The works of the Reverend and learned John Lightfoot D. D., late Master of Katherine Hall in Cambridge such as were, and such as never before were printed : in two volumes : with the authors life and large and useful tables to each volume : also three maps : one of the temple drawn by the author himself, the others of Jervsalem and the Holy Land drawn according to the author's chorography, with a description collected out of his writings.

SECTION V.

S. LUKE CHAP. I.

The Birth and Circumcision of Iohn the Baptist, and the tongue of his Father restored, &c.

Vers. 57. NOW Elizabeths a full time came that she should be delivered, and she brought forth a Son. 58. And b her neighbours, and her cousins heard how the Lord had c shewed great mercy upon her, and they rejoyced with her. 59. And it came to pass on the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child, and they cal∣led him Zacharias, after the name of his Father. 60. And his Mother answered and said, Not so, but he shall be called John. 61. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62. And they made signs to his Father, how he would have him called. 63. And he asked for d a writing table, and wrote saying, His name is John, and they marvailed all. 64. And his mouth was e opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them, and all these sayings were noised abroad through out all the hill Country of Iudea. 66. And all they that had heard them, f laid them up in their hearts, saying, What man∣ner of child shall this be? g and the hand of the Lord was with him. 67. And his Father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophecied, saying. 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people: 69. And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of his servant David. 70. As he spake by the h mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been since the World began. 71. i That we should be delivered from our enemies, and from the hands of k them that hate us. 72. l To perform the mercy promised to our fore-fathers, and to remember his holy Co∣venant, 73. m The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74. n That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hands of our ene∣mies, might serve hiw without fear, 75. In holiness and righteousness before, him all the days of our life. 76. And thou child shalt be called the Prophet of the most Highest, for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways. 77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins. 78. Through † the tender mercy of our God, whereby the day spring from an high hath visited us. 79. To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; to guide our feet into the way of peace. 80. And the child grew, and waxed strong in Spirit, and was in the desert, till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

Reason of the Order.

THE order of this Section may be briefly contrived, and illustrated, thus. Eliza∣beth when Mary cometh to her, was about six months gone with child, Luke 1. 26. 36. and about nine months when she departed from her, vers. 56. She coming to her own house, is suspected by Joseph to have played the harlot; and is in danger of a secret divorce: while these things are thus passing betwixt them two at Nazaret, the time of Elizabeths delivery is fully come.

Harmony and Eplanation.

Verse 59. They came to circumcise the Child.

IN Hebron, and about the time of Easter, was circumcision first ordained, Gen. 17. And in the same place, and at the same time of the year, was John Baptist born and circum∣cised; who was to bring in Baptism in stead of Circumcision: as may be apparent by ob∣serving the time of the Angel Gabriels appearing, and message to his father Zacharias, in the preceding Kalendar, and it shall be to the full explained and proved hereafter, when we come to treat of the time of our Saviours birth.

§ And they called his name Zacharias.

A thing hardly to be parallel'd again in all the Scripture, that a child should be named by the name of his father: an extraordinary action, in an extraordinary case.

Because Abraham and Sarah had their new names given them at the giving of circum∣cision; therefore did after-times reserve this custom to name their Children at their cir∣cumcising.

The name was sometime given to the child by the mother, but that was ever at the birth, and it was upon some weighty and special reason, as Gen. 29. 32, 33, 34, 35. and 30. 6, 7. &c. 1 Sam. 4. 21. 1 Chron. 4. 29. and sometimes by the standers by at the birth, as Gen. 38. 29. and 25. 25. Ruth 4. 18. but the Father at the Circumcision, had still the casting voice, whether the name should be so, or no; as appeareth by Jacobs changing Ben-oni into Benjamin. Now Zacharie being dumb, and the mother having given it no name at the birth, the persons present undertake to call it by the name of the Father.

And now is he in circumcising, that is the man appointed to be the first overthrow of Circumcision, by bringing in Baptism instead of it.

R. Solomon from the Talmud in Sanhedrin, expoundeth Jerem. 25. 10. I will take from them the sound of the milstones, and the light of the candle, to this sense. The sound of the milstones, signifieth the Feast at a Circumcision; because they ground or bruised Spices, for the healing of the sore; and the light of the Candle, signieth the Feast it self. Thus do they con∣fess a decay of Circumcision to be foretold by the Prophet, and yet they stick not to deny most stiffly, that Circumcision must ever decay.

