(合用 可用 隨便用)

譯本是參照 AFV (A Faithful Version 希臘文) 2009

57. Now Elizabeth’s time was fulfilled that she should give birth, and she bore a son.

58. And her neighbors and kinfolk heard that the Lord had magnified His mercy toward her, and they rejoiced with her.

59. And it came to pass on the eighth day that they came to circumcise the little child; and they were calling him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

60. Then his mother answered and said, “No! But he shall be named John.”

61. And they said to her, “There is no one among your kinfolk who is called by this name.”

62. Then they made signs to his father as to what he desired him to be named.

63. And after signaling for a writing tablet, he wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all amazed.

64. Then his mouth was immediately opened, and his tongue was loosed; and he spoke, praising God.

65. And fear came upon all those who dwelt around them; and in the entire hill country of Judea, all these things were being talked about.

66. And all who heard these things laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this little child be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him. (A Faithful Version)

57. 伊莉莎白的產期到了，就生了一個兒子。

58. 她的鄰居和族人，看到主向她展示出那份慈愛，都一心與她感欣同喜。

59. 過了八天，就給孩子行割禮，並以他父親的名字命名：撒迦利亞。

60. 只是作為母親的，卻說：不要！給他起名叫約翰。

61. 眾人都說：同族中沒有這個名字。

62. 於是，眾人向作為父親的，用手勢作出詢問：意思是要他取個名字。

63. 作為父親的撒迦利亞，拿一塊板，寫上：約翰。眾人就都驚訝。

64. 就在此時，口可以開，舌也鬆挷，一開口就是讚美神。

65. 這情況讓鄰居們都感到害怕，這事就傳遍了整個猶太人聚居的山城。

66. 凡聽到這事的人，都留下一個深刻的印象，都有同一個疑惑：這小孩子將來要如何面對？只是主大能的手必與這小朋友同在。

路加這段描述是一種背景的交待，涉及改名這事在猶太人的傳統，以及它帶來的後果。

改名換姓這事在有文化根底的族群當中，都有其意意，去改名有不同的的緣由產生不同的意義。以下有幾個情況供參考：

1: 延續同族的傳統：https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/273285/jewish/4-Naming-After-Parents-or-After-an-Event.htm

2. 聖經中與神接觸後，都會改名的講道：https://reformjudaism.org/learning/torah-study/torah-commentary/change-name-change-status

3. 個人改名的緣因： https://www.myjewishlearning.com/2013/06/12/from-shtetl-to-star-a-jewish-tradition-of-changing-names/

這處記述改名的緣因似乎是維護同族的傳統有關，延續撒迦利亞這祭司家族的承繼。改名，就是有脫離的意思，因此在當時伊莉莎白為撒迦利亞祭司一族的人而言，改名這事引發起全村的人擔心：這小孩子將來要如何面對？(v.66)

這個改名的事，在此是有特殊的意義，也許就是藉[改名]，就揭示改變人的一生之始。它似乎有悔改的含義，就是基督信仰的人，有君尊這份威嚴的職份有相關的地方。信眾，在藉耶穌相信神的時候，就被基督徒三個字，賦予了這祭司的職份，也具備了耶穌作福音的使者，將二下合而為一的天職相連。

基督徒悔改，會不會就再沒有任何姓氏作稱謂，因為這相信的人不再屬世，而是屬天？像先鋒約翰！