John 1:22 (KJV)

Passage

Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

Nearby Context

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

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

John 1:22 Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself?

John 1:23 He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.

John 1:24 And they which were sent were of the Pharisees.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "said", "thou", "give", "answer", "sent", "sayest", and "thyself". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "said" and "thou", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 21's "And they asked him What then Art..." into verse 23's "He said I am the voice of...", so "said" and "thou" 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 "said" and "thou" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.