John 1:15 kjv
John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.
John 1:15 nkjv
John bore witness of Him and cried out, saying, "This was He of whom I said, 'He who comes after me is preferred before me, for He was before me.' "
John 1:15 niv
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, "This is the one I spoke about when I said, 'He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.'?")
John 1:15 esv
(John bore witness about him, and cried out, "This was he of whom I said, 'He who comes after me ranks before me, because he was before me.'")
John 1:15 nlt
John testified about him when he shouted to the crowds, "This is the one I was talking about when I said, 'Someone is coming after me who is far greater than I am, for he existed long before me.'"
John 1 15 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Gen 1:1 | In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. | Echoes pre-existence with "In the beginning..." |
| Ps 90:2 | Before the mountains were born...from everlasting to everlasting you are God. | Points to God's eternal nature, directly relatable to Jesus' pre-existence. |
| Mic 5:2 | But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah...out of you will come for me one who will be ruler...whose origins are from of old, from ancient times. | Foretells Messiah's eternal origins, aligning with "He was before me." |
| Isa 40:3 | A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God." | Prophetic foreshadowing of John the Baptist as the voice crying out. |
| Mal 3:1 | "I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come..." | Describes John's role as preparing the way for the Lord. |
| Mt 3:11 | "I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I..." | John's testimony on Jesus' superiority, echoing John 1:15. |
| Mk 1:7 | And this was his message: "After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie." | John highlights Jesus' preeminence and his own unworthiness. |
| Lk 1:76-77 | And you, my child, will be called a prophet of the Most High...to give His people the knowledge of salvation... | Confirms John's prophetic role and mission to point to Jesus. |
| Jn 1:1 | In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. | Direct statement of Christ's eternal pre-existence and deity. |
| Jn 1:6 | There was a man sent from God whose name was John. | Establishes John's divine appointment as a witness. |
| Jn 1:8 | He himself was not the light, but he came to testify concerning that light. | Clarifies John's role as a witness, not the subject of worship. |
| Jn 1:14 | The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us...full of grace and truth. | The Incarnation of the pre-existent Word. |
| Jn 1:26-27 | "I baptize with water," John replied, "but among you stands one you do not know. He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie." | Reiterates John's humble witness and Jesus' exalted status. |
| Jn 3:28-30 | "You yourselves can testify that I said, 'I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of Him.' He must become greater; I must become less." | John’s joyful and humble recognition of Jesus' growing supremacy. |
| Jn 8:58 | "Very truly I tell you," Jesus answered, "before Abraham was born, I am!" | Jesus' own declaration of His eternal pre-existence, reinforcing "He was before me." |
| Jn 12:44 | Then Jesus cried out, "Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me." | "Cries out" indicates an emphatic, public declaration by a divine figure. |
| Col 1:17 | He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together. | Affirms Jesus' pre-existence and cosmic centrality. |
| Col 1:18 | And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything He might have the supremacy. | States Jesus' universal supremacy, fulfilling "has surpassed me." |
| Heb 1:2-3 | but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son...the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by His powerful word. | Affirms Jesus' divine nature, agency in creation, and sustaining power. |
| Rev 1:8 | "I am the Alpha and the Omega," says the Lord God, "who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty." | Declares Jesus' eternal existence, linking past, present, and future. |
| Rev 22:13 | I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. | Reiteration of Jesus' absolute and eternal priority and pre-eminence. |
John 1 verses
John 1 15 Meaning
John the Baptist, serving as a divine witness, publicly and emphatically declares the supreme identity of Jesus. His testimony establishes that while Jesus came after him in terms of public ministry, Jesus' true authority and superiority stem from His eternal pre-existence before all creation, validating His divine nature and supreme rank above all.
John 1 15 Context
John 1:15 is an early and crucial part of John's prologue (John 1:1-18), which introduces Jesus as the eternally pre-existent Word (Logos), who was with God and was God, and through whom all things were made. After establishing the Word's cosmic role and eventual incarnation (v. 14), verse 15 brings in John the Baptist as a key witness to connect this divine, eternal Word to the historical person of Jesus Christ. This declaration from John serves several purposes: it substantiates Jesus' identity as the long-awaited Messiah by the recognized prophet John; it clarifies the relative status of John the Baptist, a widely respected spiritual figure of the time, positioning him as merely a forerunner; and it directly confronts any misconception among John's followers that he might be superior to or equal to Jesus. The chronological sequence of John's public ministry preceding Jesus' is affirmed, yet it is decisively superseded by Jesus' ontological pre-existence, thus powerfully testifying to Jesus' unique divinity and supreme authority before any earthly timeline.
