2 Kings 1:6-8

1:6 They replied, ¹  “A man came up to meet us. He told us, “Go back to the king who sent you and tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: “You must think there is no God in Israel! That explains why you are sending for an oracle from Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron. ²  Therefore you will not leave the bed you lie on, for you will certainly die.”’” 1:7 The king ³  asked them, “Describe the appearance ⁴  of this man who came up to meet you and told you these things.” 1:8 They replied, ⁵  “He was a hairy man ⁶  and had a leather belt ⁷  tied around his waist.” The king ⁸  said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Matthew 3:4

3:4 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. ⁹ 

Matthew 11:8

11:8 What ¹⁰  did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? ¹¹  Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings! ¹² 

¹ tn Heb “said to him.”

² tn Heb “Is it because there is no God in Israel [that] you are sending to inquire of Baal Zebub, the god of Ekron?” The translation seeks to bring out the sarcastic tone of the rhetorical question. In v. 3 the messengers are addressed (in the phrase “you are on your way” the second person plural pronoun is used in Hebrew), but here the king is addressed (in the phrase “you are sending” the second person singular pronoun is used).

³ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁴ tn Heb “What was the manner…?”

⁵ tn Heb “said to him.”

⁶ tn Heb “an owner of hair.” This idiomatic expression indicates that Elijah was very hairy. For other examples where the idiom “owner of” is used to describe a characteristic of someone, see HALOT 143 s.v. בַּעַל. For example, an “owner of dreams” is one who frequently has dreams (Gen 37:19) and an “owner of anger” is a hot-tempered individual (Prov 22:24).

⁷ tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).

⁸ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁹ sn John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions, and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.

¹⁰ tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 9.

¹¹ sn The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.

¹² tn Or “palaces.”