Matthew 3:4

Raiment. Not only did John turn the minds of his hearers to the messages of the prophets; he wore the garb of the prophets (2 Kings 1:8; cf. Zech. 13:4; DA 102). This was a silent witness to the fact that in him the prophetic office was now — after a period of silence — restored to Israel. By both manner and dress John reminded men of the seers of old.

John’s plain dress was also a rebuke to the excess of his time, to the “soft raiment” worn “in kings’ houses” (Matt. 11:8), and was appropriate to his message of revolt against the evils in the world. The “kingdom” John proclaimed was “not of this world” (John 8:23); his garments reflected disdain for the things of this world. John lived, as he preached, for the invisible “kingdom.” His outward appearance was a token of the message he bore.

John was a Nazirite from birth (DA 102), and his simple, abstemious life was in accord with the requirements of that sacred vow (see Luke 1:15; cf. Num. 6:3; Judges 13:4). But it is not necessary to conclude that he was an Essene (see pp. 53, 54), similar as their ways of life may have been. The Essenes withdrew from society and became ascetics. John spent considerable time alone in the wilderness, but he was not an ascetic, for he went forth from time to time to mingle with men, even before the commencement of his official period of ministry (see DA 102). It is true that there were at this time Essene communities in the “wilderness of Judaea” (v. 1), particularly along the western shore of the Dead Sea (see p. 53), but there is no historical evidence whatever that John associated with this austere sect. At the same time, there are noteworthy similarities between John and the Essenes.

Camel’s hair. Not camel’s hide, as some have thought, but a coarse garment of hair, roughly woven (see the foregoing).

Leathern girdle. Probably of sheepskin or goatskin, and worn about the waist to bind the long, flowing outer garment.

Meat. Gr. trophe, “nourishment,” “food,” “victuals.” Trophe is used of food in a general sense. In Acts 14:17 and James 2:15 it is translated “food,” the obvious meaning elsewhere (see Matt. 6:25; 10:10; Acts 2:46; 27:33-38; etc.). “Meat” is Old English for “food.”

An abstemious diet is essential to mental strength and spiritual insight, and to a right understanding and practice of the sacred truths of God’s Word (DA 101). These qualities were essential for John, who came “in the spirit and power of Elias” (Luke 1:17), and they are essential for those who are to bear the Elijah message to the world today.

Locusts. Gr. akrides (see Additional Note at the end of chapter).

Wild honey. Probably not the sap of certain trees, as some have thought, but honey gathered by swarms of wild bees and deposited in the hollows of trees or perhaps in rocks. Some Bedouins still derive an income by collecting wild honey.