Bible Strands
John 4:2
(although it was not Jesus who baptized, but His disciples),
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The narrator inserts a clarifying parenthetical while Jesus registers Pharisaic awareness of His growing ministry in Judea. This observation immediately precedes His departure for Galilee.
The words — αὐτὸς (autos) means Himself, and ἐβάπτιζεν (ebaptizen) means was baptizing. Paired with οὐκ (ouk, not), they literally state that Jesus Himself was not performing the baptismal action.
The thread — The text’s distinction between Christ’s authority and delegated administration appears in 1 Corinthians 1:13 and Acts 10:48, where baptism is executed by others under Jesus’ name.
Why it lands — It demands the reader acknowledge that the movement’s expansion depended on delegated agency rather than the central figure’s direct physical involvement.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
(Though Jesus himself baptized not, but his disciples,)
Cross-references
- 1 Corinthians 1:13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Were you baptized into the name of Paul?
- Acts 10:48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked him to stay for a few days.