Luke 1:63

And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. AND HIS MOTHER ANSWERED AND SAID, NOT SO; BUT HE SHALL BE CALLED JOHN ... AND THEY MADE SIGNS TO HIS FATHER, HOW HE WOULD HAVE HIM CALLED - showing that he was deaf as well as dumb. AND HE ASKED FOR A WRITING TABLE, AND WROTE, SAYING, HIS NAME IS JOHN. AND THEY MARVELED ALL - at his concurring with his wife in giving to the child a name so new in the family; not knowing of any communication between them on the subject....

57-66 In these verses we have an account of the birth of John the Baptist, and the great joy among all the relations of the family. He shall be called Johanan, or "Gracious," because he shall bring in the gospel of Christ, wherein God's grace shines most bright. Zacharias recovered his speech. Unbelief closed his mouth, and believing opened it again: he believers, therefore he speaks. When God opens our lips, our mouths must show forth his praise; and better be without speech, than not use it in praising God. It is said, The hand of the Lord was working with John. God has ways of working on children in their infancy, which we cannot account for. We should observe the dealings of God, and wait the event....

Verse 63. _A WRITING TABLE_] πινακιδιον, a _tablet_, a diminutive of πιναξ, a _table_. "The boys in Barbary are taught to write upon a smooth thin board, slightly daubed over with whiting, which may be rubbed off or renewed at pleasure. Such probably (for the Jewish children use the same) was the _little board_, or _writing table_, as we render it Luke 1:63, that was called for by Zacharias." Shaw's Travels, p. 194. My old MS. considers the word as meaning the _instrument_ of writing, rather than the _tablet_ on which he wrote: _and he aringe a poyntel, wroot seyinge, Joon is his name_. A thin board, made out of the _pine_ tree, smeared over with wax, was used among the ancients; and to this the Anglo-Saxon version seems to refer, as it translates πινακιδιον, [Anglo-Saxon], a _wax_ _board_ or _cloth_. An

HE ASKED - That is, by signs. A WRITING TABLE - The table denoted by this word was usually made of wood and covered with wax. The ancients used to write on such tables, as they had not the use of paper. The instrument used for writing was an iron pen or style, by which they marked on the wax which covered the table. Sometimes the writing-table was made entirely of lead....

EXPOSITION THE origin of the Gospels—the four histories which relate in detail the circumstances of the foundation of Christianity—will ever be an interesting study. Here we shall never know the exact truth of the compilation of these writings, the foundation-stones of all our hopes and fears; a reverent, scholarly speculation is all that can be offered to the student of the Divine memoirs. The speculation, however, probably in this case comes very near the truth. After the Ascension and the events of the first Pentecost, which quickly followed their Master's return to heaven, the twelve and a few others who had walked in the company which followed Jesus during the years of his public ministry no doubt often met together and talked over the teaching and the acts of their risen and now glorified Master. As time passed on, a certain number of these acts, a certain number of the public and...

AND HE ASKED FOR A WRITING TABLE,.... That is, he made signs for one, for as yet he could not speak. The Persic version renders it "ink", and the Ethiopic, a book, and the Vulgate Latin, a notebook. The word signifies "a little table", such as they used to write not only "upon", but "in"; and was sometimes of brass t, sometimes of wood, and sometimes of wax u, on which they wrote with a style or pen; AND WROTE, SAYING, HIS NAME IS JOHN: not that he must be, or shall be, so called; but this is his name, and no other; being what the angel had given him before his conception, and Zacharias now confirms: AND THEY MARVELLED ALL; they were astonished, not so much at the new name brought into the family, as at the agreement between Elisabeth and Zacharias in this point, when the latter was both deaf and dumb; they knowing nothing, as yet, of the angel's message to him. t Haryocration. Lex. p...

THE GOSPEL OF LUKE Analysis and Annotations I. The Birth and Childhood -- Chapter 1-2:52 CHAPTER 1 _ 1. The Introduction. (Luke 1:1)_ 2. Zacharias and Elizabeth; the Vision. (Luke 1:5) 3. John the Baptist, his birth and ministry announced. (Luke 1:13) 4. Zacharias' Unbelief and Punishment. (Luke 1:18) 5. The Angel's Announcement to the Virgin Mary. (Luke 1:27) 6. Mary's Question and the Answer. (Luke 1:34) 7. Mary Visits Elizabeth ...

THE BIRTH OF JOHN. THE BENEDICTAS. In due course Elisabeth bore her son and received the congratulations of her friends. When the babe has been circumcised and named, his mother rejects the proposal to call him Zacharias and insists on John. The deaf and dumb father confirms his wife's wish, and his power of speech is restored. The whole incident made a great impression in the district, and people recognised that some great future was before the lad, for as he grew up (the last clause of Luke 1:66 is anti cipatory) he was seen to be Divinely guided and protected. Meanwhile Zacharias is inspired and utters a song-prophecy. Luke 1:68, in thoroughly Jewish tone, predicts the deliverance of Israel from the oppressor by a scion of the house of David, and the restoration of the theocracy. In...

AN HISTORIAN'S INTRODUCTION (Luke 1:1-4)...

WRITING TABLE. writing tablet Table was used for tablet in 1611. Used by medical writers in Luke's day. WROTE, SAYING.. Hebraism. Compare 2 Kings 10:6. "JOHN". the grace of Jehovah, was thus the first written word of that dispensation....