John 3:24 kjv
For John was not yet cast into prison.
John 3:24 nkjv
For John had not yet been thrown into prison.
John 3:24 niv
(This was before John was put in prison.)
John 3:24 esv
(for John had not yet been put in prison).
John 3:24 nlt
(This was before John was thrown into prison.)
John 3 24 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Matt 4:12 | Now when Jesus had heard that John was cast into prison, he departed into Galilee. | Jesus begins Galilean ministry after John's arrest. |
| Mark 1:14 | Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching… | Jesus' ministry post-John's arrest. |
| Luke 3:19-20 | But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him… added yet this above all… he shut up John in prison. | Account of John's imprisonment by Herod. |
| Jn 1:6-8 | There was a man sent from God, whose name was John. The same came for a witness… | John's divine commission as witness. |
| Jn 1:15 | John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake… | John's testimony to Jesus's preeminence. |
| Jn 3:22-23 | After these things came Jesus and his disciples into the land of Judaea… and John also was baptizing in Aenon… | Jesus' and John's overlapping Judean ministries. |
| Jn 3:25-26 | Then there arose a question between some of John’s disciples and the Jews about purifying. And they came unto John… | Context: Dispute prompting John's testimony. |
| Jn 3:27-30 | John answered and said, A man can receive nothing… He must increase, but I must decrease. | John's humble witness and foreseeing his role. |
| Isa 40:3 | The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord… | Prophecy of John as the forerunner. |
| Mal 3:1 | Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me… | Prophecy of the messenger preparing the way. |
| Matt 11:2-3 | Now when John had heard in the prison the works of Christ, he sent two of his disciples… | John's later activity while imprisoned. |
| Lk 7:18-19 | And the disciples of John shewed him of all these things. And John calling unto him two of his disciples sent them to Jesus… | John's message from prison. |
| Heb 11:36 | And others had trial of cruel mockings and scourging, yea, moreover of bonds and imprisonment… | Believers suffering imprisonment for faith. |
| Jer 37:15 | Wherefore the princes were wroth with Jeremiah, and smote him, and put him in prison… | A prophet imprisoned for speaking truth. |
| Acts 5:18 | And laid their hands on the apostles, and put them in the common prison. | Early apostles facing imprisonment. |
| Acts 19:4 | 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. | Paul affirms John's preparatory ministry. |
| Phil 1:7 | Even as it is meet for me to think this of you all, because I have you in my heart; inasmuch as both in my bonds, and in the defence and confirmation of the gospel, ye all are partakers of my grace. | Paul's imprisonment furthering the gospel. |
| Lk 21:12 | But before all these, they shall lay their hands on you, and persecute you, delivering you up to the synagogues, and into prisons… | Persecution, including imprisonment, of believers. |
| Mk 6:17-18 | For Herod himself had sent forth and laid hold upon John, and bound him in prison for Herodias’ sake… | Detailed account of Herod imprisoning John. |
| Jn 4:1-3 | When therefore the Lord knew how the Pharisees had heard that Jesus made and baptized more disciples than John… he left Judaea, and departed again into Galilee. | Jesus departs Judea as His fame grows. |
| Jn 5:35 | He was a burning and a shining light: and ye were willing for a season to rejoice in his light. | Jesus speaks of John's temporary impact. |
| Matt 14:3-4 | For Herod had laid hold on John, and bound him, and put him in prison for Herodias' sake… | Matthew's account of John's imprisonment. |
John 3 verses
John 3 24 Meaning
John 3:24 serves as a parenthetical remark by the Gospel writer, clarifying the precise timing of the events recorded immediately before and after it in chapter 3. It establishes that the conversation among John the Baptist's disciples, their interaction with a Jew about purification, and John's subsequent profound testimony concerning Jesus's identity and growing popularity (John 3:25-36) all took place while John the Baptist was still at liberty and actively ministering, specifically before he was imprisoned. This temporal anchor is crucial for understanding the chronological sequence of John's and Jesus's overlapping ministries.
