John 1:30

οὗτος … πρῶτός μου ἦν. Pointing to Jesus he identifies Him with the person of whom he had previously said ὀπίσω μοῦ, etc. Cf. John 1:15. “After me comes a man who is before me because He was before me.” The A.V [30] “which is before me” is preferable though not so literal as the R.V [31] “which is become before me”. The words mean: “Subsequent to me in point of time comes a man who has gained a place in advance of me, because He was eternally prior to me”. ὀπίσω μου ἔρχεται refers rather to space than to time, “after me,” but with the notion of immediacy, close behind, following upon. As certainly, ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν refers to position or dignity; He has come to be in front of me, or ahead of me. So used sometimes in classic writers; as ἔμπροσθ. τοῦ δικαίου, preferred before justice. Dem., 1297, 26. ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν, assigning the ground of this advanced position of Jesus: He was before me. For πρῶτός μου see chap. John 15:18, “If the world hateth you, ye know ὅτι ἐμὲ πρῶτον ὑμῶν μεμίσηκεν,” and Justin Martyr, 1 Apol., 12. It is difficult to escape the impression that something more is meant than πρότερος would have conveyed, some more absolute priority. As οἱ πρῶτοι στρατοῦ are the chief men or leaders, it might be supposed that John meant to say that Christ was his supreme, in virtue of whom he himself lived and worked. But it is more probable he meant to affirm the pre-existence of the Messiah, a thought which may have been derived from the Apocalyptic books (see Deane's Pseud. and Drummond's Jewish Mess.).

[30] Authorised Version.

[31] Revised Version.