John 1:19 (DBY)

Passage

And this is the witness of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites that they might ask him, Thou, who art thou?

Nearby Context

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

John 1:18 No one has 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 from Jerusalem priests and Levites that they might ask him, Thou, who art thou?

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

John 1:21 And they asked him, What then? Art thou Elias? And he says, 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 "might". 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 one has seen God at any..." into verse 20's "And he acknowledged 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.