Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Mark 1:5
And there went out unto him all the land of Judea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
5. all the land ] This strong expression is peculiar to St Mark. But it is illustrated by the other Gospels. The crowds that flocked to his baptism included representatives of every class, Pharisees and Sadducees (Mat 3:7), tax-gatherers (Luk 3:12), soldiers (Luk 3:14), rich and poor (Luk 3:10).
of Jordan ] Of here is redundant and appositional. We use it after “town,” “city,” “valley.” For its use after river, comp. “ the river of Cydnus,” Shak. A. and C. II. 2. 192. The word “river” does not occur in the best MSS. of Mat 3:6. It is used by St Mark, who writes for those who were unacquainted with the geography of Palestine.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
Mar 1:5
And there went out to him all the land of Judaea.
The Baptists audience
It was a mixed multitude of almost every class. The other Evangelists help us to realize its heterogeneous character. There were Pharisees, whose scrupulous routine of external observance had woven around them a web of self-satisfied pride; and Sadducees, whose reaction from superstition had landed them in a cold and heartless infidelity. Among these there would be followers of Shammai, cleaving to tradition and rigidly orthodox; sympathisers also with his opponent Hillel, just emerging from that slavery to the letter which had taken the very life out of their religion. There were soldiers, too, who, through the lawless rapacity of their generals, had learned to think only of loot and plunder; and the bated publicans, with their overreaching and fraudulent exactions, the byword for all that was lowest and most contemptible-all were there, and for all he had the same message, Repent. The Rabbis have a wonderful comment on the import of that message. If, they say, Israel would repent, they would be redeemed. (H. M. Luckock, D. D.)
What induced them to flock to him thus
1. The excellency of his person.
2. The novelty of his doctrine.
3. The zeal and earnestness of his preaching.
4. The strangeness of the place where he preached.
5. The austerity and strictness of his life. (G. Petter.)
The crowd going out to the lonely man
Notice, the man of the crowd goes to the man of the desert. The publican, the soldier, even the Pharisee. Strange attraction this, yet recurrent. He who knows most of himself, he who has learned himself in solitude, will know most of others. It has ever been thus. The world has gone to the cloister, not the cloister to the world; the city finds solace in the desert, never the desert in the city. A few years ago, all Paris flocked to the Cure d Ars an obscure provincial priest, without much learning or preaching power either, but they found in him the fresh springs of comfort, the word of prophecy, the call to repentance, which in every souls solitude is the cry most certain to pierce. (H. R. Haweis, M. A.)
Secret of John Baptists influence
In one word, it was reality. In an age of hollowness and hypocrisy never equalled before or since, such a characteristic was bound to startle men and arrest their attention. The Baptist, if anyone, practised what he preached. His protest against sin was embodied by his example. Take a single illustration from his habit and dress. He came to denounce luxury and soft clothing and sumptuous fare, and he was a living example of the austerity which he called for. (H. M. Luckock, D. D.)
Confessing sin
Steps towards conversion.
1. To seek an enlightened guide.
2. To open our heart to him, by acquainting him with our manner of life.
3. To receive directions concerning repentance from him.
4. To baptize ourselves, as it were, by his advice, in tears and works of mortification.
It is an instinct and a duty which is, so to speak, natural, for a man to confess his sins, and to humble himself for them, when once he is touched with a true contrition; but to do this is not at all natural to human pride. Repentance is a pool, or rather a river, which carries our impurities far from us, so as never to be resumed again. Lord, Thou art the only one who can put us into it! (Quesnel.)
The necessity of confession of sins
There is a two- fold confession of sins necessary in the practice of repentance.
I. To God.
1. It must come from a feeling heart, touched with sense of sin and grieved for it: not verbal, or from the teeth outward.
2. It must come from a hatred and loathing of the sins confessed, not from fear of punishment merely. Saul. Pharaoh.
3. From hope of mercy, else we witness against ourselves. Judas.
4. Free and voluntary, not forced from us. God requires a freewill offering, else it is not pleasing to Him.
5. It must not be only in general terms, but there must be a laying open of our particular known sins, so far as we can remember them.