John 1 15 Word analysis
- John: Refers specifically to John the Baptist (Greek: Iōannēs, Ἰωάννης), distinct from John the Apostle. His primary role throughout the Gospel of John is as a divine witness and forerunner to Jesus the Messiah.
- testifies (μαρτυρέω - martyreō): Implies a formal, authoritative, and deliberate declaration. This verb and its related noun (martyria - testimony) are central to John's Gospel, highlighting the validity of Jesus' claims through divinely appointed witnesses. It carries a strong sense of judicial or authoritative attestation.
- concerning him: Points directly to Jesus, the Word introduced in John 1:1, who has become flesh in John 1:14.
- He cries out (κέκραγεν - kekragen): Perfect tense, indicating a completed action with continuing results and impact. It signifies a public, emphatic, and perhaps even prophetic proclamation, not a quiet statement. This shows the urgency and importance of John's message.
- saying: Introduces the content of John's emphatic declaration.
- "This is he": A direct, unequivocal identification, leaving no doubt about whom John is speaking.
- of whom I said: References an earlier, likely oft-repeated declaration by John to his disciples or the public (cf. John 1:26-27; Matt 3:11; Mk 1:7; Lk 3:16).
- "He who comes after me (ὀπίσω μου ἔρχομαι - opisō mou erchomai)": Refers to Jesus, whose public ministry and anointing chronologically began after John the Baptist's. This acknowledges the sequence of their earthly appearance and public work.
- has surpassed me (πρῶτός μου γέγονεν - prōtos mou gegonen): Literally, "has become first/foremost before me" or "has come into being ahead of me." The Greek prōtos (πρῶτος) here conveys priority not just in time but crucially in rank, importance, and authority. It speaks of Jesus' preeminence.
- because (ὅτι - hoti): Introduces the reason or ground for Jesus' surpassing superiority.
- he was before me (πρῶτός μου ἦν - prōtos mou ēn): This is the core theological statement. The Greek prōtos (πρῶτος) again implies priority, but here it is explicitly linked with continuous existence in the past (imperfect verb ēn - ἦν, "was"). This does not merely mean Jesus was born chronologically before John (which is untrue) but that Jesus existed eternally before John, before all creation. It directly points to Jesus' divine pre-existence and timeless being, reinforcing the claim of John 1:1 that "In the beginning was the Word."
John 1 15 Bonus section
- The phrasing "He who comes after me" (chronologically) followed by "because he was before me" (ontologically) creates a deliberate paradox that powerfully emphasizes Jesus' deity over human time. This theological contrast is foundational to understanding John's Gospel.
- John the Baptist's "crying out" (kekragen) links his role directly to the prophetic voice described in Isaiah 40:3, establishing him as the fulfilment of the Old Testament prophetic anticipation for a forerunner.
- The meticulous differentiation by John the Baptist was crucial because some of his disciples remained influential even into the early church era (Acts 18:24-19:7). This public testimony by John himself provided an authoritative corrective.
- This verse undergirds the concept of the Logos (Word) introduced in John 1:1, validating that the One who "became flesh" (Jn 1:14) is indeed that eternal, pre-existent Word, confirming the incarnation of a divine being, not merely a divinely inspired man.
John 1 15 Commentary
John 1:15 functions as a profound theological bridge within John's Gospel prologue, moving from the abstract description of the pre-existent Word to the concrete witness concerning Jesus. John the Baptist, divinely appointed as the voice preparing the way, makes an unequivocal, public declaration that settles any question of superiority between himself and Jesus. Despite John's significant role, popular following, and earlier appearance in public ministry, he unequivocally states that Jesus' preeminence is not derived from chronological advantage but from ontological pre-existence. The critical phrases "has surpassed me" and "because he was before me" reveal a fundamental truth: Jesus' status as the Christ is not earned or appointed within time, but stems from His eternal divine nature. This verse not only confirms Jesus' identity but also humbles John, illustrating the true servant's heart in redirecting all glory to the one worthy of it. This serves to correct any misapprehensions among John's followers and to powerfully declare Jesus' divinity and ultimate authority from the very outset of the Gospel narrative. It highlights that the Incarnate Word (v. 14) is truly the eternal Word (v. 1), thus presenting a consistent and majestic Christology.