What was John really wearing ?

Why are we given such a detailed description of his attire and diet?

Matthew 3:4 and the same John had his raiment of camel’s hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey. 

The English name John is the transliteration of the Greek name Ioannes, Ιωαννης

and the Greek name Ioannes is the transliteration of the Hebrew name Johanan, יְהוֹחָנָן;

which has the meaning of:

Yahweh Is Gracious or Yahweh Has Been Gracious.

יְהוֹחָנָן   Yohanan  John

Original Word: יְהוֹחָנָן
Part of Speech: Proper Name Masculine
Transliteration: Yehochanan
Phonetic Spelling: yeh-ho-khaw-nawn’

יוחנן המטביל 

is the translation of

John the Baptist into Hebrew. 

גמל – camel

Camels hair – שיער גמלים

ארבה locusts

דבש פראי wild honey – dvash

דבש – honey – dvash

דבש תמרים – date honey – tamar dvash

דבש mentioned in the Bible refers to 

date honey – דבש תמרים

Over time, Jewish people started using bee honey – דבש דבורים

– as their main form of honey, so דבש came to refer to that.

As a result, the ancient date honey needed a new word; and the Hebrew language now borrows a word from Persian and calls it

date honey – סילאן

When we read about John the Baptizer/Immerser, in the gospels, they seem to indicate he was somewhat of a crazy looking individual…. In movies and pictures he is often portrayed as a prophet declaring doom and gloom and looking like some deranged maniac dressed in questionable garb; and eating even more strange things like locusts.

Some say he lived in the desert with no place to wash or live a normal life, and was the sort of man mothers would hide their children from; and if he came into town local residents would run in terror from him…

Surely other readers have wondered if this is an accurate picture of him?

Scripture tells us he was born to Elizabeth and Zachariah who were very honorable people and Zachariah being of the family and tribe who served their turn in the Temple in Jerusalem…

Zacharias was a priest, and both he and his wife were of the tribe of Aaron. Luke 1:5.

Why was it important that John be of the priestly line?

Luke consistently gives us the details, because the details matter.

In verse 5, we read of a priest, a man named Zacharias, and he is serving in the division of Abijah. Luke 1:6-8,

For this to be true, Zechariah was not only a Levite, but also a descendent of Aaron. This made Zechariah an Aaronic Priest. Luke also declares that Zechariah, “had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.” So, not only is John’s father a descendent of Aaron, but his mother is also in the Aaronic family.

This makes John the Baptist full-blooded Aaronic!

Yet equally important to their physical lineage was their spiritual devotion. Both Zacharias and Elizabeth were described by Luke as

“righteous in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord” Luke 1:6.

Not only was this a priestly couple, they lived in obedience to the Law of Moses. This would have been an obedience which met the requirements of Torah/Judaism. It did not save them any more than Paul’s religious standing was able to save him; Phil. 3:4-9; but it did set them apart from their peers. From both a New and Old Covenant perspective their good works did not save them, but from the perspective of the Mosaic Covenant, their devotion to God expressed by their obedience to the instructions in Torah, made it possible for God to bless them through the birth of John.

So what happened to their son John, how did he become this wild man? Or did he? If he was so scary how come so many multitudes of people gathered to hear what he had to say and do what he recommended and be baptized/immersed for the repentance and forgiveness of sins?

For the purposes of this study, let’s try to lay aside our preconceived impression of John /Yochahanan; and look at some word meanings, the culture of the day and refer to scripture from their perspective and understanding. Remembering of course that they had only the Torah prophets and writings which made up the TaNaKh, what we call the Old Testament.

There were certain things that were known and were purposely done because of prophetic fulfillment. These were both recognized and understood by the people of that time; and which we miss through lack of knowledge in both language and culture.

First his way of dressing was probably not haphazard

or because he could not find anything else to wear

or because he was crazy or wanted to scare people.

After some research it seems that it was carefully chosen to send a message to who ever saw him.

He did not come on the scene wearing fine flowing robes like the priests and leaders, the Pharisees and scribes but the equivalent of an individual wearing pre-torn denim jeans!

Anything made of camels hair was actually the skin of the animal with the scratchy hair removed.

Camels hair can grow up to 15 inches in length.

More like soft leather which his belt/girdle would have been made from.

He was demonstrating his rebellion against the corruption within both the religious and governmental leadership.