II. To men. Not always necessary, but in some cases only.
1. When by our sins we have offended and scandalized men-either the Church in general, or some particular persons.
2. When any sin lies heavy on our conscience, so that we cannot find ease or comfort. In this case, it is necessary to open our hearts, and to acknowledge that sin which troubles us, to some faithful pastor, or other Christian brother, who may minister spiritual advice and comfort to us. (G. Petter.)
John the Baptist
I. The preacher. Fearless, honest, earnest; and these characteristics are sure to attract public notice and confidence. The secret of his power over men seems to have been that he was fully convinced that he was sent on a Divine mission, and was so engrossed in fulfilling it, that he cared little for anything else. What John the Baptist was was quite as effective preaching as anything he said.
II. But if the preacher was notable, his preaching was equally so. The mans words caught the colour of his character. They were positive, straightforward, unmistakable, he aimed directly at the great need of his generation. It was not a pleasing style of address. When the Church preaches the simple gospel, men stop to listen and prepare themselves to welcome Christ. The majority of men are not influenced by mere doctrinal speculation, any more than a sham fight can determine the fortunes of a nation. (Sermons by the Monday Club.)
The inspiration of work for God
When he is conscious that he is sent of God as a messenger of glad tidings to the poor and needy, how relatively unimportant all other business appears! When he realizes that all the wealth and blessings of the kingdom of God are to be his forever, how trifling are the few temporary burdens he is called to bear! how petty the sacrifices he is asked to make! It is said that when Pliny saw from a distance the eruption of Vesuvius, he forsook his occupation and launched his boat and rowed toward the flaming mountain, forgetting the labour and the peril in the fascination of the sight; and when one sees, even from afar, the light of the city of God, there is such longing to get nearer the brightness, that approach, at any cost, seems cheap. You remember the old legend, which has been so beautifully done into verse by one of our poets, of the monk who was charmed from his cell door by the singing of a bird, and, though the sweetness of the song was such that it seemed to him that he only walked an hour, yet on his return he found that a hundred years had passed. When we are in such spiritual condition that we hear heavenly voices calling us, no way of duty seems long or hard. The most exhausting service is a delight. What the Church wants is to know, like John the Baptist, that its responsibility is its privilege, and then it will have zeal enough for its opportunity. What the individual Christian wants is to realize the grandeur of his position and the greatness of his mission, and he will need no other urgency to faithfulness. (Sermons by the Monday Club.)
Efficiency more than refinement in work for God
Napoleon was once told by certain professionals that his impetuous methods were uncivil and contrary to all military traditions. His reply to his critics was: Gentlemen, battles are not to be won by compliance with the rules of etiquette, by postponing action until the enemy is drawn up in line, and his officers, having put on their gloves, stand hat in hand, saying, We are ready. Will you please to fire first?-and to win the battle is what I am after. There is danger that the Church may lay so much stress on what it calls the amenities and proprieties, that it may fail to win the battle-the one thing which God has put it into the world to do. (Sermons by the Monday Club.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 5. All the land] See on Mt 3:4-6.
Confessing their sins.] It was an invariable custom among the Jews to admit no proselyte to baptism, till he had, in the most solemn manner, declared that he forever had renounced all idolatrous worship, all heathenish superstitions, and promised an entire and unreserved submission to the law of Moses. This was necessary for a proselyte adult – a child dedicated to God by baptism must be brought up in this faith.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
And there went out unto him all the land of Judea,…. The people of the land, a great number of them:
and they of Jerusalem; the inhabitants of Jerusalem, hearing of this new preacher, the new doctrine that he taught, and the new ordinance that he administered:
and were all baptized of him in the river Jordan, confessing their sins; that is, as many of them as were brought to a sight and sense of their sins, and made a confession of them, these he baptized, or immersed, in the river Jordan; for certain it is, that there were many of the Pharisees and Sadducees who came, whom he rejected;
[See comments on Mt 3:5],
[See comments on Mt 3:6],
[See comments on Mt 3:7].
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
Then went out unto him ( ). Imperfect indicative describing the steady stream of people who kept coming to the baptism (, imperfect passive indicative, a wonderful sight).
In the river Jordan ( ). In the Jordan river, literally.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
There went out ()
The imperfect tense signifies, there kept going out.
