John 1:32

bare record Better, bare witness; comp. John 1:7; John 1:15; John 1:19; John 1:34.

I saw Better, I have beheld, or contemplated(1 John 4:12; 1 John 4:14), the perfect of the verb used in John 1:14; John 1:38.

like a dove This was perhaps visible to Christ and the Baptist alone. A real appearance is the natural meaning here and is insisted on by S. Luke (Luke 3:22). And if we admit the -bodily shape" at all, there can be no sound reason for rejecting the dove. The marvel is that the Holy Spirit should be visible in any way (comp. -the tongues of fire," Acts 2:3), not that He should assume the form of a dove in particular. Of course this visible descent of the Spirit made no change in the nature of Christ. It served two purposes, (1) to make the Messiah known to the Baptist, and through him to the world; (2) to mark the official commencement of the ministry of the Messiah, like the anointing of a king. The whole incident is very parallel to the Transfiguration. In both Christ is miraculously glorified previous to setting out to suffer; in both a voice from heaven bears witness to Him; at both -the goodly fellowship of the Prophets" is nobly represented.