Meaning of the Name John
Based on the Hebrew name Yochanan, meaning 'the LORD has been gracious'. The Turkish form Yahya comes through the Arabic tradition and Yuhanna through the Greek-Syriac line; both are forms of the same name.
Origin
The name John is of Hebrew origin.
Who is John in the Bible?
John the Baptist is the prophet who prepared the way for Jesus: he called for repentance in the wilderness, baptized in the Jordan and pointed to Jesus as 'the Lamb of God'. His name was given by the angel himself when his birth was announced to his elderly parents.
The story of John in the Bible
John's story begins before his birth: while the priest Zechariah is serving in the temple, an angel appears and announces that his elderly wife Elizabeth will bear a son who is to be named John. According to Luke, when the child is circumcised the relatives want to name him after his father, but Elizabeth insists his name will be John; Zechariah, unable to speak until that moment, writes the same name on a tablet and his tongue is loosed. John grows up to live in the wilderness, calling people to repentance and baptizing them in the Jordan River, which is why he is known as John the Baptist. His task, just as the angel foretold, is to go before the Lord and make a people ready for him. When Jesus approaches, John points him out as the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. He stands at the threshold between prophecy and gospel, a forerunner pointing not to himself but to the one coming after him.
Is John mentioned in the Quran?
The name Yahya (John) is also mentioned in the Quran, where he is honored as a prophet and the son of Zechariah; in the Bible the same figure appears in the Gospels as John the Baptist, who prepared the way for Jesus.
Verses where John appears
- Luke 1:13-17 —
But the angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zacharias, because your request has been heard, and your wife, Elizabeth, will bear you a son, and you shall call his name John. You will have joy and gladness; and many…
- Luke 1:59-63 —
On the eighth day, they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him Zacharias, after the name of the father. His mother answered, “Not so; but he will be called John.” They said to her, “There is no…
- John 1:29 —
The next day, he saw Jesus coming to him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!