I have seenThis phrase indicates a personal witness and experience. John the Baptist, the speaker, had a direct encounter with Jesus. In the context of the Gospel of John, seeing often implies a deeper understanding or revelation. John the Baptist's role as a forerunner to Christ is emphasized here, as he was divinely appointed to recognize and announce the Messiah. This aligns with the prophetic role described in
Isaiah 40:3, where a voice cries out in the wilderness to prepare the way for the Lord.
and testified
The act of testifying is central to the mission of John the Baptist. In Jewish culture, the testimony of two or three witnesses was required to establish a matter (Deuteronomy 19:15). John’s testimony about Jesus serves as a legal and spiritual affirmation of Jesus' identity. His testimony is not based on hearsay but on direct revelation from God, as seen earlier inJohn 1:32-33, where he describes the Spirit descending on Jesus.
that this is the Son of God.”
This declaration is a profound theological statement. The title "Son of God" affirms the divinity of Jesus, a core tenet of Christian belief. In the Old Testament, the term "son of God" could refer to angels, Israel, or the Davidic king, but in the New Testament, it uniquely identifies Jesus as divine. This title connects toPsalm 2:7, a messianic psalm, and is further affirmed in the New Testament in passages likeMatthew 3:17, where God declares Jesus as His beloved Son. The recognition of Jesus as the Son of God is foundational to understanding His mission and the salvation He offers.
Persons / Places / Events
1.
John the BaptistA pivotal figure in the New Testament, John the Baptist is the one who makes the declaration in this verse. He is known for baptizing Jesus and preparing the way for His ministry.
2.
Jesus ChristReferred to as "the Son of God" in this verse, Jesus is the central figure of the New Testament, whose life, death, and resurrection are the foundation of Christian faith.
3.
The Jordan RiverWhile not mentioned directly in this verse, the Jordan River is the location where John the Baptist conducted his ministry and baptized Jesus.
4.
Witness/TestimonyThe act of witnessing or testifying is a key theme in this verse, emphasizing the role of John the Baptist as a witness to Jesus' divine identity.
Teaching Points
The Role of a WitnessJohn the Baptist serves as a model for believers in bearing witness to Christ. Just as John testified to Jesus' identity, Christians are called to share their faith and testify to the truth of the Gospel.
Understanding Jesus as the Son of GodRecognizing Jesus as the Son of God is foundational to Christian belief. This acknowledgment shapes our understanding of His authority, divinity, and the salvation He offers.
The Importance of Personal TestimonyPersonal testimony is a powerful tool in evangelism. Like John, believers can share their experiences and the impact of Jesus in their lives to lead others to faith.
The Fulfillment of ProphecyJohn's declaration aligns with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Understanding these connections strengthens our faith in the reliability and divine inspiration of Scripture.
Living Out Our FaithAs witnesses to Christ, our lives should reflect His teachings and love. This involves living with integrity, compassion, and a commitment to sharing the Gospel.
Bible Study Questions and Answers
1.What is the meaning of John 1:34?
2.How does John 1:34 affirm Jesus as the Son of God in your life?
3.What does John 1:34 reveal about John's testimony and its significance?
4.How can you testify about Jesus like John did in John 1:34?
5.Connect John 1:34 with other verses affirming Jesus as the Son of God.
6.How does recognizing Jesus as the Son of God impact your daily decisions?
7.How does John 1:34 affirm Jesus as the Son of God?
8.What historical evidence supports John the Baptist's testimony in John 1:34?
9.Why is John 1:34 significant in understanding Jesus' divine identity?
10.What are the top 10 Lessons from John 1?
11.Why do some scholars argue that the Gospels were written long after the events they describe?
12.Why do the Gospel accounts of Jesus' baptism by John differ significantly?
13.What is the meaning of God's grace?
14.What teachings does The Gospel of Barnabas convey?What Does John 1:34 Mean
I have seen• John the Baptist speaks as an eyewitness, just as the apostle John later does in1 John 1:1–2—“what we have seen with our eyes… we proclaim to you.”
