And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
And they said unto her--`There is none among thy kindred who is called by this name,'
And they said to her, There is no one among thy kinsfolk who is called by this name.
Luke — Luke's 'orderly account' (1:3) follows Jesus from Bethlehem through the long travel narrative to Jerusalem and the Emmaus road.
Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread — the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.
Voices4
And they said to her: There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name. They signaled to his father, etc. "John is his name," he said, that is, we do not impose a name on him who has already received a …
Bede· On the Gospel of Luke, 735patristic
The holy Evangelist has especially remarked, that many thought the child should be called after his father Zacharias, in order that we might understand, not that any name of his kinsfolk was displeasing to his mother, but that the same word had been communicated to her by the Holy Spirit, which had been foretold by the Angel to Zacharias. And in truth, being dumb, Zacharias was unable to mention his son's name to his wife, but Elisabeth obtained by prophecy what she had not learnt from her husband. Hence it follows, And she answered, &c.
Ambrose of Milan· Catena Aurea by Aquinas, 397patristic
And they said unto her,.... Her neighbours and relations, there is none of thy kindred that is called by this name; from whence it appears, that it was usual to give names to children after their ancestors, relations, and friends. The Persic version renders it, "in thine Israel there is not any one of this name": but this could not be true; for the name of Jochanan, or John, was a name very common among the Israelites, though not in Elisabeth's family, or her husband's.
John Gill· Exposition of the Entire Bible, 1771reformed
There is none of thy kindred ... - The Jewish tribes and families were kept distinct. To do this, and to avoid confusion in their genealogical tables, they probably gave only those names which were found among their ancestors. Another reason for this, common to all people, is the respect which is felt for honored parents and ancestors.
Albert Barnes· Notes on the Old and New Testaments, 1870evangelical
The verses this one reaches1
There came a man who was sent from God. His name was John.