So it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
Parallel translations
- WEB On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
- KJV And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
- BSB On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
- NASB And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to call him Zechariah, after his father.
- NLT When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child and intended to name him after his father. They followed custom and expectation.
Overview
In keeping with the covenant sign given to Abraham, the child is circumcised on the eighth day. The relatives assumed he would bear his father's name. Their expectation sets up the surprising obedience to the angel's instruction about his name.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 6
- Gen 17:12He who is eight days old will be circumcised among you, every male throughout your generations, he who is born in the house, or bought with money from any foreigner who is not of your offspring.
- Lev 12:3In the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.
- Phil 3:5circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee;
- Luke 2:21When eight days were fulfilled for the circumcision of the child, his name was called Jesus, which was given by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
- Acts 7:8He gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham became the father of Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day. Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the twelve patriarchs.
- Gen 21:3–4Abraham called his son who was born to him, whom Sarah bore to him, Isaac.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 1:59 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.