The river
Peculiar to Mark.
Confessing
See on Mat 3:6.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And there went out unto him all the land of Judea,” (kai eksepoteueto pros a uton pasa he loudsia chora) “And all the Judean country (people) from all walks of life went out of their own will, choice, or accord to meet him;” This indicates the wide geographical character of John’s ministry, much as recounted by Matthew, except Judea comes before Jerusalem, and Jordan is not mentioned by Mark.
2) “And they of Jerusalem,” (kai hoi lerosolumitai) “And they, who were Jerusalemites,” they who resided in the Jerusalem area, Mat 3:5-6.
PREPARING THE WAY
“When a man of rank has to pass through a town or village, a messenger is dispatched to tell the people to prepare the way, and to await his orders. Hence may be seen some sweeping the roads, others who ‘spread their garments in the way,’ and some who are cutting ‘down branches from the tree,’ (Mat 21:8) to form arches and festoons where the great man has to pass.”
– Sel. Anon.
3) “And were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan,” (pantes kai ebaptizonte hup’ autou en to lordan potarno) “And they were all baptized by him in the Jordan River,” as many as repented and gave fruitful evidence of remission of sins, or an inward spiritual change, Mat 3:7-9.
4) “Confessing their sins.” (ekshomologomenoi tas hamartias auton) “That is those who were publicly confessing their sins,” were baptized to announce it. They were baptized to identify themselves, First, as followers of John the Baptist who had been sent from God, not any longer followers of the Pharisees, Scribes, and Sadducees. Second, their scriptural baptism by this heaven-sent John the Baptist preacher prepared them also later to become followers of Jesus Christ, from the beginning of His ministry, and members of His church, Joh 1:29-34; Joh 15:16; Joh 15:26-27. Only such disciples as had companied with our Lord “from the beginning” or origin of His church, who had been baptized by heaven’s first sent baptizer, John the Baptist, could be one of the Twelve Apostles, Act 1:20-22.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(5) There went out unto him. . . .See Note on Mat. 3:5. Note St. Marks use of the term in the river of Jordan, as writing for those who were not familiar with the topography of Palestine.
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
‘And there went out to him all the country of Judaea, and all those of Jerusalem, and they were baptised of him in the River Jordan, confessing their sins.’
‘There went out to him –.’ The verb indicates a continuing process, there was a continual stream of seekers.
‘All the country of Judaea and all those of Jerusalem.’ The inhabitants of Jerusalem always distinguished themselves from the inhabitants of the surrounding area (compare Isa 1:1; Isa 2:1; etc). In the Old Testament they were constantly spoken of separately. This was because originally Jerusalem was an independent city which was David’s by conquest, using only his own followers to capture it, and it was only then that it was combined with Judah and Israel to form a united kingdom. It thus always saw itself as distinctive, as ‘David’s city’ (2Sa 5:7; 2Sa 5:9 and often).
‘All the country — all those of –.’ This is a generalisation and means a great proportion of them so that it could almost be seen as all. There was a huge revival movement. This is confirmed by Josephus, the Jewish historian, when he says ‘many flocked to him, for they were greatly moved by hearing his words, —’ which he then connects with John’s death at the hands of Herod.
‘And were baptised of him in the River Jordan confessing their sins.’ By their baptism they were indicating repentance and turning to God in preparation for the coming age and openly owning up to their sins. This was no formal ritual of confession but the reflection of a people truly broken down because of their sense of guilt and shame, and unable to hold back. They were people of a broken and contrite spirit (Psa 34:18; Psa 51:17; Isa 57:15) seeking the fruitfulness of life which would result from the Spirit’s outpouring. So he baptised them signifying that they were now seen as ‘worthy’ as a result of their repentance to be recipients of that coming, end of the age, outpouring of Holy Spirit promised by the prophets. Yet the fact of this movement, with the people flocking to hear, and responding to, John’s preaching, did demonstrate that the Holy Spirit was already now at work in some measure (see above), and would especially be so in the ministry of Jesus (Luk 4:1; Luk 11:13; Mat 12:28), which was why Jesus could chide Nicodemus for not being aware of the significance of being born of the Spirit (Joh 3:10). The promise was, however, that even better was to come (Joh 7:38-39; Act 1:8).