A camel hair coat is an outwear garment made from the hair of the double-humped Bactrian camel. The coats may be made only of camel hair or may also have wool added.  Much like getting wool from sheep, the camel need not be killed to get its hair. Camels shed, or molt, each spring.

Each camel sheds about 5 pounds (2.268 kg) of hair every spring and this shedding, or molting, takes up to a few months to complete. Hair can also be removed from the camel by shearing it. Once removed and/or collected, the camel hair gets separated into coarse and fine varieties and is cleaned before being spun to be knitted or woven into cloth.

The softest camel hair is from the underbelly area of the camel, while the hair on the rest of the camel is quite coarse. Wool blended into camel hair makes a much softer cloth than that of pure camel hair. The woven or knitted camel hair, with or without wool added, is then used to make camel hair coats.

Those who were making themselves extremely wealthy through exploitation of the people, causing them to live in poverty and suffering as if they were living in clothes made of scratchy, itchy, thorny, poor quality camels hair; compared to the expensive quality of their attire, purchased with the offerings from those who could least afford to give. In todays’ culture, it would be similar to leaders, preachers and pastors wearing $1000+ designer suits and shoes, eating in exclusive restaurants and flying around in private jets, paid for from donations of their faithful followers.

We have to remember that for 400 years they had not heard a single prophet calling to them in the name of the Lord, then seemingly out of nowhere comes John…

We know it was in perfect timing according to our Fathers’ plan.

John preached in the wilderness, which was appropriate because

Israel was going through dry, desert/wilderness times spiritually.

 The 400/430 years of silence is a common descriptor for the time between the testaments. Most are under the impression that the Old Testament ends with Malachi. And the last words of that book are certainly chilling:

“See, I will send the prophet Elijah to you before that great and dreadful day of the Lord comes.  And he will restore the hearts of the fathers to their children, and the hearts of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the land with a curse” (Mal. 4:5-6).

After a 400/430 years of silence since the prophet Malachi, the lord raised up a new prophet to restore Israel back to the right path. 

Despite the lack of Scripture detailing this period, a great deal happened. Malachi set the stage: many Jews had returned from the Medo-Persian Empire and rebuilt the temple, experiencing a moderate level of revival under the influence of Ezra. But they still did not live as God had instructed them. Israelite men mistreated their wives, married women who did not follow the Lord, and refused to honor God with their giving. Meanwhile, the priests neglected the temple and their responsibility to teach God’s laws.

The Jewish homeland was taken over from the Persians by the Greek Empire in 332 BC followed by the Egyptian occupation in 312 BC. The Greek language came into common usage during this time, inspiring the translation of the Old Testament into Greek (known as the Septuagint).

The Jews continued to practice the Law of Moses and the temple rituals until Syria overtook Jerusalem in 204 BC. In 171 BC, Antiochus Epiphanes desecrated the Holy of Holies (the most sacred part of the temple). The Jews, led by the Maccabee brothers, revolted and retook control of Jerusalem in 165 BC. The Roman Empire conquered Israel by 63 BC, and continued to reign throughout the events of the New Testament.

Interestingly, many of the events during the 400 silent years fulfilled Old Testament prophecy. Of great significance were the prophecies of Daniel that spoke of coming empires that closely resembled those of the Greek and Roman Empires that took over the land of Israel (Daniel 7, 9). Several apocryphal books were written during this time. Some, like 1 and 2 Maccabees, can be read as more-or-less accurate historical accounts, while others are false teachings or fairy tales. None of them were worthy of being called Scripture by Jewish scholars.

While these 400 years of silence revealed no new biblical revelation, they clearly included many significant historical events. These included many changes in the rule of the land of Israel as well as the necessary preparations for the coming of Jesus Christ as the Messiah.

As Galatians 4:4-5 says,

“But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to redeem those who were under the law, so that we might receive adoption as sons.”

The spiritual leaders of the nation had had no exterior correction to their lifestyles in several generations and were comfortable in their positions ruling and controlling the people as they deemed fit.

It began with Malachi’s prediction of Elijah’s return Malachi 4:5-6, circa 430 BC and ended with its metaphorical fulfillment: the coming of John the Baptist circa 6—4 BC. This silence was shattered with the angelic announcement of Gabriel to Zacharias, that he and his wife will have a son, a son who will come in the spirit of Elijah the prophet, and who will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and will prepare the way of the Lord.

He ate locusts and honey not because he was a crazy man but more likely because he was following the kosher laws of Leviticus 11:21-23, and wanted that to be clear to the people. It is interesting to note many refer to the locust and think of large insects like grasshoppers and those which swarm in plagues devouring all that is in sight.

