Matthew 3:14
New International Version
But John tried to deter him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

New Living Translation
But John tried to talk him out of it. “I am the one who needs to be baptized by you,” he said, “so why are you coming to me?”

English Standard Version
John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

Berean Standard Bible
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

Berean Literal Bible
But John was hindering Him, saying, "I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?"

King James Bible
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

New King James Version
And John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and are You coming to me?”

New American Standard Bible
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have the need to be baptized by You, and yet You are coming to me?”

NASB 1995
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

NASB 1977
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

Legacy Standard Bible
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

Amplified Bible
But John tried to prevent Him [vigorously protesting], saying, “It is I who need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

Christian Standard Bible
But John tried to stop him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me? ”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
But John tried to stop Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and yet You come to me?”

American Standard Version
But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
But Yohannan had refused and said to him, “I need to be baptized by you, and you have come to me?”

Contemporary English Version
But John kept objecting and said, "I ought to be baptized by you. Why have you come to me?"

Douay-Rheims Bible
But John stayed him, saying: I ought to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?

English Revised Version
But John would have hindered him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

GOD'S WORD® Translation
But John tried to stop him and said, "I need to be baptized by you. Why are you coming to me?"

Good News Translation
But John tried to make him change his mind. "I ought to be baptized by you," John said, "and yet you have come to me!"

International Standard Version
But John tried to stop him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and are you coming to me?"

Literal Standard Version
but John was forbidding Him, saying, “I have need to be immersed by You—and You come to me?”

Majority Standard Bible
But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?”

New American Bible
John tried to prevent him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet you are coming to me?”

NET Bible
But John tried to prevent him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and yet you come to me?"

New Revised Standard Version
John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?”

New Heart English Bible
But John would have hindered him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?"

Webster's Bible Translation
But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized by thee, and comest thou to me?

Weymouth New Testament
John protested. "It is I," he said, "who have need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"

World English Bible
But John would have hindered him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

Young's Literal Translation
but John was forbidding him, saying, 'I have need by thee to be baptized -- and thou dost come unto me!'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Baptism of Jesus
13At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. 14 But John tried to prevent Him, saying, “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” 15“Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.…

Cross References
Matthew 3:13
At that time Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John.

Matthew 3:15
"Let it be so now," Jesus replied. "It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way." Then John permitted Him.

Romans 1:13
I do not want you to be unaware, brothers, how often I planned to come to you (but have been prevented from visiting until now), in order that I might have a harvest among you, just as I have had among the other Gentiles.

Hebrews 7:23
Now there have been many other priests, since death prevented them from continuing in office.


Treasury of Scripture

But John forbade him, saying, I have need to be baptized of you, and come you to me?

John.

Luke 1:43
And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

John 13:6-8
Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? …

I have.

John 1:16
And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace.

John 3:3-7
Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God…

Acts 1:5-8
For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence…

Jump to Previous
Baptised Baptism Baptized Forbad Forbidding Hindered John Kept Need Prevent Prevented Protested Tried Urgently
Jump to Next
Baptised Baptism Baptized Forbad Forbidding Hindered John Kept Need Prevent Prevented Protested Tried Urgently
Matthew 3
1. John preaches: his office, life, and baptism.
7. He reprimands the Pharisees,
13. and baptizes Jesus in Jordan.














(14) John forbad him.--Better, sought to hinder Him. Here again we have a question which we cannot fully answer. Did John thus forbid Him, as knowing Him to be the Christ? If so, how did that knowledge come? Had they known each other before, in youth or manhood? Or did a special inspiration reveal the character of Him who now drew near? The narrative of St. Matthew seems to imply such knowledge. On the other hand, the words of the Baptist in John 1:33 not only imply, but assert that he did not know Him till after the wonders of the Baptism. Probably, therefore, the sequence of facts was this: The Lord Jesus came to be baptised, as others did, though not, it would seem, with others. He confessed no sins. Look and tone, and words and silence alike spoke of a sinless and stainless life, such as even in approximate instances impresses us with something like awe in presence of the majesty of holiness. Recognising that holiness the Baptist spake as he did, "I have need to be baptised of Thee, to sit at Thy feet, learning lessons of purity and change of heart from Thee."

Verse 14. - Vers. 14 and 15 are peculiar to St. Matthew. But John. In John 1:31, 33 the Baptist says that he knew him not till the descent of the Holy Spirit; i.e. knew him not in his full Messianic character. Here, either by an involuntary and miraculous impression, psychologically due to the previous revelation he had received (cf. Meyer); or, as is on the whole more probable, from his previous knowledge, direct or indirect, of Jesus, he recognizes his superior sanctity. John's inmost thoughts must therefore have been somewhat as follows. "I have come to announce the advent of Messiah; here is One who is much holier than I; it may be that he is Messiah, but I have no certainty till the sign promised has been vouchsafed." Forbade; would have hindered (Revised Version), for διεκώλυεν, does not in itself imply speech. (For a similar imperfect of that which was not fully carried out, cf. Luke 1:59.) It is noticeable, though doubtless merely as a coincidence, that the strong compound word διακωλύω and βαπτίζομαι also occur together in Judith 12:7. I have need to be baptized of thee. Many see here a reference to the baptism of the Spirit and fire, mentioned in ver. 11. But the following clause, "and dost thou come to me?" implies that the baptisms are identical, viz. baptism by water. The sentence is equivalent to "I John, who myself administer the baptism of repentance, need to profess repentance myself, and ought rather, therefore, to receive such a baptism at thy hands, who art so far holier than I" (cf. further Weiss, 'Life,' 1:320).

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
But
δὲ (de)
Conjunction
Strong's 1161: A primary particle; but, and, etc.

John
Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2491: Of Hebrew origin; Joannes, the name of four Israelites.

tried to prevent
διεκώλυεν (diekōlyen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1254: To obstinately prevent, hinder. From dia and koluo; to hinder altogether, i.e. Utterly prohibit.

Him,
αὐτὸν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

saying,
λέγων (legōn)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3004: (a) I say, speak; I mean, mention, tell, (b) I call, name, especially in the pass., (c) I tell, command.

“I
Ἐγὼ (Egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

need
χρείαν (chreian)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5532: From the base of chraomai or chre; employment, i.e. An affair; also occasion, demand, requirement or destitution.

to be baptized
βαπτισθῆναι (baptisthēnai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Passive
Strong's 907: Lit: I dip, submerge, but specifically of ceremonial dipping; I baptize.

by
ὑπὸ (hypo)
Preposition
Strong's 5259: A primary preposition; under, i.e. of place, or with verbs; of place (underneath) or where (below) or time (when).

You,
σοῦ (sou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

{do} You
σὺ (sy)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 4771: You. The person pronoun of the second person singular; thou.

come
ἔρχῃ (erchē)
Verb - Present Indicative Middle or Passive - 2nd Person Singular
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
πρός (pros)
Preposition
Strong's 4314: To, towards, with. A strengthened form of pro; a preposition of direction; forward to, i.e. Toward.

me?”
με (me)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.


Links
Matthew 3:14 NIV
Matthew 3:14 NLT
Matthew 3:14 ESV
Matthew 3:14 NASB
Matthew 3:14 KJV

Matthew 3:14 BibleApps.com
Matthew 3:14 Biblia Paralela
Matthew 3:14 Chinese Bible
Matthew 3:14 French Bible
Matthew 3:14 Catholic Bible

NT Gospels: Matthew 3:14 But John would have hindered him saying (Matt. Mat Mt)
Matthew 3:13
Top of Page
Top of Page