John's witness: the one who comes after him was before him (John 1:15)

Says "John testifies" (μαρτυρεῖ, martyrei, present) and "cries out" (κέκραγεν, kekragen, a perfect with present force), so his witness is presented as still sounding (note.language.John.1.15.kekragen-protos). He says that "He who comes after me" (ὁ ὀπίσω μου ἐρχόμενος, ho opisō mou erchomenos) "has surpassed me" (ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν, emprosthen mou gegonen), "because He was before me" (ὅτι πρῶτός μου ἦν, hoti prōtos mou ēn). SBLGNT prints the verse in parentheses, and with the reading ὅτι in 1:16 the verse stands as an aside (var.John.1.16.hoti-kai).

Implies The saying turns on a paradox. The one who follows John in time ranks ahead of him because he existed before him. The ἦν of 1:1 is heard again here, so the Baptist himself is made a witness to the Word's preexistence (note.historical.John.1.1-John.1.18.baptist-witness).

Uncertain Whether ἔμπροσθέν μου γέγονεν refers to rank ("has surpassed me," BSB) or to time. The ὅτι clause, which already speaks of time, favors rank, since a temporal sense would make the saying repeat itself. The Greek Scholar also reads ἔμπροσθεν as rank and πρῶτός μου as temporal, "before me" (note.language.John.1.15.kekragen-protos). The text reads ὃν εἶπον ("of whom I said") with SBLGNT, Byz, and TR, against WH's ὁ εἰπών (var.John.1.15.hon-eipon).