Bible Verses About John the Baptist: 12

"Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! … He must become greater; I must become less."

— John 1:29; 3:30 (NIV)

People who search bible verses about John the Baptist want Scripture on Iōannēs ho Baptistēs — the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth, foretold by Isaiah and Malachi as the voice preparing the way, who preached repentance in the wilderness of Judea, baptized Jesus in the Jordan, called him the Lamb of God, and said "He must become greater; I must become less" — not only baptism in general, and not John the apostle or the Gospel of John. This page is a numbered list of twelve passages with the NIV text and a short note on each. Related lists: Bible verses about Elijah, Bible verses about Isaiah, Bible verses about Mary, Bible verses about Stephen, Bible verses about Mary Magdalene, Bible verses about baptism, Bible verses about repentance, Bible verses about humility, and Bible verse of the day.

Word study (lead theme). In Greek, βαπτιστής baptistēs (Strong's G910; Bible Hub G910) — "baptizer," "one who baptizes," from baptizō, to dip or immerse. The New Testament uses the title only for John. His name, Iōannēs (G2491), comes from the Hebrew Yohanan, "the LORD is gracious." (Baptism pages live elsewhere; this list centers John the man.)

12 Bible verses about John the Baptist

Isaiah 40:3. "A voice of one calling: "In the wilderness prepare the way for the LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God."" Foretold centuries earlier; Matthew 3:3 applies it to John. See Bible verses about Isaiah.
Malachi 3:1. ""I will send my messenger, who will prepare the way before me. Then suddenly the Lord you are seeking will come to his temple; the messenger of the covenant, whom you desire, will come," says the LORD Almighty." The messenger. See Bible verses about the prophets.
Luke 1:13. "But the angel said to him: "Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John."" An answered prayer. See Bible verses about prayer.
Luke 1:41. "When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit." Joy before birth. See Bible verses about Mary and Bible verses about joy.
Matthew 3:1-2. "In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea and saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near."" His one message. See Bible verses about repentance.
Matthew 3:4. "John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey." A life in the wilderness. See Bible verses about the wilderness.
Luke 3:16. "John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But one who is more powerful than I will come, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire."" Pointing past himself. See Bible verses about baptism.
Matthew 3:13-15. "Then Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptized by John. But John tried to deter him, saying, "I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?" Jesus replied, "Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this to fulfill all righteousness." Then John consented." Baptizing Jesus. See Bible verses about Jesus.
John 1:29. "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!"" The Lamb of God. See John 3:16.
John 3:30. "He must become greater; I must become less." The humble forerunner. See Bible verses about humility.
Matthew 11:2-3. "When John, who was in prison, heard about the deeds of the Messiah, he sent his disciples to ask him, "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect someone else?"" Doubt in prison. See Bible verses about faith.
Matthew 11:11. "Truly I tell you, among those born of women there has not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist; yet whoever is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he." Jesus's verdict on John. See Bible verses about Elijah.

How to use these verses

Pick one verse when you need John the Baptist — not twelve as a grind. If you want your life to point to Jesus rather than yourself, start at John 3:30 and Luke 3:16. If you need a fresh start, read Matthew 3:1–2. If you are doubting in a hard season, read Matthew 11:2–6 and notice that Jesus answers John's question kindly. If you are waiting on a long-delayed prayer, read Luke 1:13. For baptism in general, open Bible verses about baptism. For the prophet John is compared to, open Bible verses about Elijah. For a daily verse, open Bible verse of the day.

Questions people ask

Who were John the Baptist's parents?

His father was Zechariah, a priest, and his mother was Elizabeth (Luke 1:5–13). Luke 1:36 calls Elizabeth a relative of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Why is he called John the Baptist?

Because he baptized people in the Jordan River as a sign of repentance (Mark 1:4–5). "Baptist" translates the Greek baptistēs, "one who baptizes."

Was John the Baptist Elijah?

When asked, John said, "I am not" (John 1:21). But the angel said he would go "in the spirit and power of Elijah" (Luke 1:17), and Jesus said, "if you are willing to accept it, he is the Elijah who was to come" (Matthew 11:14).

How did John the Baptist die?

Herod Antipas had him arrested for saying it was not lawful for Herod to marry his brother's wife, Herodias. At Herod's birthday party, Herodias's daughter asked for John's head, and Herod had him beheaded in prison (Mark 6:17–29).

Is John the Baptist the same as John who wrote the Gospel of John?

No. John the Baptist was Jesus's forerunner and died before the crucifixion. The Gospel of John is traditionally linked to John the apostle, the son of Zebedee, one of the Twelve.