John 3 24 Context
John 3:24 functions as an important temporal clarifier within the broader narrative of John Chapter 3. The chapter begins with Jesus's crucial discourse with Nicodemus on being "born again" (Jn 3:1-21). It then transitions to Jesus's disciples baptizing in Judea, an activity mirroring John the Baptist's contemporary ministry nearby (Jn 3:22-23). The specific context for verse 24 arises from a discussion (Jn 3:25-26) that emerges among John's disciples concerning purification rites and, more critically, the growing number of people going to Jesus. This leads John's disciples to report to him about Jesus's expanding influence, expressing concern that "all men come to him." In response, John delivers his culminating testimony to Jesus (Jn 3:27-36), humbly affirming Jesus's heavenly origin, supreme authority, and his own subsidiary role as the Messiah's forerunner. Verse 24, placed strategically by the evangelist, confirms that this entire period of overlapping ministries and John's significant final witness occurred before his ministry was forcefully brought to a halt by imprisonment. Historically, John the Baptist was arrested by Herod Antipas because he denounced Herod's unlawful marriage to Herodias (as described in the Synoptic Gospels). This verse by John implicitly states that event had not yet occurred.
John 3 24 Word analysis
- For (γαρ - gar): This is a connective conjunction. It introduces an explanation, reason, or elaboration for what has just been stated. Here, it clarifies the context of John's ongoing ministry preceding the explicit comparison of followers in verses 25-26.
- John (Ἰωάννης - Iōannēs): Refers to John the Baptist. He is the specific messenger sent by God to prepare the way for Jesus, distinct in his identity and ministry.
- was not yet (οὔπω ἦν - oupō ēn): A crucial temporal phrase. "Oupō" means "not yet" or "up to this time, not." "ēn" is the imperfect tense of "to be," indicating a state of being in the past that was ongoing. This emphasizes that at the moment these events (John 3:22-23, 25ff) transpired, John's public ministry was still active and unimpeded by imprisonment.
- cast (βεβλημένος - beblēmenos): This is a perfect passive participle of the verb βάλλω (ballō), meaning "to throw, cast, put." In a perfect passive sense, it implies a completed action that resulted in a state, i.e., "having been thrown" or "having been put." The word suggests a forceful, decisive, and perhaps unwelcome act of being placed.
- into prison (εἰς φυλακὴν - eis phylakēn): "Eis" means "into," indicating direction. "Phylakēn" (from φυλακή - phylakē) means "a guard, watch, post" or, by extension, "a place for guarding," thus "prison, dungeon." It signifies a place of confinement, detention, or custody, often for a criminal or prisoner of war.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "For John was not yet": This phrase introduces the parenthetical clarification, grounding the narrative chronologically. It establishes that the activities and testimonies mentioned previously (Jesus's Judean ministry, John's baptism) and immediately after (John's last major testimony) are temporally before a significant turning point in John's life.
- "cast into prison": This describes the specific act that marked the cessation of John's public ministry. It denotes a state of involuntary confinement due to an official or governmental decree, setting the stage for the Synoptic Gospels' later narrative where Jesus's main public ministry begins after this event. This parenthetical note acts as a critical chronological marker, implicitly linking John's Gospel with the timeline presented in Matthew, Mark, and Luke regarding John's final public activities before his detention.
John 3 24 Bonus section
The careful placement of John 3:24 demonstrates the evangelist John's precise historical understanding and literary purpose. It helps to differentiate the timing of Jesus's early Judean ministry (which included initial baptizing activity by His disciples) from His later, more extensive Galilean ministry. Without this verse, a casual reader might incorrectly assume that all of John the Baptist's significant actions concluded before Jesus began His public ministry, whereas John the Gospel writer is emphasizing a crucial period of overlap. This subtle chronological clarification is a testament to the Gospel of John's detailed accuracy concerning the unfolding of salvation history and the relationship between John the Baptist and Jesus Christ.
John 3 24 Commentary
John 3:24, while seemingly a simple factual statement, is profound in its chronological and theological implications. The evangelist inserts this seemingly minor detail to prevent any misunderstanding regarding the sequence of events. It highlights that the peak of John the Baptist's witness to Jesus, especially the crucial "He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn 3:30) statement, occurred during a time when John was still free to preach and baptize. This distinction is vital because, in the Synoptic Gospels, Jesus's intensive public ministry in Galilee largely begins after John's imprisonment (Matt 4:12; Mark 1:14). John's Gospel, uniquely, records an earlier, significant Judean phase of Jesus's ministry which overlapped with John the Baptist's work. Verse 24, therefore, serves as a bridge, implicitly harmonizing the Gospel accounts by firmly establishing that John's final free acts of witness predated the event that, according to the Synoptics, signaled the true commencement of Jesus's widespread Galilean ministry. It underscores John's fidelity to his prophetic role until his public activity ceased by force, showcasing that his decrease was both prophesied by him and then enforced by external circumstances.