The Jews were accustomed, like most of the ancient nations of the east,
to confer upon their children significant names, which were made to
refer to some circumstance connected with the person’s prospects, or
the hopes of his parents respecting him. In their son’s name, probably
Zebedee and Salome designed to express some idea auspicious of his
progress and character in after life. The name “John,” is not only
common in the New Testament, but also occurs in the Hebrew scriptures
in the original form “Johanan,” which bears the happy signification
of “the favor of Jehovah,” or, “favored by Jehovah.” They probably
had this meaning in mind when they gave the name to him, and on that
account preferred it to one of less hopeful religious character; but
to suppose, as some commentators have, that in conferring it, they were
indued with a prophetic spirit, which for the moment directed them to
the choice of an appellation expressive of the high destiny of a chosen,
favored herald of the grace of God, to Israel and to the Gentiles,――is
a conjecture too absurdly wild to be entertained by a sober and
discreet critic for a moment. Yet there are some, who, in the rage for
finding a deep meaning in the simplest matters, interpret this simple,
common name, as prophetically expressive of the beginning of the reign
of grace, and of the abrogation of the formal law of Moses, first
announced by John the Baptist, whose testimony was first fully recorded
in the gospel of John the Apostle. Such idle speculations, however,
serve no useful purpose, and only bring suspicion upon more rational
investigations in the same department.