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
The effect of John’s preaching:
v. 5. And there went out unto him all the land of Judea and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins. A man with a message such as John’s, supplemented by the oddity of his dress and habits, was bound to attract attention anywhere, even where his message was not welcome in its real significance. The inhabitants of the Judean hills heard of the hermit first, and came out of curiosity. But the fame of the wilderness preacher traveled fast, and soon the haughty people of the capital, probably with a deprecatory air, set out over the hills to see this strange man with the stranger message. And the effect of his preaching was truly remarkable. Great masses of people, men and women, crowded to his preaching and to his baptism. It was the custom, at the baptism of proselytes, not to administer the rite until the candidate had affirmed most solemnly that he would renounce all idolatrous worship, all heathenish superstitions, and had promised full and undivided allegiance to the Law of Moses. Here the individual confession of sins preceded baptism. As John himself was sincere, he tolerated no sham and deceit, no mere lip-service. He applied the words of the prophet. Those that were bowed down by the full realization of their sinfulness he cheered by the reference to the free grace of God, to those that were proud and conceited he emphasized the necessity of humility, upon those that were inclined to be deceitful he urged simplicity and purity of heart.
Fuente: The Popular Commentary on the Bible by Kretzmann
Mar 1:5-8 . See on Mat 3:4-5 ; Mat 3:11 ; Luk 3:7 ff. Matthew enters more into detail on John the Baptist; Mark has several particulars in a form more original.
. . . .] . is an adjective (see on Joh 3:22 ), and is in contrast to the metropolis (see on Joh 11:54 f.), the whole Judaean region, and the people of Jerusalem collectively . In and there is a popular hyperbole .
Mar 1:6 . Instead of , we must write, with Tischendorf, . [50]
Mar 1:7 . ] present : “ut Christum intelligas jam fuisse in via,” Beza.
] belongs to the graphic character of Mark, whose delineation is here certainly more original than that of Matthew.
. ] The fire , which Matthew (and Luke also) has in the connection of his more comprehensive narrative, is not yet mentioned here, and thus there is wanting a characteristic point, which, nevertheless, appears not to be original. Comp. Joh 1:33 (in opposition to Ewald, Kstlin, Holtzmann, and others). It would not have been “abrupt” (Holtzmann) even in Mark.
[50] See on this poetical form, which occurs also in the LXX. and Apocrypha, Duncan, Lex. , ed. Rost, p. 457; Winer, p. 79 [E. T. 105]; Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 51 [E. T. 58]. Also at Mar 12:40 , Luk 7:33 f., Luk 10:7 , Luk 22:30 , this form is to be read.
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
Ver. 5. All the land of Judea ] That is, a great sort of them; but John quickly grew stale to them, Joh 5:35 . Principium fervet, medium leper, exitus alger. Weak Christians easily fall off, as leaves in autumn, or untimely figs,Rev 6:13Rev 6:13 .
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Mar 1:5-8 . Mar 1:5 describes the widespread character of the movement much as in Mt., only that Judaea comes before Jerusalem, and the district of the Jordan is not mentioned.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
went out = kept going out. Imperf. Tense. unto. Greek. pros. App-104.
all. Put by Figure of speech Synecdoche (of the Whole), App-6, for all parts.
the land = country, or territory. Put by Figure of speech Metonymy (of Subject), App-6, for the inhabitants.
of = by. Greek. hupo. App-104.
the river of Jordan. Occ, only in Mark.
confessing. See Mat 3:6.
their = their own.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Mar 1:5. , the land of Judea) So, , Joh 3:22.[6]- , they of Jerusalem) At other times, capital cities are not readily wont to follow a new institution [a new mode of life preached for the first time].
