John 1:8

He was not that light,.... He was a light; he was the forerunner of the sun of righteousness, the "phosphorus" of the Gospel day; he had great light in him; he knew that the Messiah was ready to come,…

For a witness - To give testimony. He came to prepare the minds of the people to receive him Matt. 3; Luke 3; to lead them by repentance to God; and to point out the Messiah to Israel when he came,…

The evangelist designs to bring in John Baptist bearing an honourable testimony to Jesus Christ, Now in these verses, before he does this,

I. He gives us some account of the witness he is about to…

not that Light Better, not the Light. The Baptist was not the Light, but -the lamp that is lighted and shineth" (see on Joh 5:35). He was lumen illuminatum, not lumen illuminans. At the close of the…