And it came to pass on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they called it after the name of his father, Zacharias.
On the eighth day the family gathers for the circumcision of Elisabeth's newborn son. Everyone assumes the boy will carry his father's name. But an angel had already named him. The whole scene turns on one question: will this household follow custom, or follow God?
Two things happened on the eighth day, and they happened together.
The child was circumcised on the eighth day, and the name was given then, because at that point he entered covenant place and privilege. So the friends suggest that the son of Zacharias should carry his father's name.
The wording matters. The neighbours never actually named him. They only set out to.
The word used here is well rendered by Carr as "were for calling." By Jewish custom, naming a child was separate from circumcising him.
Naming a child after a relative was the normal expectation. That expectation is what caused the objection in the next verses.
The case of John the Baptist also shows that it was customary to name a child after one of his ancestors. That is why people objected to calling him John. Luke 1:59-63.
Both names mean something, and they point in opposite directions.
This grace, which is Luke's theme, gives the forerunner his name. His father's name would have looked back: "Jehovah has remembered." The child's name looks forward to what God is now bringing in: John, "Jehovah is gracious." Zacharias is silent, just as the whole Old Testament is silent, until faith sets its seal to this new revelation. When he writes, "His name is John," praise bursts out.
Zacharias could not speak. He had doubted the angel's promise. So his wife answers for the child, and he confirms it in writing.
Most people thought the child should be called after his father. But the mother, who alone can speak for him, directs that he be called John. They appeal to Zacharias, and he writes, "John is his name." At once the punishment of his unbelief leaves him. His tongue was set free. He spoke and praised God, and that filled everyone around with fear, astonishment, and wonder about what this child would be.
One writer weighs what kind of faith this was.
He wrote, "His name is John." That showed he now fully accepted the angel's word, so his son's name was a settled question. At last he believed, though this was faith that follows sight, the true Jewish type. So he could speak again.
One writer reads Zacharias' silence as a story about a whole nation.
When John is born, Zacharias' tongue is set free. He is a picture of Israel. Right now that nation is silent. One day they will acknowledge "the Grace of Jehovah." When they see and believe, the remnant of Israel will praise and bless God… The last written word of the Old Testament is a curse, Malachi 4:6. The first written word of the New Testament is "grace."
Samuel Ridout brings the same picture down to one person.
In the same way, to this day a veil lies on Israel's heart while the Prophets are read. But wherever a soul bows to the grace of God, praise bursts out, and the Old Testament merges into the New.
- Covenant. The eighth day was circumcision day. It brought the child into covenant place and privilege. The name went with that day, though naming was a separate custom.
- Custom. Naming a boy after an ancestor was normal practice. That is why the neighbours "were for calling" him Zacharias, and why they objected to John.
- Grace. The father's name looked back: "Jehovah has remembered." The child's name looks forward: "Jehovah is gracious." That is Luke's theme in one word.
- Obedience. Elisabeth speaks for the child. Zacharias writes what the angel said. The moment they choose God's word over family tradition, the silence ends and praise begins.
- Israel. The silent priest who finds his voice pictures a whole nation, silent now and praising later. The grace that opens the New Testament answers the curse that closes the Old. Wherever a soul bows to that grace, praise bursts out.
And his mother answering said, No; but he shall be called John.
The relatives have gathered to name the newborn son of Zacharias and Elizabeth. They expect the family name, but his mother says no — and the name she gives opens something new.
The family already had a name ready. One writer notes who had the right to decide:
Everyone expected the child to be named after his father. But the mother, who alone can speak for him, directs that he be named John.
Her answer cut across normal custom. Names were handed down in the family, and that is why the neighbours objected:
The case of John the Baptist also shows that it was the custom to name a child after one of his ancestors. That is why people objected to calling him John.
