They made signs to his father, what he would have him called.
Parallel translations
- KJV And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
- BSB So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child.
- ESV And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called.
- NKJV So they made signs to his father—what he would have him called.
- NASB And they made signs to his father, as to what he wanted him called.
- NLT So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him.
Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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
They gestured to Zacharias to learn what he wanted the child named. They sought the father's decision.
Overview
Because Zacharias was mute, the relatives signed to him for his choice of name. This appeal to the father sets up his decisive act of faith and obedience. The scene underscores that the naming follows God's instruction, not human preference.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 1
- Luke 1:22When he came out, he could not speak to them, and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple. He continued making signs to them, and remained mute.
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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 1:62 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.