John 1:28
 
(KJV) These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(1611 KJV) These things were done in Bethabara beyond Iordane, where Iohn was baptizing.
 
(Webster's Bible 1833) These things were done in Bethabara beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(Bishops Bible 1568) These thynges were done in Bethabara beyonde Iordane, where Iohn dyd baptize.
(Geneva Bible 1560) These things were done in Bethabara beyond Iordan, where Iohn did baptize.
(The Great Bible 1539) These thynges were done in Bethabara beyonde Iordan where Iohn dyd baptise.
(Matthew's Bible 1537) These thinges were done in Bethabara beyonde Iordaine wher Iohn did baptyse.
(Coverdale Bible 1535) This was done at Bethabara beyonde Iordane, where Ihon dyd baptyse.
(Tyndale Bible 1534) These thinges were done in Bethabara beyonde Iordan where Iohn dyd baptyse.
 
(Luther’s German Bible) Dies geschah zu Bethabara jenseit des Jordans, wo Johannes taufte.
(2004 Reina Valera Gomez) Estas cosas acontecieron en Betábara, al otro lado del Jordán donde Juan estaba bautizando.
(1909 Reina Valera) Estas cosas acontecieron en Betábara, de la otra parte del Jordán, donde Juan bautizaba.
(1637 Dutch Statenvertaling) Deze dingen zijn geschied in Bethabara, over de Jordaan, waar Johannes was dopende.
 
Counterfeit Versions
(1881 RV) These things were done in Bethany beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(1901 ASV) These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(AMP) These things occurred in Bethany across the Jordan [at the Jordan River crossing], where John was baptizing.
(CSB) All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(CEB) This encounter took place across the Jordan in Bethany where John was baptizing.
(CEV) John said this as he was baptizing east of the Jordan River in Bethany.
(DRA) These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(ERV) These things all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. This is where John was baptizing people.
(ESV) These things took place in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(GNB) All this happened in Bethany on the east side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
(HCSB) All this happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(ISV) This happened in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(JB PHILLIPS) To which John returned, “I do baptise—with water. But somewhere among you stands a man you do not know. He comes after me, it is true, but I am not fit to undo his shoes!” (All this happened in the Bethany on the far side of the Jordan where the baptisms of John took place.)
(LEB) These things took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(LB) This incident took place at Bethany, a village on the other side of the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
(MESSAGE) These conversations took place in Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing at the time.
(NABRE) This happened in Bethany across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(NASV) These things took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(NCV) This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing people.
(NET) These things happened in Bethany across the Jordan River where John was baptizing.
(NIRV) This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan River. That was where John was baptizing.
(NIV) This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(NLV) All this happened when John was baptizing in the town of Bethany. He was on the other side of the Jordan River.
(NLT) This encounter took place in Bethany, an area east of the Jordan River, where John was baptizing.
(NWT) These things took place in Bethʹa·ny across the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(RSV) This took place in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
(TLV) These things happened in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was immersing.
(VOICE) So some priests and Levites approached John in Bethany just beyond the Jordan River while he was baptizing and bombarded him with questionsReligious Leaders: Who are you?
(WEB) These things were done in Bethany beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
 
Textus Receptus – Traditional Text
ταυτα εν βηθαβαρα εγενετο περαν του ιορδανου οπου ην ιωαννης βαπτιζων
 
Hort-Westcott – Critical Text
ταυτα εν βηθανια εγενετο περαν του ιορδανου οπου ην ο ιωαννης βαπτιζων
 
Corrupted Manuscripts
Byzantine Text Majority Text (450-1450 A.D.)
Aleph 01 - Sinaiticus - Nineteenth Century Counterfeit (Original)
A 02 - Alexandrinus - Fifth century
B 03 - Vaticanus - Fourth century
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (Original)
L 019 - Seventh century
W 032 - Fourth/fifth century
Gamma 036 - Ninth or Tenth century
Delta 037 - Ninth century
Theta 038 - Ninth century
565 - (Minuscule) - Ninth century
700 - (Minuscule) Eleventh century
 
Manuscripts which agree with the Textus Receptus for this verse
Byzantine Text TR (450-1450 A.D.)
C 04 - Ephraemi Rescriptus - Fifth century (Corrected)
K 017 - Ninth century
1 (Minuscule) - Seventh century
13 (Minuscule) - Eighth century
33 (Minuscule) - Ninth Century
1550 Stephanus
1598 Beza
1624 Elzivir Brothers
1633 Elzivir Brothers
 
Published Greek Texts with Corruptions
Greisbach, Johann - 1805
Lachmann, Karl - 1842
Tischendorf, Constantine - 1869
Tregelles, Samuel - 1857
Alford, Henry - 1849 revised in 1871
Wordsworth, Christopher - 1856 revised in 1870
Westcott and Hort - 1881
Nestle - 1927 as revised in seventeenth edition in 1941
Nestle-Aland - 1979 - Twenty Sixth Edition
Nestle-Aland - 1993 - Twenty Seventh Edition
Nestle-Aland - 2012 - Twenty Eighth Edition
Weiss, Bernhard - 1894
Von Soden, Freiherr - 1902
Hodges and Farstad - Majority Text 1982 as corrected in 1985
 
Affected Teaching
The question arises, is it “Bethany” or is it “Bethabara?”  First of all we see by the narrative that John was baptizing in the Jordan River so we must establish location first.  Let us look at Bethany.  Bethany was located 17 miles (27 KM) directly west of where the Jordan River begins.  If John was baptizing in Bethany, then he would have had to have the water transported from the river to Bethany, so there is no possibility that John was baptizing in Bethany simply because the Jordan River was at least a day and a half walk from Bethany.  Then name “Bethabara” means “house of the crossing” and no one knows exactly where the location is.  We do know that it was somewhere along the Jordan which was north of the Dead Sea and that is obvious because the Jordan starts at the Dead Sea.  It is believed that this same place is where Israel crossed the Jordan to go into the Promised Land under Joshua.  The Lord Jesus Christ may be doing a symbolic gesture by crossing over to be baptized of John.  Bethabara may be just a very small crossing and not even big enough to be included on Bible maps and that fact that we do not know the exact location may be a plus because people might make a shrine out of it.  It is just like the Garden Tomb, there is no evidence that this was the actual burial place of Jesus but tourism needs its mind manipulations.  We should be rejoicing in the fact that Jesus crossed over and began his ministry.

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