For a Jewish audience this detail linked John to a very significant prophet in the Tanakh – Elijah!

Whose diet also consisted of

grasshoppers/locusts and wild honey.

Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the lord.

Whether the writers meant that John didn’t eat anything else, or only that these were his main diet, is not recorded. Some suggest that “locusts and wild honey” were considered to be the distinguishing diet of a prophet, even as “raiment of camel’s hair, and a leather girdle” marked him a successor to the ancient prophets.

Johns’ eating habits of

locust and honey

and drinking no wine or strong drink….

was fulfilling the prophecy of Immanuel, who was to be born.

John wore clothing of camel hair and a leather girdle around his loins, similar to the dress of the prophet Elijah.

There may be an underlying significance to the camel which can endure days in scorching hot deserts, while transporting precious cargo/heavy burden. Could it be referring to this, that after a long, spiritually dry, 430 years of silence since the prophet Malachi, the Lord raised up a new prophet to restore Israel back to the right path?

 John was a second Elijah. 

Camel hair kept him protected from the extreme temperatures of the heat and cold in the desert. 

As for his wild looks, one of the vows of nazirites was not to cut their hair, so no doubt it was quite long and unkempt. 

Besides showing John’s non-focus on worldly wealth and riches, what do his eating habits and clothing signify?

He dressed in camel skin. John’s role was to prepare the people for the coming of the Messiah.

Now John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist;

Mark 1:6

and John was clothed with camel’s hair, and with a girdle of a skin about his loins;

 In Leviticus 11 we read, The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ² “Say to the Israelites: ‘Of all the animals that live on land, these are the ones you may eat: ³ You may eat any animal that has a divided hoof and that chews the cud. ⁴ “‘There are some that only chew the cud or only have a divided hoof, but you must not eat them. The camel, though it chews the cud, does not have a divided hoof; it is ceremonially unclean for you.

Interestingly, John wasn’t concerned about covering himself with the skin of an unclean animal, one wonders where it came from!

Camels hair – שיער גמלים

Every source looked at agreed, that wild honey was highly common. Some people believe it was honey from bees, others believe it was date honey and still others that it refers to the tree gum (a tasteless but nutritious liquid) from the tamarisk tree; but all agree to its being common.

Now the locusts, were they literally insects? There have been suggestions that rather than insects, the locust was a type of fruit/seeds of the honey locust tree.

And there is one more option discovered while researching for this post, which was rather jaw dropping!  Apparently, there is a small bird in the desert and they flock together in such large swarms that the Bedouin folk call them locusts.

They are a great source of food for the desert dwellers because they are easy to catch and by dipping them in honey, again it provided needed nutrients.

Is it possible that this is what John ate?

Because the English word locust, (Greek akrides), properly means both an insect and certain kinds of trees, the question normally arises as to which of these, with honey is correct. In the Scriptures, and in contemporary Greek literature, the word akrides always refers to an insect, the locust.

According to the law of Moses certain kinds of locusts are clean food.

These you may eat: the locust after its kind, the destroying locust after its kind, the cricket after its kind, and the grasshopper after its kind. Leviticus 11:22.

Locust is the only insect which is considered kosher.

The four insects here listed were commonly used as food in ancient times, as they are today in Oriental countries. These facts have led commentators to agree on the conclusion that akrides in Matthew and Mark should be understood as designating the insect by the name locust rather than a species of tree.

Locusts are high in protein, and also zinc and iron – minerals which many people around the world are lacking.  Although locusts are clearly described in the Torah as being kosher, there is much discussion in Israel, among the Rabbis as to whether all Jews can eat them – or only those Jews who have a tradition of eating them, principally Yemenite Jews and those from North Africa.

One Rabbi believes the only reason that Ashkenazi Jews don’t have the tradition of eating locusts is because it’s extremely rare to get locusts in Europe, so he has no problem – in principle, at least – with eating them.

 Specific extracts in the Torah

in Leviticus Parshat Shmini

state that four types of desert locust can be eaten:

  “Every flying insect that uses four legs for walking shall be avoided by you. The only flying insects with four walking legs that you may eat are those which have knees extending above their feet, [using these longer legs] to hop on the ground. Among these you may only eat members of

the red locust family,

the yellow locust family,

the spotted gray locust family and

the white locust family.

All other flying insects with four feet [for walking] must be avoided by you.”  

