Bible Strands
Matthew 3:1
In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — John the Baptist arrives in the wilderness of Judea during a specific historical period. He operates as a public figure addressing the region before delivering his core message.
The words — παραγίνεται (paraginetai) literally means "comes" or "arrives," marking a sudden appearance. The particle δὲ (de) functions as a connective "then" or "and," linking this event to the preceding narrative.
The thread — This appearance echoes the wilderness voice of Isaiah 40:3, identifies the figure as the man sent from God in John 1:6, and fulfills the angelic announcement to Zechariah recorded in Luke 1:13.
Why it lands — The text states John's arrival to prepare the ground for his proclamation. It demands the reader recognize the shift from preparation to the urgent call for repentance.
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
In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea,
Cross-references
- Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- John 1:6 There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.
- Luke 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
- Luke 1:76 And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
- Matthew 11:11 Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has risen no one greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he.
- Luke 3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
- Acts 19:3 “Into what, then, were you baptized?” Paul asked. “The baptism of John,” they replied.
- Matthew 16:14 They replied, “Some say John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and still others, Jeremiah or one of the prophets.”
- Mark 1:15 “The time is fulfilled,” He said, “and the kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe in the gospel!”
- Acts 13:24 Before the arrival of Jesus, John preached a baptism of repentance to all the people of Israel.