Matthew 3:4
New International Version
John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

New Living Translation
John’s clothes were woven from coarse camel hair, and he wore a leather belt around his waist. For food he ate locusts and wild honey.

English Standard Version
Now John wore a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Berean Standard Bible
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Berean Literal Bible
And John himself had his garment of camel's hair, and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

King James Bible
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.

New King James Version
Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

New American Standard Bible
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

NASB 1995
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

NASB 1977
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair, and a leather belt about his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Legacy Standard Bible
Now John himself had a garment of camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Amplified Bible
Now this same John had clothing made of camel’s hair and a [wide] leather band around his waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Christian Standard Bible
Now John had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
John himself had a camel-hair garment with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

American Standard Version
Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And this Yohannan had his garment of camel hair and wore a leather garment around his waist, and his food was locusts and honey of the field.

Contemporary English Version
John wore clothes made of camel's hair. He had a leather strap around his waist and ate grasshoppers and wild honey.

Douay-Rheims Bible
And the same John had his garment of camels' hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

English Revised Version
Now John himself had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
John wore clothes made from camel's hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

Good News Translation
John's clothes were made of camel's hair; he wore a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

International Standard Version
John had clothing made of camel's hair and wore a leather belt around his waist. His diet consisted of grasshoppers and wild honey.

Literal Standard Version
And this John had his clothing of camel’s hair, and a girdle of skin around his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and honey of the field.

Majority Standard Bible
John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

New American Bible
John wore clothing made of camel’s hair and had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

NET Bible
Now John wore clothing made from camel's hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey.

New Revised Standard Version
Now John wore clothing of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

New Heart English Bible
Now John himself wore clothing made of camel's hair and with a leather belt around his waist, and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Webster's Bible Translation
And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey.

Weymouth New Testament
This man John wore a garment of camel's hair, and a loincloth of leather; and he lived upon locusts and wild honey.

World English Bible
Now John himself wore clothing made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.

Young's Literal Translation
And this John had his clothing of camel's hair, and a girdle of skin round his loins, and his nourishment was locusts and honey of the field.

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Mission of John the Baptist
3This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’ ” 4 John wore a garment of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region around the Jordan.…

Cross References
Leviticus 11:22
Of these you may eat any kind of locust, katydid, cricket, or grasshopper.

1 Samuel 14:26
And when they entered the forest and saw the flowing honey, not one of them put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.

2 Kings 1:8
"He was a hairy man," they answered, "with a leather belt around his waist." "It was Elijah the Tishbite," said the king.

Isaiah 20:2
the LORD had already spoken through Isaiah son of Amoz, saying, "Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and the sandals from your feet." And Isaiah did so, walking around naked and barefoot.

Zechariah 13:4
And 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.

Matthew 11:8
Otherwise, what did you go out to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Look, those who wear fine clothing are found in kings' palaces.

Matthew 11:18
For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, 'He has a demon!'


Treasury of Scripture

And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leather girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.

his raiment.

Matthew 11:8
But what went ye out for to see? A man clothed in soft raiment? behold, they that wear soft clothing 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, It is 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 all they of the land came to a wood; and there was honey upon the ground…

Jump to Previous
Band Belt Camel's Clothed Clothing Field Food Garment Girdle Hair Honey John John's Leather Loins Meat Nourishment Raiment Round Skin Waist Wild Wore
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Band Belt Camel's Clothed Clothing Field Food Garment Girdle Hair Honey John John's Leather Loins Meat Nourishment Raiment Round Skin Waist Wild Wore
Matthew 3
1. John preaches: his office, life, and baptism.
7. He reprimands the Pharisees,
13. and baptizes Jesus in Jordan.














(4) His raiment of camel's hair.--The dress was probably deliberately adopted by the Baptist as reviving the outward appearance of Elijah, who was "a hairy man, and girt with a girdle of leather" (2Kings 1:8); and the "rough garment," that had been characteristic of the prophet's life even at a later period (Zechariah 13:4), as contrasted with the "long garments" of the Pharisees (Mark 12:38), and the "gorgeous apparel" of the scribes who attached themselves to the court of Herod (Luke 7:25). The Nazarite vow of Luke 1:15 probably involved long and shaggy hair as well.

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. . . .

Verse 4. - With this verse we begin to meet with matter peculiar to Matthew and Mark. And the same John (αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ἰωάνης). (For the phrase, cf. Mark 6:17 Luke 3:23.)

(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 take αὐτός 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 leathern girdle. Probably of sheep or goatskin, worn over the garment. Mentioned because

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

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
John
Ἰωάννης (Iōannēs)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2491: Of Hebrew origin; Joannes, the name of four Israelites.

wore
εἶχεν (eichen)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2192: To have, hold, possess. Including an alternate form scheo skheh'-o; a primary verb; to hold.

a garment
ἔνδυμα (endyma)
Noun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 1742: A garment, raiment, clothing. From enduo; apparel.

of
ἀπὸ (apo)
Preposition
Strong's 575: From, away from. A primary particle; 'off, ' i.e. Away, in various senses.

camel’s
καμήλου (kamēlou)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Singular
Strong's 2574: A camel or dromedary. Of Hebrew origin; a 'camel'.

hair,
τριχῶν (trichōn)
Noun - Genitive Feminine Plural
Strong's 2359: Hair (of the head or of animals). Genitive case trichos, etc. of uncertain derivation; hair.

with
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

[a] leather
δερματίνην (dermatinēn)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1193: Made of hide, leathern. From derma; made of hide.

belt
ζώνην (zōnēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2223: Probably akin to the base of zugos; a belt; by implication, a pocket.

around
περὶ (peri)
Preposition
Strong's 4012: From the base of peran; properly, through, i.e. Around; figuratively with respect to; used in various applications, of place, cause or time.

his
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

waist.
ὀσφὺν (osphyn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 3751: The loins. Of uncertain affinity; the loin, i.e. The hip; internally procreative power.

His
αὐτοῦ (autou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

food
τροφὴ (trophē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 5160: Food, nourishment, maintenance. From trepho; nourishment; by implication, rations.

was
ἦν (ēn)
Verb - Imperfect Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

locusts
ἀκρίδες (akrides)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Plural
Strong's 200: A locust. Apparently from the same as akron; a locust.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

wild
ἄγριον (agrion)
Adjective - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 66: Wild, fierce. From agros; wild, literally or figuratively.

honey.
μέλι (meli)
Noun - Nominative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3192: Honey. Apparently a primary word; honey.


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NT Gospels: Matthew 3:4 Now John himself wore clothing made (Matt. Mat Mt)
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