Luke 1:80 - Joseph Benson’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments

And the child grew, &c. The years of John's infancy expiring, he grew daily in wisdom and stature; and was in the deserts, &c. During the whole course of his private life, he continued in the deserts, or hill- country of Judea, Luke 1:39, till his ministry commenced, about the thirtieth year of his age. It is probable that the deserts here mentioned were those of Ziph and Maon, where Saul pursued David. Though there were several country towns and villages in these deserts, yet, as they were but thinly inhabited, they were in the Jewish idiom called deserts. Now it was wisely ordered, to prevent a personal acquaintance between Jesus and John, that the latter should continue in one of these deserts, at the distance of probably one hundred miles from Nazareth, till the time of his entering upon his ministry. There, in a state of solitude and retirement from the world, he lived an austere and mortified life, that his character might be suited to his office the preaching of repentance, self-denial, and deadness to the world and sin.