• Seeing validates what God had already revealed: at Jesus’ baptism John “saw the Spirit descending” (John 1:32) and thereby received visible confirmation of Jesus’ identity, echoingIsaiah 11:2 and fulfilled inMatthew 3:16–17.
• Scripture often pairs sight with faith. InPsalm 34:8 we’re invited to “taste and see,” and inJohn 20:29 Jesus blesses those who believe even without physical sight, yet here John’s literal seeing anchors the testimony that follows.
and testified• John’s role is that of a herald. Earlier he “came as a witness to testify about the Light” (John 1:7).
• His testimony is public and persistent—seeJohn 1:19–27 when he answers the priests and Levites, andJohn 5:32–35 where Jesus affirms John’s witness.
• Testifying connects to the mandate every believer receives:Acts 1:8 promises power from the Spirit so we “will be My witnesses,” continuing John’s pattern of speaking what we have encountered in Christ.
that this is• John’s message is specific, not vague spirituality. “This” points directly to Jesus standing before him (John 1:29, “Look, the Lamb of God”).
• Certainty matters.2 Peter 1:16 reminds us the apostles did “not follow cleverly devised myths” but were “eyewitnesses of His majesty.” John shares that same confidence—what he saw compels what he says.
• The phrase underscores a decisive moment: the age-long hope of Israel is now identified—no more waiting, no more guesswork, Jesus fulfills every messianic promise (Luke 4:21).
the Son of God• The title proclaims Jesus’ unique, eternal relationship with the Father (John 5:18; 10:30–36).
• It affirms His divine nature. The Father’s own voice declared it at the Jordan: “This is My beloved Son” (Matthew 3:17), matching John’s words here.
• Belief in this truth is the gospel’s core. John later writes, “These are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God” (John 20:31).
• Confessing Jesus as the Son of God brings life and fellowship:1 John 4:15 promises, “Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.”
summaryJohn the Baptist stakes everything on firsthand experience—he saw Jesus anointed by the Spirit—and on verbal witness—he tells everyone exactly what he saw. His declaration leaves no ambiguity: the man before him is none other than the eternal Son of God. Our faith rests on the same twin pillars of apostolic sight and Spirit-given testimony, inviting us to echo John’s certainty and boldly point others to the Son who brings life.
(34)
And I saw and bare record.--Better,
and I have seen and have borne witness, as in
John 1:32. The result of personal conviction was, that he forthwith testified to others, and continued to do so until the present. One of the sayings taught to his scholars was, "He was (existed) before me." The revelation of the baptism and the voice heard from heaven (
Matthew 3:17) has given to this its true meaning. Teacher has now learnt, and learner is now taught, that Jesus is this pre-existent Being, the Messiah, the Son of God.
Verse 34. -
I for my part have seen and have borne testimony that this is the Son of God. The Old Testament standpoint which John occupied enabled him from the first to identify the Messiah with the "Son of God;" but surely this is the record of the first occasion when the Baptist recognized the token that One who sustained such relation with the Father stood before him. There is much in this Gospel and the synoptic narrative to show that the disciples (
Matthew 16:16, 17) identified the Christ with the Son of God. The tempter and the demoniacs are familiar with the idea (
Matthew 4:1-11;
Mark 3:11;
Mark 5:7). The high priest at the trial and the Roman centurion (
Matthew 26:63;
Matthew 27:40;
Mark 14:61), Nathanael (
John 1:49), Martha (
John 11:27), hail him as Son of God. Though the Lord for the most part preferred to speak of himself as "Son of man," yet in this Gospel (
John 5:19-23;
John 6:40;
John 10:36) he frequently claims this lofty designation. Nor is it confined to this Gospel, for in
Matthew 11:25-27, we have practically the same confession. Now, the declaration of this verse is in intimate connection with what precedes. Neither the Baptist nor the evangelist implies that, by Christ's baptism, and by that which John saw of the descent and abiding of the Spirit upon the Lord, he was there and then constituted "the Son of God." From this misapprehension of the Gospel arose the Gnostic-Ebionite view of the heavenly
