“And the same John had his raiment of camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins; and his meat was locusts and wild honey.”
King James Version (KJV)
3:4 John had his raiment of camels' hair - Coarse and rough, suiting his character and doctrine. A leathern girdle - Like Elijah, in whose spirit and power he came. His food was locusts and wild honey - Locusts are ranked among clean meats, #Lev 11:22|. But these were not always to be had. So in default of those, he fed on wild honey.
Mt 3:4 Raiment of camel's hair. See 2Ki 1:8. Not the camel's skin with hair on it, but a garment made of the shaggier camel's hair, woven in a coarse fabric. It was recognized as a garb of the prophets (Zec 13:4), and is still worn in the East by the poor. A leathern girdle about his loins. The "'leathern' girdle" may be seen around the body of the common laborer. It fastens the loose raiment of the East about the waist. His meat. His food. Locusts. Permitted to the Jews as an article of food (Le 11:22), and still used by the poorer classes in Arabia, Egypt and Nubia. They are a large, voracious insect, much like the Rocky Mountain grasshopper. Wild honey. Honey deposited by wild swarms of bees in the rocks. So abundant was it that Palestine was described as "flowing with milk and honey". John was no epicure, and used such food as the wilderness provided.