The four types of locusts stated in the Torah are known according to Yemenite tradition to be the following:

The “red locust” [“Arbeh” in Hebrew]

is called “Grad” in Arabic.

The yellow locust [“Sa’lam” in Hebrew]

is “Rashona” in Arabic.

The spotted gray locust [“Chargol” in Hebrew]

is “Chartziyiya” in Arabic.

The white locust [“Chagav” in Hebrew]

is called “Gandav” in Arabic.

Edible insects below:

Grasshoppers, Buffalo Worms, Crickets, Mealworms, Beetles and Locusts. Tasting more like shrimp than chicken!

As for honey locust, the hard mature seeds, roasted and boiled are soft enough to consume.

Honey Locust (Gleditsia triacanthos),

is a deciduous tree and

a member of the bean/pea family.

It bears long seed filled pods in fall,

of which the pulp is sweet and edible.

The bark, seeds, and leaves of black locust trees contain poisonous compounds called toxalbumins.

They are toxic to both livestock and humans and have been reported to cause symptoms from gastrointestinal distress to nervous system disorders.

The pulp on the inside of the pods is edible (unlike the black locust, which is toxic) and consumed by wildlife and livestock.

Despite its name, the honey locust is not a significant honey plant.

Honey locust fruit taste like gooseberry jam

Carob pods from carob tree or locust tree.

In Luke 15:16-18, Here the

Locusts/Carob pods

lead you back!

Back to your Father

both physically and spiritually!

Just as the prodigal son remembered where His Fathers House was when he was so hungry and desired to eat the carob pods that he fed to the pigs.

And he longed to have his fill of the carob pods that the pigs were eating, and no one was giving him anything.

When John entered a village it was not as a mad, crazy person, that everyone avoided, but he was more of a peoples’ champion. They would gather around, listening eagerly to his revolutionary and radical message of a man who was coming soon. This coming One desired to see them set free from the tyrannical control of their Roman oppressors. John brought a message of hope.

What the people would have seen was

the leather belt he was wearing.

Some translations use girdle, but this was very significant and this individuals appearance took on a whole new meaning.

A leather belt/girdle

was a symbol not seen in Israel for a long time.

It was probably a story often told to children of the days past when:

men came to town wearing a leather belt…

These men spoke from Gods’ heart to the people and prophesied of a future time when faithful men and women would enter a new and wonderful age; and justice for all would be seen.

This belt or girdle of leather

was the symbol of:

a true prophet of the God of Israel.

Johns’ message was simply:

repent – return – teshuvah – turn

or return, come back to your first love.

He was saying:

If you have strayed from your first love for our Heavenly Father,

then it’s time to return.

In Aramaic, which was the language the people spoke in the local area of Galilee, the word turn or return is tuwu. John’s message called to those who had never truly known God or loved Him; encouraging them to turn to Him now and learn of His love for them. When John immersed or baptized those who repented, it was as a demonstration of their commitment to the Lord. It showed a personal choice of turning, or returning, to live for and love the Lord; with all their heart, soul and strength. This of course being the first of the 10 sayings/Commandments, which are still what we need to be doing today.

The word “locusts” in Greek means the actual locust insect. These insects are commonly eaten in the Middle East and other places around the world. The Bible itself says they are permissible to eat. Leviticus 11.

The word “locusts” can also describe the carob tree, common in that area. The carob tree produces a pod-like fruit that looks like a long string bean that can be made into flour and eaten.

Locust birds The Red Billed Quelea  

AKA the “Locust Bird”

in some parts of Africa has created a spectacle in the Klaserie Private Nature Reserve.

These small weavers are amongst the largest bird populations on the planet with an estimated population of about 1,5 billion. Feeding on grass seeds and grain they can consume massive amounts in a day and can affect subsistence farmers crops detrimentally. Hence, the nickname derived from the negative impact they can have on crops, similarly to a swarm of locusts. 

While honey is not an abnormal food to most western readers, locusts are cringe worthy to some. While modern translations almost universally render akris as “locusts” (ASV, ESV, HCSB, KJV, MSG, NASB, NIV, NKJV, NLT, NRSV, RSV) or “grasshoppers” (CEV) there was once a prominent theory that John actually ate carob seeds. Carob seeds were prominent in the period, used as the standard measure of weight for gems and precious metals.

Scientists O.N. Allen (1905-1976) and Ethel K. Allen (1908-2006) explain the connection:

Some commentators are of the opinion that the “locusts” eaten by John the Baptist…were carob pods and not insects.