[6] Two Substantives coming together in apposition, so that one acts as an Adjective.-ED.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
sins
(See Scofield “Rom 3:23”)
Fuente: Scofield Reference Bible Notes
there: Mat 3:5, Mat 3:6, Mat 4:25
baptized: Joh 1:28, Joh 3:23
confessing: Lev 26:40-42, Jos 7:19, Psa 32:5, Pro 28:13, Act 2:38, Act 19:18, 1Jo 1:8-10
Reciprocal: Mar 1:33 – General Mar 1:37 – All Luk 3:3 – the country Luk 7:24 – wilderness 1Jo 1:9 – we confess
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
5
All the land of Judea means that people came to John from all that country, not that every person was baptized. Confessing their sins was the verbal evidence that they had repented, and submission to baptism was the active evidence.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Mar 1:5. And all they of Jerusalem, lit., the Jerusalemites. This expression is peculiar to Mark. These are made prominent among the inhabitants of Judea, since they lived in the capital city. Comp. Mat 3:5.
Confessing their sins; since repentance was the main theme of this preparatory ministry.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
Here we have an account of the success of St. John’s ministry; 1. In the general concourse and resort of the people to it, All Judea and Jerusalem; that is, a great many of all degrees and ranks, of all ages and sexes. John was famed for a prophet, and a prophet was now a great rarity. Malachi was the last prophet before John, and he lived about five hundred years before John. Now the excellency of his person, the earnestness of his preaching, the acceptableness of his doctrine, that the Messias was come, and the austerity of his life and conversation, all these caused the people to flock unto him.
Learn hence, That it is a great encouragement to the ministers of Christ when people show themselves ready and forward to repair unto the places where the word and sacraments are dispensed to them: All Judea and Jerusalem attended upon John’s ministry.
The second fruit of John’s ministry was, that the people were ready to receive at his hand the sacrament of baptism: They were all baptised of him in Jordan.
Learn hence, That the ministers of Christ ought not only to preach the word, but also to dispense the sacraments to their people, even to all that do desire them, and are fit to be partakers of them.
A third fruit of John’s ministry was, his hearers’ profession of repentance is requisite in all that are baptized, so a free and voluntary, and ingenuous and impartial, confession of sin, is a good evidence and testimony of the truth and sincerity of our repentance.
Fuente: Expository Notes with Practical Observations on the New Testament
Mar 1:5-8. There went out to him all Judea, &c. So disposed were the people to receive his baptism. See note on Mat 3:5. The latchet of whose shoes, &c. That is, whose servant I am not worthy to be, or to perform for him the meanest offices. He shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost The promise of which is made to you and your children, Act 2:39; where see the note, and on Mat 3:11.
Fuente: Joseph Bensons Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
JOHNS INFLUENCE
Mat 5:6, & Mar 1:5. Then there went out unto him Jerusalem, and all Judea, and all the regions round about Jordan, and were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins. Six millions of people are included in these countries. O the wonderful power and magnetism of Johns preaching! He actually emptied the cities and populated the desert with thronging millions. From dewy morn till dusky eve, the rich on camels, the middle classes on donkeys, and the poor trudging on foot, literally crowd the way, off into the desert wild and drear, carrying their food and bedding, that they may spend a fortnight in the grandest camp-meeting that the world has seen in four thousand years. Water is very scarce in the wilderness [desert] of Judea. Traveling through it four times, I saw none but the Brook Cherith. I have heard of it, however, in other localities of that desert. Doubtless the scarcity of water to supply the multitudes and the animals they rode, as well as for baptismal demands, induced John to go away to the Jordan, only a dozen miles from this desert. The Jordan rises in great Mt. Hermon, ten thousand feet high, capped with a world of snows, all through the long summer incessantly melting, and keeping the river abundantly supplied with plenty of water for all purposes. Behold John, standing on the beautiful, spreading plain of the Jordan, surrounded by an audience of fifty thousand people, listening spellbound to his thunder peals, while the lightning of conviction is flashing from the skies, electrifying all hearts, with the gushing tears of a soul-crushing repentance. Moses was a great baptist, baptizing all the people at the tabernacle door upon the ratification of the Sinaitic Covenant. (Heb 9:10-12.) Judaism, with its vast and operose ritual, the Messianic hemisphere, offering millions of slain victims, typifying the atonement of Christ, while the spiritual was equally operose, emblematizing the work of the Holy Ghost by the innumerable watery ablutions for the purification from all sorts of ceremonial uncleanness. Hence the Johannic dispensation must be characterized by ceremonial purifications. At the present time, the Oriental religions gather by thousands upon the very spot where John baptized the Savior, the priest dipping the cross three times in the name of the Three Persons of the Trinity, they all simultaneously plunge themselves under the rolling wave of the holy Jordan three times; not doing this for baptism as the initiatory rite into the Church-this they have already received but as a holy ablution to sanctify them, as they all believe the baptism of the Savior sanctified the Jordan. As John had neither the time nor the physical ability to handle his converts, they either plunged themselves under the rolling tide, or John, after the manner of the Jewish priest (and he was one), dipping the hyssop in the water, sprinkled the multitudes, somewhat as a Catholic priest nowadays sprinkles his audiences. The Jordan has plenty of water, and there is plenty in all parts of the earth. Be sure you satisfy your conscience as to this duty.
