In Greek, this verse begins with the words “and he confessed and he did not deny and he confessed.” Good News Translation places the negative statement first and interprets the twice-used “he confessed” as indicating emphasis. Moreover, by the introduction of the name John, the pronominal reference “he” is made explicit: John did not refuse to answer, but spoke out openly and clearly. In New English Bible this entire clause appears as “he confessed without reserve and avowed,” and in Moffatt as “he frankly confessed—he did not deny it, he frankly confessed.”
In some languages did not refuse to answer may be appropriately translated “did not hesitate to answer” or “answered immediately.” In order to reflect as accurately as possible the emphasis in the Greek text (indicated by the repetition of “he confessed”), one can translate “he told them so clearly that everyone could understand” or “he said to all there and made it clear” or “he spoke out so as not to leave anyone in doubt.” In some languages one can simply say “he didn’t hide anything; he just told them all the truth” or “he did not mumble his words; he spoke right out.”
In John’s statement, I am not the Messiah, the pronoun I is emphatic. Accordingly, the force of John’s answer would probably be “I am not the Messiah, but there is one who is.” The Messiah (so also New English Bible, New American Bible) is literally “the Christ” (so most translations). “the Christ” is the Greek translation of the Hebrew term the Messiah (literally “the anointed one”); it refers to the future Davidic King who was expected to free the Jews from foreign oppression. In New Testament times most Jews believed that the Messiah would be a political-military figure, and we find this view expressed in the New Testament itself (Luke 1.71). To translate the Messiah as a proper name (Phillips “I am not Christ”) fails to convey the fact that this term is a title (see comments at 1.41). However, to translate as the Messiah requires a footnote or a glossary entry for most readers. Instead of “the Messiah,” Die Bibel im heutigen Deutsch has “the promised Saviour,” both here and in most other places. (In Matt 2.4 it has “the promised King,” but see Matt 2.2 for the reason for the shift.) Either “the promised King,” “the promised Saviour,” or even “the promised Saviour King” expresses accurately the meaning that the original readers would have received.
Most translations prefer to transliterate the term the Messiah, since they believe that a close connection exists between this statement and the prophetic utterances of the old Testament. This usage is more satisfactory than merely borrowing a form of the Greek term “Christ,” a term almost inevitable interpreted merely as a proper name. There is much to be said, however, for such a translation as “the promised Rescuer” or “the Savior whom God has promised.” A footnote can be employed to indicate that in the Bible this term referred to “the Messiah” (as in Hebrew), or “the Christ” (as in the Greek text).
Quoted with permission from Newman, Barclay M. and Nida, Eugene A. A Handbook on the Gospel of John. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1980. For this and other handbooks for translators see here .