An error is believed to have occurred whereby a transcriber substituted the Hebrew g for the r in the word “cherev”; this changed the word in translation to “locust” from “carob” (Harold Norman Moldenke [1906-1996] and Alma L. Moldenke [1908-1997] 1952).

Accordingly, the tree was known as “Johannis brodbaum,” or St.-John’s-bread, in the Middle Ages. (Allen and Allen, The Leguminosae: A Source Book of Characteristics, Uses and Nodulation, 156)

“Did he eat them to survive?”

“Was he crazy” and

“Did he just prefer the taste?”

The basic question is

“Was it really a part of the common diet for the people of his time period?”

Every source consulted seem to be in agreement that wild honey was highly common. Some people believe it was honey made from bees, and others believe that it refers to the tree gum; a tasteless but nutritious liquid from the tamarisk tree; but all agree to its being common.

In ancient Greece and Rome, fried locusts, cicadas, and grasshoppers were considered a delicacy superior to the best meat or fish available. These insects have enormous nutritional value. Grasshoppers, for example, are 60% protein versus chicken or beef with about 20%.

Not only were Locusts not a common part of the diet of the time, but it’s more likely that John the Baptist ate from the locust tree instead of actual locusts. Locusts were only in abundance during and shortly after the rainy season in Israel. Throughout the remainder of the year, any available locusts were found among greenery, not in the wilderness where we are told John the Baptist stayed. However, locusts trees naturally thrive in wilderness regions. As already noted these trees produce a pod-like edible fruit that might look something like this picture below.

 John the Baptist’s appearance would have matched the stories passed down from their ancestors regarding the appearance of God’s prophets. He would have appeared most specifically like the prophet Elijah, who also wore

a garment of camel hair and a leather belt

as recorded in 2 Kings 1:8.

This additional parallel only reinforced the angel Gabriel’s word that John would come

“in the spirit and power of Elijah” Luke 1:16-17

and fulfill the word of Malachi 3:1 and 4:5.

Though John the Baptist denied it, all this significant evidence was not lost on the Jewish priests and Levites from Jerusalem who asked him

“Who are you?…Are you Elijah?…Are you the Prophet?”

John 1:20-21.

So among the scholars, there is not a unanimous conclusion to this question, maybe he ate all three?

Let the reader decide!

Ready for your locust burger?

Final thoughts:

What of the vipers?

Those Pharisees and Sadducees he called snakes…?? They were of a religious order, some were priests and some were not, and yet had committed their lives to the service of the Temple ordinances. Just as in any religious institution today there were good and bad individuals. They all believed they were helping humanity and many did a lot of good things; however there was then as now, a element of those who were corrupted and as we would say with a well known english idiom, they all got tarred with the same brush! Meaning you got a bad reputation from being one of them by name/association, even if you were not corrupt personally.

It was the corrupt ones John was referring to, the ones who had lost their way.

Could it have been something like this: saying they were like orphans children without parental love and guidance? They said they were children of Abraham whose days were obviously long past, and since their birth was well after he had died, they had long lost the guidance he provided. He also reminded them their real father was God and that their relationship was not to be based with Abraham but with the God of Abraham. To everyone else John was saying:

Repent – Turn – Teshuvah

Turn back to your real parent, your loving Heavenly Father, and receive His love and guidance and you will no longer be orphans, abandoned, and without true direction for your lives.

Is this not the call to us today?

TUWU  – Return to our first love?

We may not be called to wear camels skin clothes or a leather belt or eat small birds and/or honey from wild bees or trees; but the words of

a man crying in the wilderness..

a true prophet of the Most High..

echo down through the millennia

to those who have ears to hear today…

come back to our loving Heavenly Father – Tuwu!

John prepared the Way for Messiah Jesus/Yeshua

the One who was to come…

We live in the days where we look back,

and yet we have the same choice to make…

will we choose Him will we choose life today?

He is still the One Who Is To Come – To Return!

The Locust or Carob Tree –

in Luke 15:16-18

symbolize that

Locusts Lead You Back…

The Lost Son longed for a meal of carob pods,

directing us to a very important

and counterintuitive truth to grasp:

when all has failed,

return to God our loving Heavenly Father

Who is just waiting for us to change/repent

and come back home to Him.

Shalom shalom mishpachah/family

and cheverim/friends!

You are loved and appreciated and prayed for daily.

… and…

it’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

NOT SURE?

YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name. Amen.