John 1:19 (ASV)

Passage

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

Nearby Context

John 1:17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:18 No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared [him].

John 1:19 And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent unto him from Jerusalem priests and Levites to ask him, Who art thou?

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

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elijah? And he saith, I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered, No.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "witness", "john", "jews", "sent", "jerusalem", "priests", "levites", and "thou". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "witness" and "john", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "No man hath seen God at any..." into verse 20's "And he confessed and denied not and...", so "witness" and "john" belong inside that flow. In John context, the local focus is the identity of Jesus, new birth, eternal life, and belief and unbelief.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "witness" and "john" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.