Vers. 63. [He wrote saying] That is, expressing, or To this purpose, as Exod. 18. 6. And Jethro said to Moses, I Jethro come unto thee: That is, he signified so much by Letter; as the serious viewing of the story will necessarily evince. And so 2 King. 5. 6. And he brought the Letter to the King of Israel, saying; not that Naaman that brought the Letter, spake the words that follow, but the Letter it self spake them.

[John] The Lord hath been gracious. A name most fit for him that was to be the first Preacher of the Kingdom of grace, and to point out him that was grace it self. Rabbi Jo∣chanan sayd, what is the name of the Messias? Some said Haninah, Grace, as it is said, I will not give you Haninah, that is, the Messias who shall be called gracious, Jer. 16. 13. Talmud bab. in Pesach. cap. 4.

Vers. 64. [And his mouth was opened] Infidelity had closed his mouth, and now faith or believing doth open it again: And herein, may this case of Zachary be fitly compared with the like of Moses, Exod. 4. For he for distrust is in danger of his life, as Zachary for the same fault is struk dumb: but upon the circumcising of his child, and recovery of his faith, the danger is removed; as Zacharies dumbness is at such a time and occasion; as Psal. 116. 10. He believeth, and therefore doth he speak. And the tongue of the dumb doth sing, Esa. 35. 6.

[And his tongue] Our English hath added loosed for illustration, as also hath the French; and some say it is found in some Copies, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. But first, no such word is expressed ei∣ther in the Syrian, Arabick, Vulgar Latine, Italian, Erasmus, or other Translators. Nor se∣condly, needeth there any such word to make a perfect sense, but it may well help the sim∣ple and vulgar capacity, what our English hath added.

Vers. 66. [Laid them up in their hearts] It could not but affect all that heard of this strange birth of the Baptist with wonder and amazement, and singular observation, both in regard that so many and great miracles were wrought in this time, when miracles were so much abated and decayed: as also in consideration, that there was never birth before that had so many concomitants of wonder and miraculousness, as the birth of this child. Not of Isaac the glorious Patriach, not of Moses the great Prophet, nor of any other what∣soever, that had been in former times.

[And the hand of the Lord was with him] Either the special favour and assistance of the Lord, as Ezra 7. 6. and 8. 22, &c. or the gift of Prophecy at capable years, as 1 Sam. 3. 19. for so the hand of the Lord doth signifie, Ezek. 1. 3. & 37. 1. & 40. 1. Psal. 80. 17. 1 Chron. 28. 19.

Vers. 68. [Redeemed] Greek, '〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, He hath made or wrought redemption: In the very phrase implying a price paid, for so the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 importeth. It is used again, Chapter 2. 38. and by the LXX, Psal. 111. 9. and 130. 7. and by Theodotion for satisfaction, Prov. 6. 35.

Vers. 69. [An horn of Salvation] Psal. 18. 1. 2 Sam. 22. 3.

Vers. 70. [Which have been since the World began] Adams calling his wives name Eve, or life, in apprehension of the promise of the seed of the woman, that should break the head of the Serpent: Eves calling her Sons name Cain, a purchase; because she had ob∣tained a man, even the Lord, or the Lord to become a man; and her naming her other Son Seth, or setled, &c. these were Prophecies that spake of Christ, from the beginning of the world.

Vers. 71. [That we should be saved from our enemies] This hath sweet reference to the promise given at the beginning of the World; from which time he had traced Prophecies in the verse preceding. I will put enmity betwixt thee and the woman, and between thy seed, and her seed: He shall break thine head, Gen. 3. 15. Where in the former words of the verse, I will set enmity, &c. there is an expression who are our enemies; namely, the Serpent and his seed: and in the latter, he shall break thine head; there is an intimation how we shall be saved; namely, by Christs breaking the head and power of Satan. So that the former verse and this being laid together, they arise unto this sense, that all the Prophets from Adam and upward, had their eye upon the promise in that garden, and spake of salvation and delivered by Christ, by his breaking the head, and destroying the kingdom of the Devil.

