Section 1:29–34
John the Baptist saw Jesus and said that he was the Lamb of God
This section is the most important part of what John the Baptist said about Jesus. Here John identified Jesus as God’s sacrifice for sin. John declared that Jesus was the one on whom the Spirit came down, and that Jesus was the Son of God.
Here are other possible section headings:
John the Baptist saw Jesus and told people that he was the Lamb of God
-or-
John the Baptist told about who Jesus was
-or-
Jesus was the Lamb of God
1:29a
The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him: Verse 1:29a introduces a significant point in the narrative. Try to emphasize this clause in some way. Here is another way to translate this phrase:
It was the day after this that John saw Jesus approaching him.
The next day: This phrase marks a new part of the story.
and said: John was speaking to the people in the crowd. In some languages it is more natural to include this information. For example:
Then John said to the people nearby
1:29b
Look: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as Look is a way of telling people to give attention to something. John was telling all of the people there to look at Jesus.
Here are some other ways that this word has been translated:
There is (Good News Translation)
-or-
Here is (New Revised Standard Version)
the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!: John introduced Jesus by declaring that he was the one who would take away (remove) the sin of the world. The pronoun who refers back to the phrase the Lamb of God, not to the word God. The Lamb takes away sin.
the Lamb of God: This phrase is a title for Jesus. It probably means “the Lamb provided by God.” Here are other ways to translate this phrase:
the Lamb from God
-or-
the Lamb whom God has given/provided
This is a metaphor with more than one level of meaning. For example, the ancient Hebrews sacrificed lambs. See Genesis 4:4, Leviticus 1:10, and Isaiah 53:7. And at Passover time, each Jewish family took a lamb, killed it, and ate it. They also put the lamb’s blood on their door frames (what is around the door when it is shut). See Exodus 12:1–14. And Jesus himself died at Passover time. But the Jews also spoke of a lamb that would come in the end times. He would come as a soldier to remove sin.
We cannot know exactly what John the Baptist meant by this metaphor, nor what the Apostle John meant when he wrote it. So it is best to translate it literally. If this is not natural in your language, you may want to translate the metaphor as a simile. For example:
This man is like a lamb from God. He removes the sin….
Lamb: A Lamb is a young sheep under a year old. Use the form that refers to a male lamb. If there are no sheep in your area, you may need to explain what they are. You should not use another animal instead of sheep because of the importance of sheep in the Bible.
who takes away the sin of the world: This clause means “he will remove the sin of all people.” See 1 John 3:5, where a similar expression appears. John the author understood that Jesus as the Lamb of God would remove the world’s sin. He removed the world’s sin by dying on the cross as a sacrifice for sin. Also see Isaiah 53:7, where God’s suffering servant is compared to a lamb.
But some scholars suggest that the speaker, John the Baptist, was thinking about something else. They say that he was thinking about a lamb who is a conquering soldier. He would conquer and destroy sin (see Revelation 17:14).
But it is also possible that John the Baptist understood how Jesus would take away our sin. Even before he was born, he recognized that Jesus was special (see Luke 1:41–44). But we do not really know what John the Baptist meant. So you should translate literally, without indicating in what way “the Lamb” takes away the sin of the world.
In some languages you may not be able to say that an abstract idea like sin is removed. You may need to describe what it means that Lamb of God would take away the sin of the world. For example:
he will endure the punishment for people’s sin so that they do not have to
-or-
he will forgive the sin of people in the world
-or-
who will judge the world’s wicked people and save his people in the world from their sin
takes away: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as takes away can also be translated as “removes” or “carries off.” As the Lamb of God, Jesus took away the sin of the world by dying as a sacrifice for their sins. Because of Jesus’ death, God would forgive the sin of the world. John the author understood this.
But John the Baptist did not know this yet. John the author is telling John the Baptist’s words, so you should not make this idea explicit. Instead, it is better to translate takes away with a general expression meaning “removes” or “destroys.” Jesus would end the sin of the world. He would defeat and destroy the power of evil over humanity. Sin would no longer control people. No longer would people want to sin.
Here are other ways to translate this verb:
removes
-or-
destroys
-or-
carries off
sin: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as sin is in the singular. The word here refers to wrongdoing in general, not to one specific sin. So you may need to translate it in the plural, “sins.”
The word sin refers to offenses against God or another person. Sin is the act of disobeying God’s law. Specific sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do.
Try to translate sin with a general term that can include any wrongdoing against God. Here are problems to avoid:
(a) The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sin. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sin.
(b) The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.
Here are some translation examples:
wrong action/behavior
-or-
offenses ⌊against God⌋
-or-
evil deeds
In some languages it may be natural to translate sin with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:
the wrong/evil things that ⌊people⌋ do
See Key Biblical Terms Sin A.3. See how you translated “sins” in Matthew 1:21 and Mark 2:5.
the world: The word world here means “the people who live in the world.” The Lamb of God removes the sin of anyone in the world who receives him and believes in him. He does not just remove the sin of Jews.
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