is a light thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the preserved of Israel: I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth.
6 This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.
14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you.
13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
26 But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:
14 And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world.
2 (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)
24 This is the disciple which testifieth of these things, and wrote these things: and we know that his testimony is true.
35 And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true: and he knoweth that he saith true, that ye might believe.
27 And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning.
35 He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light.
33 Ye sent unto John, and he bare witness unto the truth.
7 The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
46 And Nathanael said unto him, Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth? Philip saith unto him, Come and see.
46 For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me.
40 And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life.
39 Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me.
24 If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both me and my Father.
11 Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake.
25 Jesus answered them, I told you, and ye believed not: the works that I do in my Father's name, they bear witness of me.
36 But I have greater witness than that of John: for the works which the Father hath given me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of me, that the Father hath sent me.
17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.
37 Pilate therefore said unto him, Art thou a king then? Jesus answered, Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice.
14 Jesus answered and said unto them, Though I bear record of myself, yet my record is true: for I know whence I came, and whither I go; but ye cannot tell whence I come, and whither I go.
37 And the Father himself, which hath sent me, hath borne witness of me. Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen his shape.
34 But I receive not testimony from man: but these things I say, that ye might be saved.
31 If I bear witness of myself, my witness is not true.
1 The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed:
22 Beginning from the baptism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be ordained to be a witness with us of his resurrection.
8 But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.
8 He was not that Light, but was sent to bear witness of that Light.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
32 And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
29 The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.