Matius 3:4

3:4 Now John wore clothing made from camel’s hair with a leather belt around his waist, and his diet consisted of locusts and wild honey. ¹ 

Matius 22:12

22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say. ² 

Matius 11:8

11:8 What ³  did you go out to see? A man dressed in fancy clothes? ⁴  Look, those who wear fancy clothes are in the homes of kings! ⁵ 

[3:4]  ¹ sn John’s lifestyle was in stark contrast to many of the religious leaders of Jerusalem who lived in relative ease and luxury. While his clothing and diet were indicative of someone who lived in the desert, they also depicted him in his role as God’s prophet (cf. Zech 13:4); his appearance is similar to the Prophet Elijah (2 Kgs 1:8). Locusts and wild honey were a common diet in desert regions, and locusts (dried insects) are listed in Lev 11:22 among the “clean” foods.

[22:12]  ² tn Grk “he was silent.”

[11:8]  ³ tn Grk “But what.” Here ἀλλά (alla, a strong contrastive in Greek) produces a somewhat awkward sense in English, and has not been translated. The same situation occurs at the beginning of v. 9.

[11:8]  ⁴ sn The reference to fancy clothes makes the point that John was not rich or powerful, in that he did not come from the wealthy classes.

[11:8]  ⁵ tn Or “palaces.”