John 1 · Verse 20

John 1:20

And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.
John 1:20, King James Version

John 1:20 in other translations

BSBHe did not refuse to confess, but openly declared, “I am not the Christ.”
WEBHe declared, and didn’t deny, but he declared, “I am not the Christ.”
ASVAnd he confessed, and denied not; and he confessed, I am not the Christ.
YLTand he confessed and did not deny, and confessed--‘I am not the Christ.'
DARBYAnd he acknowledged and denied not, and acknowledged, I am not the Christ.
BBEHe said quite openly and straightforwardly, I am not the Christ.
WebsterAnd he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

What does John 1:20 mean?

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown
20. confessed, &c.--that is, While many were ready to hail him as the Christ, he neither gave the slightest ground for such views, nor the least entertainment to them.

Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset & David Brown, 1871 · public domain

Barnes' Notes
Verse 20. I am not the Christ. This confession proves that John was not an impostor. He had a wide reputation. The nation was expecting that the Messiah was about to come, and multitudes were ready to believe that John was he, Lk 3:15. If John had been an impostor he would have taken advantage of this excited state of public feeling, proclaimed himself to be the Messiah, and formed a large party in his favour. The fact that he did not do it is full proof that he did not intend to impose on men, but came only as the forerunner of Christ; and his example shows that all Christians, and especially all Christian ministers, however much they may be honoured and blessed, should be willing to lay all their honours at the feet of Jesus; to keep themselves back and to hold up before the world only the Son of God. To do this is one eminent mark of the true spirit of a minister of the gospel.

Albert Barnes, 1834 · public domain

Adam Clarke's Commentary
Verse 20 He confessed, and denied not; but confessed - A common mode of Jewish phraseology. John renounces himself, that Jesus may be all in all. Though God had highly honored him, and favored him with peculiar influence in the discharge of his work, yet he considered he had nothing but what he had received, and therefore, giving all praise to his benefactor, takes care to direct the attention of the people to him alone from whom he had received his mercies. He who makes use of God's gifts to feed and strengthen his pride and vanity will be sure to be stripped of the goods wherein he trusts, and fall down into the condemnation of the devil. We have nothing but what we have received; we deserve nothing of what we possess; and it is only God's infinite mercy which keeps us in the possession of the blessings which we now enjoy.

Adam Clarke, 1831 · public domain

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary on John 1:19-28

John disowns himself to be the Christ, who was now expected and waited for. He came in the spirit and power of Elias, but he was not the person of Elias. John was not that Prophet whom Moses said the Lord would raise up to them of their brethren, like unto him. He was not such a prophet as they expected, who would rescue them from the Romans. He gave such an account of himself, as might excite and awaken them to…

Read the full comment on John 1:19-28 →

John 1:20 in the original Greek

Word-by-word with transliteration, English gloss and Strong's number. Tap a number for the full definition and every place the word is used.

καὶkaiAndG2532
ὡμολόγησενhōmologēsenhe confessedG3670
καὶkaiandG2532
οὐκouknotG3756
ἠρνήσατοērnēsatodeniedG720
καὶkaibutG2532
ὡμολόγησενhōmologēsenconfessedG3670
ὅτιhotithatG3754
ἐγὼegōI myselfG1473
οὐκouknotG3756
εἰμὶeimiamG1510
ὁhotheG3588
χριστός.¶christosChrist.G5547

Source: STEPBible TAHOT/TAGNT (Tyndale House, CC BY 4.0).

Cross references for John 1:20

  • Matthew 3:11-12

    I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

  • Mark 1:7-8

    And preached, saying, There cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose. I indeed have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.

  • Luke 3:15-17

    And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not; John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire: Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

  • John 3:28-36

    Ye yourselves bear me witness, that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom: but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that cometh from above is above all: he that is of the earth is earthly, and speaketh of the earth: he that cometh from heaven is above all. …

Ranked by reader votes · OpenBible.info cross references (CC BY).

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
3:28-36; Mt 3:11,12; Mr 1:7,8; Lu 3:15-17

Treasury of Scripture Knowledge (Samuel Bagster, c. 1836) · public domain

Context

  • John 1:19

    And this is the record of John, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, Who art thou?

  • John 1:20

    And he confessed, and denied not; but confessed, I am not the Christ.

  • John 1:21

    And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he saith, I am not. Art thou that prophet? And he answered, No.

Read all of John 1

John 1:20 in other languages

Spanish
Reina-Valera 1909		Y confesó, y no negó; mas declaró: No soy yo el Cristo.
French
Bible J.N. Darby 1885		Et il confessa, et ne nia pas, et confessa: Moi, je ne suis pas le Christ.
German
Elberfelder 1871		Und er bekannte und leugnete nicht, und er bekannte: Ich bin nicht der Christus.
Latin
Clementine Vulgate		Et confessus est, et non negavit, et confessus est: Quia non sum ego Christus.