Juan 1:15

15 Juan dio testimonio de él, y clamó diciendo: Este es del que yo decía: El que viene tras de mí, es antes de mí; porque es primero que yo

Juan 1:15 Meaning and Commentary

John 1:15

John bare witness of him
Which was his office and business, for which purpose he was sent, ( John 1:6-8 )

and cried;
this agrees with his work and office, according to the prophecy of him in ( Isaiah 40:3 ) and with the time of his ministry, the year of jubilee; and with the nature of his ministry, which was clear, open, and public; and performed with vigour, and in a powerful manner, with much assurance and certainty, with boldness and intrepidity, and with great zeal and fervency, and in an evangelical way; for it was such a cry as debased the creature, and exalted Christ:

this was he, of whom I spake;
when he first entered upon his ministry and baptism, before he saw Christ, or baptized him; see ( Matthew 3:11 ) .

he that cometh after me;
for Christ came into the world after John; he was born six months after him; he came after him to be baptized by him, and attended on his ministry; and came later into the public ministry than he did;

is preferred before me;
by God, the Father, in setting him up as Mediator; constituting him the head of the church; causing a fulness of grace to dwell in him; appointing him the Saviour of his people; and ordaining him judge of quick and dead. And by the prophets, who spake much of him, and sparingly of John; and of him as the Messiah and Saviour, and of John only as his harbinger: and by John himself, who represents him as coming from above, and as above all; and himself as of the earth, earthly: and by all Gospel ministers, and every true believer; and good reason there is for it:

for he was before me;
which cannot be meant of honour and dignity; for this is expressed before; and it would be proving one thing by the same: nor of his birth, as man; for John in that sense was before him, being born before him; besides, being born before another, is no proof of superior worth; others were born before John, whom he yet excelled: but of his eternal existence, as the word, and Son of God, who was before John, or any of the prophets; before Abraham, and Noah, and Adam, or any creature whatever: the Arabic and Persic versions read, "for he was more ancient than me"; being from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was.

Juan 1:15 In-Context

13 los cuales no son engendrados de sangre, ni de voluntad de carne, ni de voluntad de varón, sino de Dios

14 Y aquella Palabra fue hecha carne, y habitó entre nosotros; (y vimos su gloria,) gloria como del Unigénito del Padre, lleno de gracia y de verdad

15 Juan dio testimonio de él, y clamó diciendo: Este es del que yo decía: El que viene tras de mí, es antes de mí; porque es primero que yo

16 Y de su plenitud tomamos todos, y gracia por gracia

17 Porque la ley por Moisés fue dada, mas la gracia y la verdad por Jesús, el Cristo, fue hecha