Bible Strands
Luke 1:59
On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The narrative describes a community gathering on the eighth day to circumcise the newborn boy, where neighbors and relatives prepare to name him Zechariah after his father. The words — The Greek phrase ὀγδόῃ (ogdō) literally renders "eighth," anchoring the event to the established covenantal timeline. The thread — This eighth-day timing directly fulfills the Mosaic requirement in Leviticus 12:3 and echoes the Abrahamic covenant in Genesis 17:12, while contrasting with the angel-specified naming in Luke 2:21. Why it lands — The text establishes a cultural expectation that demands a conscious, faithful override when divine instruction contradicts human tradition.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:12 Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.
- Leviticus 12:3 And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
- Luke 2:21 When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.
- Philippians 3:5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin; a Hebrew of Hebrews; as to the law, a Pharisee;
- Genesis 21:3 And Abraham gave the name Isaac to the son Sarah bore to him.
- Acts 7:8 Then God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision, and Abraham became the father of Isaac and circumcised him on the eighth day. And Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.