And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins.
And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing [probably confessing aloud exomologoumenoi (G1843 )] their sins. This baptism was at once a public seal of their felt need of deliverance from sin, of their expectation of the coming Deliverer, and of their readiness to welcome Him when He appeared. The baptism itself startled, and was intended to startle them. They were familiar enough with the baptism of proselytes from paganism; but this baptism of Jews themselves was quite new and strange to them.