3:10 So 1 the crowds were asking 2 him, “What then should we do?” 3:11 John 3 answered them, 4 “The person who has two tunics 5 must share with the person who has none, and the person who has food must do likewise.” 3:12 Tax collectors 6 also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what should we do?” 3:13 He told them, “Collect no more 7 than you are required to.” 8 3:14 Then some soldiers 9 also asked him, “And as for us – what should we do?” 10 He told them, “Take money from no one by violence 11 or by false accusation, 12 and be content with your pay.”
3:15 While the people were filled with anticipation 13 and they all wondered 14 whether perhaps John 15 could be the Christ, 16 3:16 John answered them all, 17 “I baptize you with water, 18 but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy 19 to untie the strap 20 of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 21
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the people’s response.
2 tn Though this verb is imperfect, in this context it does not mean repeated, ongoing questions, but simply a presentation in vivid style as the following verbs in the other examples are aorist.
3 tn Grk “he”; the referent (John) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
4 tn Grk “Answering, he said to them.” This construction with passive participle and finite verb is pleonastic (redundant) and has been simplified in the translation to “answered them.”
5 tn Or “shirt” (a long garment worn under the cloak next to the skin). The name for this garment (χιτών, citwn) presents some difficulty in translation. Most modern readers would not understand what a ‘tunic’ was any more than they would be familiar with a ‘chiton.’ On the other hand, attempts to find a modern equivalent are also a problem: “Shirt” conveys the idea of a much shorter garment that covers only the upper body, and “undergarment” (given the styles of modern underwear) is more misleading still. “Tunic” was therefore employed, but with a note to explain its nature.
5 sn The tax collectors would bid to collect taxes for the Roman government and then add a surcharge, which they kept. Since tax collectors worked for Rome, they were viewed as traitors to their own people and were not well liked. Yet even they were moved by John’s call.
7 tn In the Greek text μηδὲν πλέον (mhden pleon, “no more”) is in an emphatic position.
8 tn Or “than you are ordered to.”
9 tn Grk “And soldiers.”
10 tn Grk “And what should we ourselves do?”
11 tn Or “Rob no one.” The term διασείσητε (diaseishte) here refers to “shaking someone.” In this context it refers to taking financial advantage of someone through violence, so it refers essentially to robbery. Soldiers are to perform their tasks faithfully. A changed person is to carry out his tasks in life faithfully and without grumbling.
12 tn The term translated “accusation” (συκοφαντήσητε, sukofanthshte) refers to a procedure by which someone could bring charges against an individual and be paid a part of the fine imposed by the court. Soldiers could do this to supplement their pay, and would thus be tempted to make false accusations.
11 tn Or “with expectation.” The participle προσδοκῶντος (prosdokwnto") is taken temporally.
12 tn Grk “pondered in their hearts.”
13 tn Grk “in their hearts concerning John, (whether) perhaps he might be the Christ.” The translation simplifies the style here.
14 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
13 tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
14 tc A few
15 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”
16 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.
17 sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.