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Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear softclothing are in kings' houses.

2 Kings 1:8
And they answered him,He was an hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather about his loins. And he said, Itis Elijah the Tishbite.

Zechariah 13:4
And it shall come to pass in that day,that the prophets shall be ashamed every one of his vision, when he hath prophesied; neither shall they wear a rough garment to deceive:

and his.

Matthew 11:18
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, He hath a devil.

Leviticus 11:22
Even these of them ye may eat; the locust after his kind, and the bald locust after his kind, and the beetle after his kind, and the grasshopper after his kind.

wild.

Deuteronomy 32:13
He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increase of the fields; and he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock;

1 Samuel 14:25-27
And allthey of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground…

with a leather belt around his waist
The leather belt further emphasizes John's connection to Elijah, reinforcing his role as a prophet in the tradition of the Old Testament. In biblical times, a leather belt was practical for securing garments and carrying small items, reflecting John's simple and utilitarian lifestyle. This detail highlights John's focus on his mission rather than material wealth or status, embodying the call to repentance and humility.

His food was locusts and wild honey
Locusts were considered a permissible food according to Levitical law (Leviticus 11:22), and they were a common source of protein in the region. Wild honey, likely gathered from bees in the wilderness, provided natural sweetness and sustenance. John's diet underscores his ascetic lifestyle and his reliance on God's provision in the wilderness. This choice of food also connects to the theme of living simply and being sustained by God, paralleling the Israelites' experience in the desert. John's lifestyle and diet serve as a physical manifestation of his message of repentance and preparation for the coming Messiah.

“Now John himself wore a garment of camel’s hair…” (Matthew 3:4)

• A coarse, scratchy fabric fit for the wilderness, not palace halls (cf.Matthew 11:8).

• Signals humility and repentance; nothing about him distracts from his message.

• Identifies him with Old Testament prophets—especially Elijah, who was “a man with a garment of hair” (2 Kings 1:8).Malachi 4:5 had promised Elijah’s return before Messiah; John’s attire quietly shouts that fulfillment.

• Foreshadows the cost prophets often pay for faithfulness (Hebrews 11:37).

“…with a leather belt around his waist.”

• Another echo of Elijah (2 Kings 1:8). The belt clinches the identification: same wardrobe, same prophetic role.

• Practically, the belt gathered his loose outer garment so he could move freely—an image of readiness (1 Peter 1:13) and truth (Ephesians 6:14). John is always prepared to serve, unencumbered by comfort or status.

• The simplicity of leather contrasts sharply with the ornate sashes of religious elites (Matthew 23:5). The belt preaches before John ever opens his mouth.

“His food was locusts…”

• Locusts are listed among clean foods inLeviticus 11:22. John’s diet, though unusual, stays within God’s law.

• Eating what is readily available in the desert underscores dependence on the Lord’s provision rather than human economy, much like Israel living on manna (Exodus 16:35).

•Luke 7:33 notes that John “came neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” amplifying his life of self-denial. The prophet’s menu reinforces his call: turn from excess and seek God.

“…and wild honey.”

• Honey found in rock crevices or tree trunks speaks of God’s direct supply in barren places, echoingPsalm 81:16: “with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

• Balances the protein of locusts with natural sweetness, illustrating that God’s provision is both sustaining and pleasant.

• Together, locusts and honey form a diet untouched by human cultivation—fitting for a man whose authority comes straight from heaven (John 1:6).

Every detail ofMatthew 3:4 paints John the Baptist as the promised forerunner: rugged prophet in Elijah’s pattern, utterly separated from worldly comforts, utterly dependent on God. His clothing and diet preach the same message as his words—repent, prepare, and look to the One whose coming changes everything.

Locusts and wild honey.--Locusts were among the articles of food permitted by the Law (Leviticus 11:21), and were and are still used by the poor in Palestine and Syria. They are commonly salted and dried, and may be cooked in various ways, pounded, or fried in butter, and they taste like shrimps. It is needless, when the facts are so clear, to go out of the way to seek the food of the Baptist in the sweet pods of the so-called locust-tree (Ceratonia Siliqua), with which it has been sometimes identified. The "wild honey" was that found in the hollows of trees (as in the history of Jonathan,1Samuel 14:25), or in the "rocks" (Deuteronomy 32:13;Psalm 81:16). Stress is laid on the simplicity of the Baptist's fare, requiring no skill or appliances, the food of the poorest wanderer in the wilderness, presenting a marked contrast to the luxury of the dwellers in towns. The life of Banus, the hermit-master of Josephus, who lived only on herbs and water (Life, c. 2) presented analogous though not identical features. . . .

(1) If the Revised Version "Now John himself," holds good, the phrase seems to mean that not only did Isaiah speak of him in terms that implied that he was the forerunner of Messiah, the true Elijah (Mark 1:2), but also he himself had his very food and dress consistent with his office.

(2) But it is safer, with Thayer's 'Grimm' (1:2, a), to takeαὐτός as merely recalling the person before mentioned. "Now he, whom I spoke of, John" (cf.2 Chronicles 32:30).Had; during all that time (εϊχεν). His habitual dress, etc., was as follows.Of (ἀπό)camel's hair. Not, as Dgr Old Lat. a in the parallel passage in Mark,δέῥῤην,pellem, "a camel's hide," but coarse cloth made from the hair. So probably," hairy man" (2 Kings 1:8; el.Zechariah 13:4).And a leatherngirdle. Probably of sheep or goatskin, worn over the garment. Mentioned because

(1) it formed another point of similarity to Elijah (2 Kings 1:8); . . .

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