Matthew 3:16

17. One of the leading Trinitarian passages in the NT. The voice of the Father is heard proclaiming the essential divinity of the Son, and upon the Son, as He rises from the baptismal waters, the Holy Ghost, the living bond of love and unity in the Godhead, descends. The appearance of the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove was a symbolical vision, and, as spiritual things are spiritually discerned, the vision was probably seen only by our Lord and the Baptist. The dove is a type of the Spirit, because of its innocence, gentleness, and affection; cp. Matthew 10:16, 'Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.' The voice from heaven may be paralleled by the voice at Sinai (Exodus 20), to Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 4:31), at the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:5), before the Passion (John 12:28), to St. Paul (Acts 9:4), and to St. Peter (Acts 11:7). The idea that a revelation might be communicated by a supernatural voice, was familiar to the Jews of our Lord's time. The rabbis taught that after the cessation of prophecy, God continued to make revelations to His people by means of the Bath-kol, or heavenly voice. At Jericho, for example, the Bath-kol declared the Rabbi Hillel to be worthy to have the Spirit of God abide upon him, and at Jamnia decided the dispute between the schools of Hillel and Shammai in favour of the former.

And he saw] i.e. Jesus saw, though John saw it also.