Elizabeth was not choosing a name she liked. The name had been settled before the birth, so her "No" was obedience and not stubbornness:
But his mother firmly objected and insisted that John was his name. Zacharias himself settled the dispute by writing that his name was John (v.63). Others were amazed at this, surprised that he would not agree to give his son his own name. But the angel had settled this before.
The name was chosen for its meaning. The father's name looks back, and the child's name looks the other way:
This grace, which is Luke's theme, gives the forerunner his name. His father's name would have pointed backwards — "Jehovah has remembered." His own name points forward to what God is now bringing in — John, "Jehovah is gracious."
Not every name in the Bible carries a lesson. This one does, because God chose it rather than the parents:
There was meaning in this. Many a name in Scripture has an obvious meaning that holds no special teaching for us, and we have no right to draw conclusions from it about the person or about the times he lived in. But names given by God do carry meaning, and we should pay attention to it. The name of John, announced beforehand by the angel Gabriel, is no exception. "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached" (Luke 16:16). His birth announced a change. The day of grace was dawning. So the child's name — Jehovah is gracious — matched the age about to begin.
Read the three family names together and they make one sentence:
"John" means "Favor of Jehovah." It fits beautifully with the names of Zacharias and Elizabeth: "Jehovah remembers the oath of God," and the blessed result of that remembering is "the Favor of Jehovah."
Zacharias could not speak. When he wrote the name down and agreed with his wife, his voice came back. One writer reads this as a picture of the nation:
When John is born, Zacharias can speak again. He is a picture of Israel. That people is silent now. One day they will own "the Grace of Jehovah"; when they see and believe, the remnant of Israel will praise and bless God... The last written word of the Old Testament is a curse, Malachi 4:6; the first written word of the New Testament is "grace".
Another writer traces the silence and the praise beyond one family:
Zacharias is silent, and so is the whole Old Testament, until faith sets its seal to this new revelation. When he writes, "His name is John," praise breaks out. In the same way, to this day the veil lies on Israel's heart while the Prophets are read. But wherever a soul bows to the grace of God, praise breaks out, and the Old Testament flows into the New.
- Remembered. The father's name, Zacharias, means "Jehovah has remembered." That name looks back.
- Gracious. The son's name, John, means "Jehovah is gracious." It points forward, not back, and matches the era about to begin.
- Given. Elizabeth did not pick the name. The angel Gabriel had announced it beforehand, so her "No" was obedience to a word already spoken.
- Contested. Custom said to name him after an ancestor. Here the custom gave way to the name God had given.
- Loosed. Zacharias wrote the name, and his silence ended in praise. The same happens wherever a soul bows to grace.
And they said to her, There is no one among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name.
The relatives have a fair point. Naming a boy after his father was the normal thing to do, and no one in the family carried the name John — so who has the right to name a child, the family or the God who gave him?
The objection in this verse rests on something the Bible never legislated. It was simply how families did things, as one Bible dictionary notes:
The case of John the Baptist also shows that it was the custom to name a child after one of his ancestors. That is why people objected to calling him John. Luke 1:59-63.
That is the whole weight behind their words. Habit was on their side, but habit is not a command from God.
This looks like a family dispute. In fact the angel had closed the matter long before the crowd began to argue:
But his mother firmly objected and insisted that John was his name. Zacharias himself settled the dispute by writing that his name was John (v.63). Others marveled at this, surprised that he would not agree to give his son his own name. But the angel had settled this before.
Note who holds the line. The father cannot speak, so Elizabeth stands alone against the room:
Most people thought the child should take his father's name. But the mother, the only one who can speak for him, tells them to call him John.
There is more here than stubbornness about a word. The two names point in opposite directions, and only one of them suits what God was about to do:
This grace, Luke's theme, gives its name to the forerunner. His father's name, "Jehovah has remembered," would have looked back. This name looks forward to what God is now bringing in — John, "Jehovah is gracious."
