LORD in Shiloh and the child was young. And they slew a bullock, and brought the child to Eli. And she said, Oh, my lord! thy soul liveth, my lord, I am the woman that stood by thee here, praying unto the LORD. For this child I prayed; and the LORD hath given me my petition which I

as

asked of him: Therefore also I have lent him to the LORD; as long he liveth he shall be lent to the LORD. And he worshipped the LORD there, 1 Sam. i. 20-28. And he said, About this season, according to the time of life, thou shalt embrace a son. And she said, Nay, my lord, thou man of God, do not lie unto thine handmaid. And the woman conceived, and bare a son at that season that Elisha had said unto her, according to the time of life, 2 Kings iv. 16, 17.

And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God,

59-64.

VER. 14.

Καὶ ἔσται χαρά σοι καὶ ἀγαλλίασις, καὶ πολλοὶ ἐπὶ τῇ γεννήσει αὐτοῦ χαρή

σονται.

a And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.

a And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her, ver. 58. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have |

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joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice, Prov. xxiii. 24, 25.

VER. 15.

Ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ· καὶ Πνεύ

ματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας

μητρὸς αὐτοῦ.

a For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; cand he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, d even from his mother's womb.

a See on Matt. xi. ver. 9. and 11.

clause 1.

b For John the Baptist came neither drinking eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil, Luke vii. 33. and Matt. xi. 18. Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When either man or woman shall separate themselves to vow a vow of a Nazarite, to separate themselves unto the LORD: He shall separate himself from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk, Numb. vi. 2-4.

c And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance, Acts ii. 4. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people were added unto the Lord, xi. 24. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit, Eph. v. 18.

d Before thou camest forth out of the

womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations, Jer. i. 5.

VER. 16.

Καὶ πολλοὺς τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ ἐπιστρέψει ἐπὶ Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν αὐτῶν.

a And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.

a And thou, child, shalt be called The prophet of the highest: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways, ver. 76. In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judæa, And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven

is at hand. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Esaias, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight. 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. Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judæa, and all the region round about Jordan. And were baptized of him in Jordan, confessing their sins, Matt. iii. 1-6. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him

not: but the Publicans and the har

lots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him, xxi. 32.

* Or, by.

a John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me, John i. 15. Then said they unto him, Who art thou? that we may give an answer to them that sent us. What sayest thou of thyself? He said, I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias. And they which were sent, were of the Pharisees. And they asked him, and said unto him, Why baptizest thou then, if thou be not that Christ, nor Elias, neither that prophet? John answered them, saying, I baptize with water: but there standeth one among you, whom ye know not; He it is, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whose shoe's latchet I am not worthy to unloose. These things were done in Bethabara, beyond Jordan, where John was baptizing. The next day John seeth Jesus com

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ing unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me, 22-30.

See on Matt. iii. ver. 3.

Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers! who hath warn ed you to flee from the wrath to come? Bring forth, therefore, fruits worthy of repentance; and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That children unto Abraham. And now also God is able of these stones to raise up

the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree, therefore, which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire. And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then? He answered and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise. Then came also Publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do? And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you. And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages, iii. 7-14. Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day

of the LORD: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse, Mal. iv. 5, 6.

d They also that erred in spirit shall come to understanding, and they that murmured shall learn doctrine, Isa. xxix. 24. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went, Matt. xxi. 29. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed,

but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God, 1 Cor. vi. 9-11.

e And Samuel spake unto all the house of Israel, saying, If ye do return unto the LORD with all your hearts, then put away the strange gods and Ashtaroth from among you, and prepare your hearts unto the LORD, and serve him only, 1 Sam. vii. 3. And Hezekiah rejoiced, and all the people, that God had prepared the people: for the thing was done suddenly, 2 Chron. xxix. 36. The preparations of

the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the LORD, Prov. xvi. 1. And thathe might make known the riches of his glory on the vessels of mercy, which he had afore prepared unto glory, Rom. ix. 23.

Καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος, εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Εγώ εἰμι Γαβριὴλ ὁ παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ· καὶ ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρός σε, καὶ εὐαγγελίσασθαί σοι ταῦτα.

And the angel answering said unto him, a I am Gabriel, that stand in the présence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these, glad tidings.

And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth, ver. 26. And I heard a man's voice between the banks of Ulai, which called, and said, Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision, Dan. viii. 16. Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision

at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly

Α. Μ. 3998. beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision, ix. 21-23.

VER. 20.

Καὶ ἰδοὺ, ἔσῃ σιωπῶν, καὶ μὴ δυνάμενος λαλῆσαι, ἄχρὶ ἧς ἡμέρας γένηται ταῦτα· ἀνθ ̓ ὧν οὐκ ἐπίστευσας τοῖς λόγοις μου, οἵτινες πληρωθήσονται εἰς τὸν καιρὸν αὐτῶν.

And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.

VER. 21.