Fuente: William Godbey’s Commentary on the New Testament
Verse 5
Confessing their sins; that is, by the act of being baptized.
Fuente: Abbott’s Illustrated New Testament
5 And there went out unto him all the land of Judaea, and they of Jerusalem, and were all baptized of him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
This text has appeared in many of my studies to explain the word “all” adequately. “All the land of Judea” is the phrase that Mark uses, but we know that “all” of Judea did not go out to John. Many went even multitudes went to be baptized but not “all” as in every single person in Judea.
It is rather like my speaking generically of “the church” being lost in worldliness. Do I mean that every last church on the planet is lost in worldliness? No. It is only a figure of speech to indicatea seeming totality, but not every single one.
It would seem that these folks were attempting to get right with God to the best of their ability. Yes, some were probably just following the crowd while others were making an outward show for the benefit of others, but many if not most were attempting to set things right before their God.
Long and hard have been the discussions of the word translated baptized. Many say that it can relate to pouring or sprinkling, but the thought of the word is to dip, to wash, or to whelm. None of these really picture sprinkling or pouring in my mind.
Did you notice when I read the quote from Josephus that even he believed John was immersing the people? “For immersion in water”
Immersion is the only logical conclusion since he was doing it in a river. If only sprinkling or pouring, he could have done it in Jerusalem where there was clear water and a Men’s Warehouse and McDonalds.
Now if you want to talk about washing, when I was a kid my mother worked outside the home so I was expected to wash the lunch dishes when arriving home after school. I would fill the sink and put all the dishes in the water and go watch television for an hour or so. By the time I returned I could just pick them out of the water and rinse them under the faucet. Now as to the silverware, I always did it a little differently because the soaking did not always do the trick. She had a Pyrex coffee maker and I would put it under the faucet, put the silverware in and run the hot water into the coffee pot for several minutes as hot as it would go. Again, after a little television and the silverware was clean.
Wash means wash to me, it means under water and cleaned.
They were confessing their sins. “Sins” is the normal word translated sin in the New Testament. Simply it relates to missing the mark or in this case missing the mark set by God for our spiritual lives.
As to confessing we see Rom 14:11 speaks to all bowing to confess Christ in the end. This is the same word. It relates to the agreement on sin or having the same view of your action as the Lord does. Now this is pretty difficult in our own day since there is little in life that is really wrong if “YOU” deem it okay. Sin is a rather obscure idea these days. We may make a mistake but never sin.
When men speak of their infidelity it is a mistake, or maybe even a BIG mistake, but seldom do they have God’s view of their sinful act. Indeed seldom do they have their wife’s view of the sinfulness of their act. Confession must be the thought of knowing how God feels about the situation and agreeing with Him that it was truly wrong. Php 2:11 uses the same term.
“And [that] every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ [is] Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” They will agree with God about Who Christ is.When you go to your prayer time and seek forgiveness, take a little time to consider your wrongs and see if you can come to God’s view of what you have done. That is what confession is really about.
Fuente: Mr. D’s Notes on Selected New Testament Books by Stanley Derickson
Multitudes of Jews responded enthusiastically to John’s ministry. Large crowds from southern Palestine and Jerusalem went to the Jordan River in response to his call to prepare for Messiah’s appearance. Mark’s use of "all" was hyperbolic. Every individual did not come out to John, but very many did. Those who did confessed their sins by submitting to baptism. By allowing the forerunner of Messiah to baptize them, the Jews who submitted to his baptism were pledging to receive Messiah when He came.