Matthew 3:1

In those days See Luke 3:1, where the time is defined.

came Rather, cometh. The same word and the same tense as in Matthew 3:13.

John the Baptist So named by the other Synoptists and by Josephus: in the fourth gospel he is called simply John, a note of the authenticity of St John's gospel. Josephus mentions the great influence of John and speaks of the crowds that flocked to hear him preach and to be baptized of him. He says John taught men "Justice in regard to one another and piety towards God."

preaching Lit. heralding, a word appropriate to the thought of the proclamation of a King.

the wilderness of Judea i. e. the uncultivated Eastern frontier of Judah. The term also includes the cliffs and Western shore of the Dead Sea. In this wild and nearly treeless district there were formerly a few cities, and there are still some luxuriant spots. See Tristram's Topog. of H. L. Ch. iv.