Paragraph 1:6–9

This paragraph explains who John the Baptist was and why God sent him. John came to announce the coming of the one who was the light, Jesus Christ.

1:6

There came a man who was sent from God: This clause refers to John the Baptist. He was sent from God in the sense that God commanded him to preach to the people. John obeyed God and began preaching. He called the people to repent and believe in Jesus.

The expression here does not mean that John lived with God before coming to the world. If a literal translation has this meaning, you may need to say this:

There was a man sent by God

There came a man: This expression here introduces a new and major person in the narrative. It refers to John, who started to preach about A.D. 29. Introduce this person in a way that is natural in your language. For example:

A man came (NET Bible)
-or-
There appeared a man (Revised English Bible)

who was sent from God: The verb sent is passive. There are two ways to translate it:

• Use a passive verb. For example:

There came a man who was sent from God. (New International Version)

• Use an active verb. For example:

God sent a man (God’s Word)
-or-
God sent his messenger (Good News Translation)

His name was John: In some languages you will need to distinguish between this John (John the Baptist) and the author of the book (the Apostle John). You may want to include this information in the text. For example:

whose name was John (He was the baptizer.)
-or-
John the Baptist. (New Living Translation (2004))

It is also possible to explain this difference in a footnote. For example:

This refers to John the Baptist, not to the author of the book. See Mark 1:4.

General Comment on 1:6

In some languages, a literal translation may suggest that God’s name was John. To avoid this misunderstanding, you may need to reorder this information so that John’s name appears early in the verse. For example:

There appeared a man named John. He was sent from God. (Revised English Bible)
-or-
A man named John came/appeared. God had sent him.

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