And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
Zacharias confirmed by writing that his son's name is John, in fulfillment of the announcement that his long prayers for the coming Redeemer were about to be answered. That naming belongs to the promise of a son who was to go before the Lord and prepare His ways, placing John's birth and naming within the fulfillment of that promise. The naming stands amid the miraculous events surrounding John's birth, for Zacharias had lost his speech because he disbelieved the angel, and his tongue was loosed and his speech restored at John's birth. That restored speech was a sign that the angel's words had come to pass.
John's birth and the significance of his mission were attested by miracle and prophecy, and the news had spread abroad. The attestation included a manifestation of God through an angel in the temple connected with his birth. Those remarkable circumstances of his birth were later recalled when he appeared as a prophet.
Zacharias confirmed by writing that his son's name is John, in fulfillment of the announcement that his long prayers for the coming Redeemer were about to be answered. That naming belongs to the promise of a son who was to go before the Lord and prepare His ways, placing John's birth and naming within the fulfillment of that promise. The naming stands amid the miraculous events surrounding John's birth, for Zacharias had lost his speech because he disbelieved the angel, and his tongue was loosed and his speech restored at John's birth. That restored speech was a sign that the angel's words had come to pass.
John's birth and the significance of his mission were attested by miracle and prophecy, and the news had spread abroad. The attestation included a manifestation of God through an angel in the temple connected with his birth. Those remarkable circumstances of his birth were later recalled when he appeared as a prophet.