{ "schemaVersion": 1, "kind": "event", "id": "birth-of-john-the-baptist", "era": "life-of-jesus", "order": 299, "title": "Birth of John the Baptist", "group": "birth-and-childhood", "date": { "kind": "relative", "label": "Birth and childhood", "note": "A guided comparison of Gospel accounts, not a measured calendar or a claim that every parallel follows the same sequence." }, "pin": [ 35.08, 31.6 ], "pinConfidence": "Approximate region", "pinPlace": "gospel-judean-hills", "summary": "Elizabeth gives birth to John. Zechariah confirms his name, regains speech and praises God’s covenant mercy. He describes his son as the prophet who will prepare the Lord’s way.", "context": "The naming occurs on the eighth day. The final verse looks forward across John’s childhood to his public appearance; it does not place an adult ministry immediately after the naming.", "question": "How does Zechariah connect forgiveness with the promises to Israel?", "locationNote": "Elizabeth’s home is understood from the preceding Judean hill-country visit. No exact birth village or house is named.", "passages": [ { "reference": "Luke 1:57–80", "range": [ 42001057, 42001080 ], "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Luke%201%3A57%E2%80%9380&version=BSB", "availability": "bundled", "verses": [ { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 57, "text": "When the time came for Elizabeth to have her child, she gave birth to a son." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 58, "text": "Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they rejoiced with her." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 59, "text": "On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 60, "text": "But his mother replied, “No! He shall be called John.”" }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 61, "text": "They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who bears this name.”" }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 62, "text": "So they made signs to his father to find out what he wanted to name the child." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 63, "text": "Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 64, "text": "Immediately Zechariah’s mouth was opened and his tongue was released, and he began to speak, praising God." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 65, "text": "All their neighbors were filled with awe, and people throughout the hill country of Judea were talking about these events." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 66, "text": "And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 67, "text": "Then his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied:" }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 68, "text": "“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, because He has visited and redeemed His people." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 69, "text": "He has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 70, "text": "as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 71, "text": "salvation from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 72, "text": "to show mercy to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 73, "text": "the oath He swore to our father Abraham, to grant us" }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 74, "text": "deliverance from hostile hands, that we may serve Him without fear," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 75, "text": "in holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our lives." }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 76, "text": "And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 77, "text": "to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 78, "text": "because of the tender mercy of our God, by which the Dawn will visit us from on high," }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 79, "text": "to shine on those who live in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the path of peace.”" }, { "book": "Luke", "chapter": 1, "verse": 80, "text": "And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel." } ] } ], "related": [ { "range": [ 23040003, 23040005 ], "kind": "teaching", "note": "The preparation of a way for the Lord provides prophetic context for John’s calling.", "reference": "Isaiah 40:3–5", "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Isaiah%2040%3A3%E2%80%935&version=BSB" } ], "places": [ { "id": "gospel-judean-hills", "name": "Hill country of Judea", "coordinate": [ 35.08, 31.6 ], "extent": [ [ 34.9, 31.35 ], [ 35.3, 31.9 ] ], "kind": "Region", "confidence": "Approximate region", "confidenceSource": "editorial", "sources": [ { "label": "Named Gospel setting; original approximate extent", "url": "https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1" } ] } ], "mapPeriod": "gospel-land", "further": [ { "label": "Named Gospel setting; original approximate extent", "url": "https://bible.usccb.org/bible/luke/1" } ], "provenance": { "sources": [ { "name": "theographic", "ref": "252" }, { "name": "editorial" } ], "review": "draft" }, "eraName": "Life of Jesus", "interactiveUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/?event=birth-of-john-the-baptist", "attribution": [ "Events and places adapted from Theographic Bible Metadata (github.com/robertrouse/theographic-bible-metadata), CC BY-SA 4.0. This adapted data is shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.", "Place coordinates from OpenBible.info Bible Geocoding Data, CC BY 4.0.", "Teaching stops, summaries and regional extents are original editorial content of this atlas.", "Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain. https://berean.bible/licensing.htm" ], "translation": "bsb", "url": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/birth-of-john-the-baptist/", "markdownUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/birth-of-john-the-baptist/index.md", "jsonUrl": "https://wilderness-scripture-atlas.pages.dev/reference/events/birth-of-john-the-baptist/index.json", "cautions": "Narrative order is a reading arrangement, not a proven chronology. Dates retain their stated uncertainty. An identified locality does not establish the exact venue or prove an event. Region extents and routes are illustrative, not surveyed boundaries or ancient roads. Draft material has not completed editorial review.", "revision": "7df57c598fe47602" }