John the Baptist is Born, Luke 1:57-79
Luke 1:57 Now the time [a]had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she gave birth to a son. 58 Her neighbors and her relatives heard that the Lord had [b]displayed His great mercy toward her1; and they were rejoicing with her. 59 And it happened that on the eighth day2 they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zacharias, [c]after his father. 60 But his mother answered and said, “No indeed; but he shall be called John3.” 61 And they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by that name.” 62 And they made signs4 to his father, as to what he wanted him called. 63 And he asked for a tablet and wrote as follows, “His name is John3.” And they were all astonished. 64 And at once his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed5, and he began to speak in praise of God. 65 Fear came on all those living around them; and all these matters were being talked about in all the hill country6 of Judea. 66 All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord7 was certainly with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit8, and prophesied9, saying:
68 “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel10, For He has visited us and accomplished redemption11 for His people,
69 And has raised up a horn12 of salvation for us In the house of David13 His servant—
70 As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets14 from of old15—
71 [d]Salvation11 from our enemies, And from the hand of all who hate us16;
72 To show mercy toward our fathers17, And to remember His holy covenant18,
73 The oath which He swore19 to Abraham our father,
74 To grant us that we, being rescued from the hand of our enemies, Might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness20 before Him all our days.
76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet21 of the Most High22; For you will go on before the Lord23 to prepare24 His ways;
77 To give to His people the knowledge of salvation [e]By the forgiveness25 of their sins,
78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, With which the Sunrise26 from on high will visit us,
79 To shine upon those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death27, To guide our feet into the way of peace28.”
Footnotes:
- Luke 1:57 Lit was fulfilled
- Luke 1:58 Lit magnified
- Luke 1:59 Lit after the name of
- Luke 1:71 Or Deliverance
- Luke 1:77 Or Consisting in
Commentary
In Hebrew, John means “Jehovah is gracious,” or “Jehovah’s gift” (Nelson’s KJV Bible Commentary pg. 1266). While I understand that Zacharias’ muteness and subsequent recovery, as well as he and Elizabeth’s advanced age, probably caused a stir, I was interested by the fact that the name was what really seemed to be sensational, to the extent that it was discussed throughout the entire region. In the story of creation, we see God naming “heaven”, “earth”, “day”, “night”, etc, and we also see him give Adam the job of naming all the animals. The singular form of the word ‘name’ occurs 770 times in the Old Testament, and the plural form occurs 84 times, so names understandably hold a position of esteem among God’s people. Related to the name of God Himself, His name gives comfort and strength to His people, and speaking in His name is equivalent to speaking on His behalf, as His representative (The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 4 pg. 360, 363).
The custom of waiting until the 8th day to name a child is not found in the OT, and John’s naming ceremony is the first time we see it referenced in the Bible. Throughout the OT, names were used to indicate parents’ wishes or prophecy surrounding the future of the child, and in cases where individuals received a new name later in life, it was closely tied to their character and fortune. In fact, the Hebrew word for ‘name’ is more of an encompassing concept that includes personality, or a sum of a person’s internal and external characteristics. The name was the person. Patronymy, the practice of naming babies after their ancestors or relatives, is also prevalent in first and second Samuel, as well as some extrabiblical Phoenecian and Punic records from the third and fourth century B.C. Clearly, by the time John was born, it was very common (The Zondervan Pictoral Encyclopedia of the Bible Vol. 4 pg. 363).
I mentioned in a previous article that it was interesting to consider how various conversations or speeches came to be recorded in the Bible, and the author Luke begins his book by saying that he has diligently gathered information from eyewitnesses, in order to compile a record for his acquaintance Theophilus (Luke 1:1-4). Not only was Luke a doctor and capable historian, but he was also a linguist and masterful writer. “Of all four Evangelists, he is preeminently a person of broad culture, capable of adapting his Greek diction to different occasions, writing sometimes formal, classical prose, sometimes a racy narrative style in the vernacular of his own day, and sometimes a Semitic “Bible Greek” in which the Septuagint was written. As a gifted literary artist he produced what has justly been described as “The most beautiful book in the world”” (College Edition New Revised Standard Version, The New Oxford Annotated Bible with the Apocrypha, an Ecumenical Study Bible pg. 76 NT). For more on the authenticity of Biblical writings in the New Testament, see https://www.dailywire.com/news/39388/erickson-authenticity-virgin-birth-erick-erickson.
In keeping with the beauty of Luke’s account, Zacharias’ prophetic song, called the Benedictus, follows right on the heels of Mary’s Magnificat, and similarly includes references to the Old Testament scriptures. “In fact, there are no less than sixteen direct quotations or allusions to the Old Testament contained in [Zacharias’] few verses” (Nelson KJV Bible Commentary). My favorite part of this passage is that he refers to Jesus as the Sunrise. Jesus is referred to as “the light” several times, especially in the beginning of the book of John, but the idea of Jesus as the dawn is a beautiful picture.
Hearkening back to the idea of blending poetry with prophecy, I notice that, throughout the beginning of the gospel accounts, the superscript references send me back to Psalms. I saw a really interesting video about the way the book of Psalms is organized, and I realized why so much of the credible support for Messianic prophecy comes from Psalms; a significant portion of the book relates to the coming of the Messiah and what it will be like when that day comes. Check out the video here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpny22k_7uk. As this video states, David’s writings were later used as the inspiration for other psalmists, and as I reflect on the style and references of the Magnificat and the Benedictus, that idea rings true.