Soter descending on Christ, to depart from him at the Crucifixion. The main significance of the entire paragraph is the special revelation given to John, his consequent illumination and momentous testimony, one that sank into the soul of his most susceptible disciples, and thus made this declaration the "
true birth hour of Christendom" (Ewald, Meyer). The narrative does not imply that Christ's own consciousness of Divine sonship then commenced. He knew who he was when he spoke, at twelve years of age, of "the business of my Father;" but it would be equally inadequate exegesis to suppose that no communication was then made to the sacred humanity which had been fashioned by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the virgin, and by which he became from the first "the Son of God." The Lord's humanity did become alive to the solemn and awful responsibilities of this public recognition. He knew that the hour was come for his Messianic activity, and the distinct admission of this was the basis of each of the diabolic temptations from which he immediately suffered. There was a unique glory in this sonship which differed from all other usage of the same phrase. Many an Oriental mystic and Egyptian pharaoh and even Roman emperor had thus described themselves; but the Baptist did not speak of himself in this or any other sense as "Son of God." There was flashed into his mind the light of a Divine relationship between Jesus and the Father which convinced him of the preexisting life of him who was chronologically coming after him. It was probably this momentous utterance which led to the deputation of the Sanhedrin, and induced them to ask for the explanation of a mystery transcending all that John had said from the day of his showing unto Israel" (see my 'John the Baptist,' lect. 6. § 1). Many commentators here encounter the unquestionable difficulty of John the Baptist's message from the prison. I prefer to discuss it at the close of ch. 3. (see my 'John the Baptist,' lect. 7: "The Ministry of the Prison"). Here it is sufficient to observe that the vivid intuition and revelation which John obtained touching the deep things of God in Christ, and the vast and far-reaching testimonies which he bore to the Son of God, to the Baptizer with the Holy Ghost, the pre-existent glory of him that came after him, and to "the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world," were, nevertheless, in
the evangelist's mind historically coincident with the fact that John never did unite himself to the circle of Christ's immediate followers. The "John" of the Fourth Gospel remained in an independent position - friendly, rejoicing in the Bridegroom's voice, but not one of his followers. The preparatory work with which he began his ministry he continued and pursued to the tragic end.
Parallel Commentaries ...
Greek
Iκἀγὼ(kagō)Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 2504:To also, I too, but I. From kai and ego; so also the dative case kamoi, and accusative case kame and I, me.have seenἑώρακα(heōraka)Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3708:Properly, to stare at, i.e. to discern clearly; by extension, to attend to; by Hebraism, to experience; passively, to appear.andκαὶ(kai)Conjunction
Strong's 2532:And, even, also, namely.testifiedμεμαρτύρηκα(memartyrēka)Verb - Perfect Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 3140:To witness, bear witness, give evidence, testify, give a good report. From martus; to be a witness, i.e. Testify.thatὅτι(hoti)Conjunction
Strong's 3754:Neuter of hostis as conjunction; demonstrative, that; causative, because.thisοὗτός(houtos)Demonstrative Pronoun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3778:This; he, she, it.isἐστιν(estin)Verb - Present Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510:I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.theὁ(ho)Article - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588:The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.SonΥἱὸς(Huios)Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 5207:A son, descendent. Apparently a primary word; a 'son', used very widely of immediate, remote or figuratively, kinship.of God.”Θεοῦ(Theou)Noun - Genitive Masculine Singular
Strong's 2316:A deity, especially the supreme Divinity; figuratively, a magistrate; by Hebraism, very.
Links
John 1:34 NIVJohn 1:34 NLTJohn 1:34 ESVJohn 1:34 NASBJohn 1:34 KJV
John 1:34 BibleApps.comJohn 1:34 Biblia ParalelaJohn 1:34 Chinese BibleJohn 1:34 French BibleJohn 1:34 Catholic Bible
NT Gospels: John 1:34 I have seen and have testified that (Jhn Jo Jn) 
