John 1:31 (YLT)

Passage

and I knew him not, but, that he might be manifested to Israel, because of this I came with the water baptizing.

Nearby Context

John 1:29 on the morrow John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, `Lo, the Lamb of God, who is taking away the sin of the world;

John 1:30 this is he concerning whom I said, After me doth come a man, who hath come before me, because he was before me:

John 1:31 and I knew him not, but, that he might be manifested to Israel, because of this I came with the water baptizing.

John 1:32 And John testified, saying--`I have seen the Spirit coming down, as a dove, out of heaven, and it remained on him;

John 1:33 and I did not know him, but he who sent me to baptize with water, He said to me, On whomsoever thou mayest see the Spirit coming down, and remaining on him, this is he who is baptizing with the Holy Spirit;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "knew", "might", "manifested", "israel", "came", "water", and "baptizing". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "knew" and "might", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 30's "this is he concerning whom I said..." into verse 32's "And John testified saying-- I have seen...", so "knew" and "might" 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 "knew" and "might" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.