Scripture References
Ge 17:12 And every male among you who is eight days2 old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.
1Ge 19:19 Now behold, your servant has found favor in your sight, and you have magnified your lovingkindness, which you have shown me by saving my life; but I cannot escape to the mountains, for the disaster will overtake me and I will die;
Ge 22:16 and said, “By Myself I have sworn19, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. 18 In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.”
Lv 12:3 On the eighth day2 the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
1 Sa 2:1 Then Hannah prayed and said, “My heart exults in the Lord; My horn12 is exalted in the Lord, My mouth speaks boldly against my enemies, Because I rejoice in Your salvation.
1 Sa 2:10 “Those who contend with the Lord will be shattered; Against them He will thunder in the heavens, The Lord will judge the ends of the earth; And He will give strength to His king, And will exalt the horn12 of His anointed.”
1 Ki 1:48 The king has also said thus, ‘Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel10, who has granted one to sit on my throne today while my own eyes see it.’”
Ps 18:2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, My God, my rock, in whom I take refuge; My shield and the horn12 of my salvation, my stronghold.
Ps 41:13 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel10, From everlasting to everlasting. Amen and Amen.
Ps 72:18 Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel10, Who alone works wonders.
Ps 89:17 For You are the glory of their strength, And by Your favor our horn12 is exalted.
Ps 105:8 He has remembered His covenant18 forever, The word which He commanded to a thousand generations, 9 The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac.
Ps 105:42 For He remembered His holy word18 With Abraham His servant;
Ps 106:10 So He saved them from the hand of the one who hated them16, And redeemed them from the hand of the enemy.
Ps 106:45 And He remembered His covenant18 for their sake, And relented according to the greatness of His lovingkindness.
Ps 106:48 Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel10, From everlasting even to everlasting. And let all the people say, “Amen.” Praise the Lord!
Ps 132:17 “There I will cause the horn12 of David to spring forth; I have prepared a lamp for Mine anointed.
Is 9:2 The people who walk in darkness Will see a great light; Those who live in a dark land, The light will shine on them27.
Is 59:8 They do not know the way of peace28, And there is no justice in their tracks; They have made their paths crooked, Whoever treads on them does not know peace.
Jer 31:34 They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive25 their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Eze 29:21 “On that day I will make a horn12 sprout for the house of Israel, and I will open your mouth in their midst. Then they will know that I am the Lord.”
Joel 2:28 It will come about after this That I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy9, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions.
Mic 7:20 You will give truth to Jacob And unchanging love to Abraham, Which You swore to our forefathers17 From the days of old.
Mal 3:1 “Behold, I am going to send My messenger, and he will clear the way before Me23. And the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His temple; and the messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight, behold, He is coming,” says the Lord of hosts.
Mal 4:2 “But for you who fear My name, the sun of righteousness will rise26 with healing in its wings; and you will go forth and skip about like calves from the stall.
Mt 1:1 The record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David13, the son of Abraham:
28Mt 4:16 “The people who were sitting in darkness saw a great Light, And those who were sitting in the land and shadow of death, Upon them a Light dawned.”
Mt 11:9 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet21.
Mt 11:10 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You23, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Mk 1:2 As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You23, Who will prepare Your way;
Mk 1:4 John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness25 of sins.
Lk 1:1 Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accomplished among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word, 3 it seemed fitting for me as well, having investigated everything carefully from the beginning, to write it out for you in consecutive order, most excellent Theophilus; 4 so that you may know the exact truth about the things you have been taught.
Lk 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will give him the name John3.
Lk 1:17 It is he who will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to the children, and the disobedient to the attitude of the righteous, so as to make ready a people prepared24 for the Lord.”
5Lk 1:20 And behold, you shall be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their proper time.”
Lk 1:22 But when he came out, he was unable to speak to them; and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept making signs4 to them, and remained mute.
Lk 1:32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High22; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David;
Lk 1:39 Now at this time Mary arose and went in a hurry to the hill country6, to a city of Judah,
Lk 1:41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit8.
Lk 2:21 And when eight days2 had passed, before His circumcision, His name was then called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.
Lk 2:38 At that very moment she came up and began giving thanks to God, and continued to speak of Him to all those who were looking for the redemption11 of Jerusalem.
Lk 7:27 This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Behold, I send My messenger ahead of You23, Who will prepare Your way before You.’
Ac 2:4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit8 and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit was giving them utterance.
8Ac 2:8 And how is it that we each hear them in our own language to which we were born?
Ac 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the period of restoration of all things about which God spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets from ancient time15.
Ac 9:17 So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit8.”
Ac 11:21 And the hand of the Lord7 was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
Ro 1:2 which He promised beforehand through His prophets14 in the holy Scriptures,
Eph 4:24 and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness20 of the truth.
26Eph 5:14 For this reason it says, “Awake, sleeper, And arise from the dead, And Christ will shine on you.”
Php 3:5 circumcised the eighth day2, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the Law, a Pharisee;
Heb 6:13 For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore19 by Himself,
Heb 9:12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption11.
2 Pe 1:19 So we have the prophetic word made more sure, to which you do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star ari
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