Not every name in the Bible carries a lesson. This one does, because God gave it:
Names given by God have a meaning, and we should pay attention to it. The name of John, announced beforehand by the angel Gabriel, is no exception. "The Law and the Prophets were until John; since then the good news of the kingdom of God is preached" (Luke 16:16). His birth announced a change. The day of grace was dawning. So the child's name — Jehovah is gracious — matched the era that was about to begin.
Zacharias could not speak, which is why he wrote the name. One writer sees his silence as a picture of a whole nation that cannot speak until it acknowledges the grace of God:
When John is born, Zacharias' tongue is set free. He is a picture of Israel. That people is silent now. One day they will acknowledge "the Grace of Jehovah"; they will see and believe, and the remnant of Israel will praise and bless God... The last written word of the Old Testament is a curse, Malachi 4:6; the first written word of the New Testament is "grace" — the name John, which means "Grace of Jehovah."
The same turn happens in any reader:
When he writes, "His name is John," praise bursts out... wherever a soul bows to the grace of God, praise bursts out, and the Old Testament merges into the New.
- Custom. No command stood behind the objection. Naming a boy after an ancestor was simply the family habit, and habit was the only ground for refusing the name John.
- Command. The angel Gabriel had already named the child. The crowd was debating a question God closed before the boy was born.
- Courage. Her husband could not speak, so Elizabeth held the name alone. Obeying God can mean standing by yourself among people who mean well.
- Content. The father's name looked back to what God had remembered. John looks forward to the grace about to appear, so the family name would not fit.
- Consequence. Zacharias's silence broke the moment he wrote the name God had given. Bow to grace, and the mouth that could not speak begins to praise.
And they made signs to his father as to what he might wish it to be called.
Family and neighbours have gathered for the circumcision of Elisabeth's newborn son. A disagreement has broken out over his name. They do not ask the father out loud; they gesture to him instead. That small detail tells us what had happened to Zacharias months earlier.
If Zacharias had only lost his speech, the crowd could have asked him aloud. Instead they used signs. One writer compares this verse with the earlier scene at the temple:
Zacharias also became speechless — the Greek word used is kophos. But Luke's account makes it clear that he was deaf at the same time (compare Luke 1:22 with 62).
Zacharias had met the angel's promise with doubt, and lost his speech as a result. One writer sees God turning even that failure to good, and the signs Zacharias makes are part of it:
In His goodness, God turns His servant's lack of faith into a correction that teaches him. He also turns it into a proof to the people that God had visited Zacharias from on high. Zacharias cannot speak until the word of the Lord comes true. He makes signs to the people, who wonder why he stayed so long in the sanctuary, and those signs explain the reason to them.
His silence forced the neighbours to use signs. That same silence showed them God had spoken.
A child in Israel received his name at a set moment. The appeal to the father here is part of that custom:
The child was circumcised on the eighth day, and that was when he received his name, since he then entered the place and privilege of the covenant. The friends propose his father's name for the son of Zacharias. But the mother says, "No; he shall be called John," and the father, when they appeal to him, confirms this.
The relatives treat the name as an open question. The parents do not. The mother names him, and the father's answer only confirms hers.
The father's name and the son's name point in opposite directions. That difference matches Luke's theme:
This grace, Luke's theme, gives its name to the forerunner. His father's name would have looked back: "Jehovah has remembered." The son's name looks forward to what is now being brought in — John, "Jehovah is gracious." Zacharias cannot speak, and neither can the whole Old Testament, until faith sets its seal on this new revelation. When he writes, "His name is John," praise bursts out. So to this day the veil lies on Israel's heart while the Prophets are read. But wherever a soul bows to the grace of God, praise bursts out, and the Old Testament merges into the New.
Zacharias answers in writing, and that written answer is where his faith shows:
He wrote, "His name is John." This showed that he now accepted the angel's word in full, so the name of his son was settled. At last he believed, though it was faith that follows sight, of the true Jewish type; and so his mouth was opened. He praised God, and filled with the Holy Spirit he prophesied.
