John 1:33 (DRB)

Passage

And I knew him not: but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

Nearby Context

John 1:31 And I knew him not: but that he may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.

John 1:32 And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down, as a dove from heaven; and he remained upon him.

John 1:33 And I knew him not: but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.

John 1:34 And I saw: and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God.

John 1:35 The next day again John stood and two of his disciples.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "Spirit", "knew", "sent", "baptize", "water", "said", "upon", and "thou". 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 gave testimony saying I saw..." into verse 34's "And I saw and I gave testimony...", 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.