2 Kings 1:8

1:8 They replied, ¹  “He was a hairy man ²  and had a leather belt ³  tied around his waist.” The king ⁴  said, “He is Elijah the Tishbite.”

Isaiah 20:2

20:2 At that time the Lord announced through ⁵  Isaiah son of Amoz: “Go, remove the sackcloth from your waist and take your sandals off your feet.” He did as instructed and walked around in undergarments ⁶  and barefoot.

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. ⁷ 

Matthew 11:8-9

11:8 What ⁸  did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? ⁹  Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings! ¹⁰  11:9 What did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more ¹¹  than a prophet.

Mark 1:6

1:6 John wore a garment made of camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. ¹² 

Revelation 11:3

11:3 And I will grant my two witnesses authority ¹³  to prophesy for 1,260 days, dressed in sackcloth.

¹ tn Heb “said to him.”

² 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).

³ tn Heb “belt of skin” (i.e., one made from animal hide).

⁴ tn Heb “he”; the referent (the king) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵ tn Heb “spoke by the hand of.”

⁶ tn The word used here (עָרוֹם, ’arom) sometimes means “naked,” but here it appears to mean simply “lightly dressed,” i.e., stripped to one’s undergarments. See HALOT 883 s.v. עָרוֹם. The term also occurs in vv. 3, 4.

⁷ 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.

⁸ 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.

⁹ 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.

¹⁰ tn Or “palaces.”

¹¹ tn John the Baptist is “more” because he introduces the one (Jesus) who brings the new era. The term is neuter, but may be understood as masculine in this context (BDAG 806 s.v. περισσότερος b).

¹² 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.

¹³ tn The word “authority” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. “Power” would be another alternative that could be supplied here.