Matthew Poole Commentary - Luke 1:13 - 1:13

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Matthew Poole Commentary - Luke 1:13 - 1:13


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Although the great God useth so to show himself to the best of his own people, as to imprint upon them a sacred awe of his majesty, yet he never suffereth the souls of his people to sink under those apprehensions. The first words the angel saith to Zacharias are,



Fear not, Zacharias. I am no bad messenger to thee, but a good messenger from God, to tell thee



thy prayer is heard. This is good news to any soul. But of what prayer the angel here speaketh is a little further question, for it follows,



and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son. It is believed that the priest, while he burned incense, did offer up prayers, but that he had now offered up prayers to God for issue is not so probable, considering that both he and Elisabeth were well stricken in years, and probably past children. Some therefore think that those words, and thy wife Elisabeth, & c., are given him only as a sign that his prayers were heard; and added to signify that, as a further mercy to him than what he asked, Elisabeth should conceive. Nor do I see any reason why we should restrain the prayer mentioned to the prayer he had now made, and not expound it of those many prayers which Zacharias had before made, which though God had delayed to answer, yet the angel assures him should now be answered with relation to issue.



And thou shalt call his name John, which is the same with Johanan in the Hebrew, and signifies gracious. The angel directed Joseph to call Christ’s name Jesus, because he was to save his people from their sins; and he directeth Zacharias to call his son’s name John, because he was to open the kingdom of grace, and to preach the grace of the gospel, through Jesus Christ.