John 1:33 (ASV)

Passage

And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.

Nearby Context

John 1:31 And I knew him not; but that he should be made manifest to Israel, for this cause came I baptizing in water.

John 1:32 And John bare witness, saying, I have beheld the Spirit descending as a dove out of heaven; and it abode upon him.

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize in water, he said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and abiding upon him, the same is he that baptizeth in the Holy Spirit.

John 1:34 And I have seen, and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.

John 1:35 Again on the morrow John was standing, and two of his disciples;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "knew", "sent", "baptize", "water", "said", "upon", and "whomsoever". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "Spirit" and "knew", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 32's "And John bare witness saying I have..." into verse 34's "And I have seen and have borne...", so "Spirit" and "knew" 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 "Spirit" and "knew" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.