Matthew 3:4
Matthew 3:4 | |
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← 3:3 3:5 → | |
Book | Gospel of Matthew |
Christian Bible part | New Testament |
Matthew 3:4 is the fourth verse of the third chapter of the Gospel of Matthew in the New Testament. The verse occurs in the section introducing John the Baptist with this verse describing his clothing and diet.
Content
In the King James Version of the Bible the text reads:
- And the same John had his raiment
- of camel's hair, and a leathern
- girdle about his loins; and his
- meat was locusts and wild honey.
The World English Bible translates the passage as:
- Now John himself wore clothing
- made of camel's hair, with a
- leather belt around his waist.
- His food was locusts and wild honey.
The 1881
- αυτος δε ο ιωαννης ειχεν το ενδυμα αυτου απο τριχων καμηλου
- και ζωνην δερματινην περι την οσφυν αυτου
- η δε τροφη ην αυτου ακριδες και μελι αγριον
For a collection of other versions see BibleHub Matthew 3:4
Analysis
Biblical scholar John Nolland notes that the decision by the author of Matthew to provide a description of John's clothing and diet shows that both are unusual and worth commenting on. That nowhere in the Gospel does the author give a description of Jesus' or his disciples' clothing thus indicates that they did not adopt any form of atypical dress.[1]
This verse played an important role in the development of
The description of John the Baptist's clothing is believed by most scholars to be a deliberate echo that of the prophet
John the Baptist's diet has been the centre of much discussion.
Commentary from the Church Fathers
Pseudo-Chrysostom: Having said that he is the voice of one crying in the desert, the Evangelist well adds, John had his clothing of camel's hair; thus showing what his life was; for he indeed testified of Christ, but his life testified of himself. No one is fit to be another's witness till he has first been his own.[11]
Hilary of Poitiers: For the preaching of John no place more suitable, no clothing more useful, no food more fitted.[11]
Jerome: His raiment of camel's hair, not of wool—the one the mark of austerity in dress, the other of a delicate luxury.[11]
Pseudo-Chrysostom: It becomes the servants of God to use a dress not for elegant appearance, or for cherishing of the body, but for a covering of the nakedness. Thus John wears a garment not soft and delicate, but hairy, heavy, rough, rather wounding the skin than cherishing it, that even the very clothing of his body told of the virtue of his mind. It was the custom of the Jews to wear girdles of wool; so he desiring something less indulgent wore one of skin.[11]
Jerome: Food moreover suited to a dweller in the desert, no choice viands, but such as satisfied the necessities of the body.[11]
Rabanus Maurus: Content with poor fare; to wit, small insects and honey gathered from the trunks of trees. In the sayings of Arnulphusa, Bishop of Gaul, we find that there was a very small kind of locust in the deserts of Judæa, with bodies about the thickness of a finger and short; they are easily taken among the grass, and when cooked in oil form a poor kind of food. He also relates, that in the same desert there is a kind of tree, with a large round leaf, of the colour of milk and taste of honey, so friable as to rub to powder in the hand, and this is what is intended by wild honey.[11]
Saint Remigius: In this clothing and this poor food, he shows that he sorrows for the sins of the whole human race.[11]
Rabanus Maurus: His dress and diet express the quality of his inward conversation. His garment was of an austere quality, because he rebuked the sinner's life.[11]
Jerome: His girdle of skin, which Elias also bare, is the mark of mortification.[11]
Rabanus Maurus: He ate locusts and honey, because his preaching was sweet to the multitude, but was of short continuance; and honey has sweetness, locusts a swift flight but soon fall to the ground.[11]
Saint Remigius: In John (which name is interpreted ‘the grace of God,’) is figured Christ who brought grace into the world; in his clothing, the Gentile Church.[11]
Hilary of Poitiers: The preacher of Christ is clad in the skins of unclean beasts, to which the Gentiles are compared, and so by the Prophets’ dress is sanctified whatever in them was useless or unclean. The girdle is a thing of much efficacy to every good work, that we may be girt for every ministry of Christ. For his food are chosen locusts, which fly the face of man, and escape from every approach, signifying ourselves who were borne away from every word or speech of good by a spontaneous motion of the body, weak in will, barren in works, fretful in speech, foreign in abode, are now become the food of the Saints, chosen to fill the Prophets’ desire, furnishing our most sweet food not from the hives of the law, but from the trunks of wild trees.[11]
References
- ^ Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a Commentary on the Greek Text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 123
- ^ Calvin's Commentary on Matthew 2:4
- ^ The Anchor Bible Series. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1971.
- ^ Nolland, John. The Gospel of Matthew: a Commentary on the Greek text. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2005 pg. 139
- ^ BibleGateway.com Zachariah 13 NIV
- ^ Cashmere and Camel Hair Fact Sheet Archived 2014-02-16 at the Wayback Machine, published 1999-2013, accessed 27 November 2016
- ^ James A. Kelhoffer, The Diet of John the Baptist: "Locusts and Wild Honey" in Synoptic and Patristic Interpretation, Mohr Siebeck, 2005
- ^ a b R.T. France, The Gospel of Matthew, Eerdmans, 2007, p. 106
- ^ Dale C. Allison, Matthew: A Shorter Commentary, A&C Black, 2005
- ^ Jones, Alexander. The Gospel According to St. Matthew. London: Geoffrey Chapman, 1965.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: "Catena Aurea: commentary on the four Gospels; collected out of the works of the Fathers. Oxford: Parker, 1874. Thomas Aquinas". Oxford, Parker. 1874.
Preceded by Matthew 3:3 |
Gospel of Matthew Chapter 3 |
Succeeded by Matthew 3:5 |