John 1:19 (YLT)

Passage

And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent out of Jerusalem priests and Levites, that they might question him, `Who art thou?'

Nearby Context

John 1:17 for the law through Moses was given, the grace and the truth through Jesus Christ did come;

John 1:18 God no one hath ever seen; the only begotten Son, who is on the bosom of the Father--he did declare.

John 1:19 And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent out of Jerusalem priests and Levites, that they might question him, `Who art thou?'

John 1:20 and he confessed and did not deny, and confessed--`I am not the Christ.'

John 1:21 And they questioned him, `What then? Elijah art thou?' and he saith, `I am not.' --`The prophet art thou?' and he answered, `No.'

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 18's "God no one hath ever seen the..." into verse 20's "and he confessed and did not deny...", so "testimony" 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 "testimony" and "john" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.