Luke 3:16

John answered The answer, as we find from John 1:19-28, was given in its most definite form to a Pharisaic deputation of Priests and Levites, who were despatched by the Sanhedrin expressly to ask him to define his claims.

one mightier Rather, the stronger than I.

the latchet i. e. the thong. The word, now obsolete in this sense, is from the same root perhaps as the Latin laqueus(Ital. laccio, Portug. lazzo, old French lacs, Fr. lacet, Engl. lace).

shoes Rather, sandals.

to unloose In Matthew 3:11 it is -to carry his sandals;" i. e. I am not adequate to be his humblest slave.

baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire Rather, in the Holy Ghost and fire. The preposition en distinguishes between the mere instrumentalityof the water, and the spiritual elementwhereby and wherein the child of the kingdom is baptized. This baptism by the Spirit had been foretold in Isaiah 44:3; Joel 2:28. Its first obvious fulfilment was at Pentecost (Acts 1:5; Acts 2:3) and subsequent outpourings after baptism (Acts 11:15-16). But it is fulfilled without visible supernatural signs to all Christians (1 Corinthians 6:11; "by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body," 1 Corinthians 12:13).

and with fire In its first and most literal sense the allusion is to the fiery tongues of Pentecost (Acts 2:3); but the secondary and metaphoric allusion is to the burning zeal and illuminating light of the Spirit. St Jerome sees a further allusion to fiery trials (Luke 12:49; Mark 9:49; 1 Peter 4:12) and to the fire of judgment (1 Corinthians 3:13); but these allusions cannot be regarded as certain.