Vers. 76. [The Prophet of the Highest] As Aaron to Moses, Exod. 7. 1. Prophecy had been now very long decayed, and but little thereof had been under the second Temple: it is now reviving in an extraordinary manner: and this child is to be the first of this race of Prophets that is in rising, and to be the Harbinger of Christ himself.

Vers. 77. [To give knowledge of salvation by remission, &c.] The knowledge of salva∣tion that the Law held forth at the first view, was by legal righteousness, and absolute performance of what was commanded: but John who was to begin the Gospel, brought in another Doctrine, and gave the people knowledge of salvation by another way; namely, by the remission of sins, as Rom. 4. 6, 7. And this is the tenor of the Gospel.

Vers. 78. [The day spring from an high] Greek: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, used by the LXX to translate 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, The branch, Esa. 4. 2. Jer. 23. 5. Zech. 3. 9. & 6. 12. the name of Christ, and so it may be understood of Christs personal coming and appearance amongst men: as God is said to have visited Sarah, Gen. 21. 1. that is, not only in merciful dealing with her, as to give her a child, but also in personally coming unto her in visible appearance, as Chap∣ter 18. 14. At the time appointed I will return, &c. Or it may be taken in connexion to the sense of the Verses preceding: That after the defect of Prophecy, the dawning of that gift, and after the darkness of the Doctrine of Salvation, as it was in the Law, the day∣spring of it from an high came now to visit us, in the brightness of the Gospel.

Vers. 80. [And was in the deserts] Of Ziph and Maon, 1 Sam. 23. 14. 25. which were places not far from Hebron, where John was born; Josh. 15. 54, 55. His education was not in the Schools at Jerusalem, but in these plain Country Towns and Villages in the Wilderness.

[Till the day of his shewing unto Israel] That is, when at thirty years of age he was to be brought to the Sanctuary service; Numb. 4. 3. to which he did not apply himself as the custom was, but betook himself to another course.

Notes

• a

  Though the conceived her child a∣bove the course of na∣ture, yet his time in the womb was ac∣cording to it.
• b

  Hebron was inhablted by Aaronites: but the fields and villages about with children of Juda, Josh. 21. 11. These two are Eliza∣beths neigh∣bours and cousins.
• c

  Greek, Had magnified mercy: 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 as in Psal. 18. 50. the Hebr. and LXX and Psal. 126. 2.
• d

  Vulg. Pu∣gillarem. of which see Plin. lib. 13. cap. 11. 'Ev 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Batrachom.
• e

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in Hebrew signi∣fieth both to open and to un∣loose, and so the loosing of his tongue, which is not expressed in the Greek, to∣tidem verbis, is implied in the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, by an Hebraisme.
• f

  See Gen. 37. 11. Prov. 2. 1. & 3. 1. & 7. 1.
• g

  Vulg. For the hand of the Lord was with him: contrary to the Orig. Arab. and Syr.
• h

  [By the mouth] that is, by the mouths one number for another, as tree for trees, Gen. 3. 1. frog for frogs, Exod. 9. 2. &c. yet is the observation of Albertus magnus, ingenuous and true. All the Prophets spake of Christ, uno ore, things so agreable, as if they had all spoken with one mouth.
• i

  In the orig. it is only 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, Salvation or deliverance, and so in the Arab. and Vulg. Lat. now it may be read either in ap∣position to 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, in vers. 69. He hath raised up an horn of salvation, namely, salvation from our enemies, or in subsequence to the verb he spake, vers. 70. He spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets of Salvation: and this is the more genuine and proper, Beza.
• k

  Two Phrases used to heighten the sense, 2 Sam. 22. 18. 41. Psal. 44. 10. & 68. 1. & 89. 23. & 106. 16.
• l

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, as Josh. 2. 12. 2 Sam. 9. 1. &c. The Syr. reads conjunctively, And he hath shewed mercy; and so doth the Arab. the other clause, And he hath remembred.
• m

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: In the Accusative case, either in apposition to Cornu Salutis, vers. 69. as Tollet, or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 understood, as Calvin, or following the Verb T•• performe in vers. 72. As the Syr. and an old English, or that the Verb 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 governeth two cases, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.
• n

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉: This clause standeth in the Orig. and in all translations in the end of the vers. preceding, See Syr. Arab. Valg. France, Spain, Dutch, Deodate, V••tab. Erasm. Beza, &c.
• †

  Greek: The Bowels of mercy.