John was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
Parallel translations
- WEB John was clothed with camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.
- KJV And John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins; and he did eat locusts and wild honey;
- NKJV Now John was clothed with camel’s hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey.
- NASB John was clothed with camel’s hair and wore a leather belt around his waist, and his diet was locusts and wild honey.
- NLT His clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.
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
John's rough clothing and simple diet mark him as a prophet in the mold of Elijah. His appearance signals his God-given role.
Overview
The camel's hair garment and leather belt deliberately recall Elijah (2 Kings 1:8), whom Malachi promised would come before the day of the Lord. John's austere desert life embodied his message of repentance and detachment from comfort. Jesus later confirms John fulfills the Elijah expectation, preparing the way for the Messiah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 4
- 2 Kgs 1:8“He was a hairy man,” they answered, “with a leather belt around his waist.” “It was Elijah the Tishbite,” said the king.
- Lev 11:22Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper.
- Matt 3:4John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.
- Zech 13:4And on that day every prophet who prophesies will be ashamed of his vision, and he will not put on a hairy cloak in order to deceive.
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Mark drives urgently to the cross, showing Jesus the Son of God as the suffering Servant who 'came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.'
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Original language
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