The silence had a purpose, and it lasted no longer than it had to:
Now we see a beautiful thing in Zacharias's mouth being opened. Unbelief had shut it — faith opened it. God does not afflict willingly, but personally — with an end in view. It was very right that he should be silenced for a time. But as soon as possible his mouth was opened, wider than he ever expected.
- Signs — the neighbours gesture instead of speaking. That points to Zacharias being deaf as well as unable to speak. The discipline touched both ear and tongue.
- Chastening — his silence was not bare punishment. It corrected him, and it proved to the people that God had visited him.
- Settled — the angel had already named the child. The father's written answer only confirmed it.
- Grace — John means "Jehovah is gracious." The name looks forward, where his father's name looked back.
- Opened — unbelief shut his mouth and faith opened it, "wider than he ever expected," in praise and prophecy.
And having asked for a writing-table, he wrote saying, John is his name. And they all wondered.
The relatives had already decided: the boy would carry his father's name. Months earlier, doubt had cost Zacharias his voice. He could not argue. So he asked for something to write on, and what he wrote ended both the argument and his silence.
Zacharias asked for a small writing surface. One dictionary explains the word behind the older rendering "writing table":
In a few places this term refers to a tablet which could be written on, as in Habakkuk 2:2; Luke 1:63; 2 Corinthians 3:3.
Writing was the only channel open to him. One writer adds that he had lost his hearing as well:
Also, Zacharias became speechless, but it is clear from Luke's account that he was deaf at the same time (compare Luke 1:22 with 62).
The surprise in the room had a reason. Naming a boy after a relative was the normal practice:
It is evident also from the case of John the Baptist that it was customary to name a child after some of his ancestors. On this ground objection was made to his being called John.
The naming was already in dispute before the tablet came:
But his mother firmly objected and insisted that John was his name. Zacharias himself settled the dispute by writing that his name was John (v. 63). Others marvelled at this, surprised that he would not agree to give his son his own name. But the angel had settled this before.
Zacharias does not write "let him be called John," as if the choice were his. He writes it as a fact already fixed:
He wrote, "His name is John." This showed that he now fully accepted the angel's word, so the name of his son was a settled question. At last he believed, though it was faith that follows sight, of the true Jewish type; and so his mouth was opened.
His silence lifted the moment he agreed with God. What followed went far beyond a few written words:
Now we see a beautiful thing in Zacharias's mouth being opened. Unbelief had shut it — faith opened it. God does not afflict willingly, but personally — with an end in view. It was very right that he should be silenced for a time. But his mouth was opened as soon as possible — wider than he ever counted on.
The dispute was over one name, and that name has a meaning of its own:
This grace, Luke's theme, gives its name to the forerunner. His father's name, "Jehovah has remembered," would have suggested a backward glance. Instead this name looks forward to what is now coming in — John, "Jehovah is gracious."
One writer contrasts how the Old Testament ends with how the New begins:
The last written word of the Old Testament is a curse, Malachi 4:6; the first written word of the New Testament is "grace."
The same writer sees the silent priest standing for his whole nation:
When John is born, Zacharias' tongue is set free. He is a type of Israel. That people is silent now. Some day they will acknowledge "the grace of Jehovah"; when they see and believe, the remnant of Israel will praise and bless God.
Ridout says a veil still lies on Israel's heart while the prophets are read. But "wherever a soul bows to the grace of God, praise bursts forth."
- Silence. Zacharias lost his speech and his hearing for doubting God's message. He asked for a tablet because writing was all that was left to him.
- Custom. Family and neighbours expected the father's name. Custom was to name a child after an ancestor, so they objected to "John."
- Surrender. He wrote the name as already settled. He had at last accepted the angel's word instead of choosing for himself.
- Grace. The name means "Jehovah is gracious" — a forward look, in contrast to his own name, "Jehovah has remembered."
- Praise. The moment he agreed with God, his mouth opened wider than he expected. What unbelief closed, faith reopened — in him, and one day in Israel.