baptized
Matthew 3:6
3:6 baptized. The Greek word is baptizo, which means “dip” or “immerse,” although all English translations, old or new, seem to prefer to transliterate it rather than to translate its actual meaning. Even though its full symbolic meaning (death, burial and resurrection, as in Romans 6:5) could not yet be fully understood, since Christ had not yet died and risen, it should be considered genuine Christian baptism. The disciples of John, baptized by him in Jordan, were not re-baptized, either when John told them to follow Christ, or when they later received the promised baptism of the Holy Spirit (Matthew 3:11). Instead they themselves baptized those who came to Christ, whether before or after Pentecost (John 3:22-30; 4:1-2; Acts 2:37-41). However, see notes on Acts 19:1-7 for an apparent (but not real) exception.