Tag Archives: Matthew 3:14

Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν λέγων· ἐγὼ χρείαν ἔχω ὑπὸ σοῦ βαπτισθῆναι καὶ σὺ ἔρχῃ πρός με; (Matthew 3:14)

But John was hindering him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by you, and you come to me?”

Matthew 3:14 records John the Baptist’s theological resistance to baptizing Jesus. The Greek syntax encapsulates a profound reversal of roles, expressed through tense contrast, passive voice, rhetorical questioning, and emphatic word order. Each grammatical element in this verse serves the narrative’s purpose: to portray John’s astonishment and theological insight regarding Jesus’ superior identity.

Main Clause: Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης διεκώλυεν αὐτὸν

– Ὁ δὲ Ἰωάννης: Nominative subject with definite article and postpositive conjunction.… Learn Koine Greek