1:26a–b
“I baptize with water,” John replied, “but among you stands One you do not know: John was declaring that he was not the important one. He was talking about someone in that group of people. That person was unknown right then but would be important later. The contrast between John and the One you do not know should be made clear. It may be natural to include a word meaning “but.” For example:
John answered, “I baptize with water, but there is one here with you that you don’t know about.” (New Century Version)
-or-
John told them, “I baptize with water, but right here in the crowd is someone you do not recognize.” (New Living Translation (2004))
1:26a
I: This pronoun refers to John the Baptist.
baptize with water: This phrase refers to doing a special ritual that uses water to show that God makes his people pure. In this context the ritual represented purification from sin. See notes on 1:25a and baptize in Key Biblical Terms.
John replied: The Greek text, unlike the Berean Standard Bible, includes the pronoun “them,” referring to the Pharisees mentioned in 1:24. In some languages it may be natural to use the pronoun. For example:
John answered them (New Revised Standard Version)
-or-
John replied to the Pharisees
1:26b
among you stands: This phrase here means “is present.” For example:
But here with you (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
but right here in the crowd (New Living Translation (2004))
One you do not know: This phrase refers to Jesus. The people may have known his name, but they did not know that he was the Messiah.
you: The pronoun you is plural and refers to those asking the question and the crowd who were listening to John.
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