He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Christ.”
The writer of the gospel uses repetition to emphasize the strong reply of John the Baptist to the possibly unspoken, but definitely perceived question of the delegation. It is even more emphatic than the NIV shows and is stated 3 times (in KJV & NAS and the Greek):
- “he confessed”
- “and denied not”
- “but confessed”
It is as if John’s reply was, “There is a Christ, but I am most definitely and certainly NOT Him.”