Charles Ellicott Commentary John 1:23

"He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said Isaiah the prophet." — John 1:23 (ASV)

But he still gives the “No.” They think of his person and his work. He thinks of neither. His eye is fixed on the coming One. In this presence his own personality has no existence. He is as a voice, not to be inquired about but heard. They are acting as men who ask questions about the messenger of a great king who is coming to them and is near, instead of hurrying with every effort to prepare for him. (Compare the note on Matthew 3:3.)