Lukas 1:40

1:40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

Lukas 1:11

1:11 An ¹  angel of the Lord, ²  standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared ³  to him.

Lukas 3:2

3:2 during the high priesthood ⁴  of Annas and Caiaphas, the word ⁵  of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ⁶ 

Lukas 11:51

11:51 from the blood of Abel ⁷  to the blood of Zechariah, ⁸  who was killed ⁹  between the altar and the sanctuary. ¹⁰  Yes, I tell you, it will be charged against ¹¹  this generation.

Lukas 1:18

1:18 Zechariah ¹²  said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? ¹³  For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” ¹⁴ 

Lukas 1:67

Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction

1:67 Then ¹⁵  his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, ¹⁶ 

Lukas 1:6

1:6 They ¹⁷  were both righteous in the sight of God, following ¹⁸  all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. ¹⁹ 

Lukas 1:62

1:62 So ²⁰  they made signs to the baby’s ²¹  father, ²²  inquiring what he wanted to name his son. ²³ 

Lukas 1:8

1:8 Now ²⁴  while Zechariah ²⁵  was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, ²⁶ 

Lukas 1:21

1:21 Now ²⁷  the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder ²⁸  why he was delayed in the holy place. ²⁹ 

Lukas 1:59

1:59 On ³⁰  the eighth day ³¹  they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name ³²  him Zechariah after his father.

Lukas 1:12

1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, ³³  was seized with fear. ³⁴ 

Lukas 1:5

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

1:5 During the reign ³⁵  of Herod ³⁶  king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ³⁷  the priestly division of Abijah, ³⁸  and he had a wife named Elizabeth, ³⁹  who was a descendant of Aaron. ⁴⁰ 

Lukas 1:63-64

1:63 He ⁴¹  asked for a writing tablet ⁴²  and wrote, ⁴³  “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. ⁴⁴  1:64 Immediately ⁴⁵  Zechariah’s ⁴⁶  mouth was opened and his tongue ⁴⁷  released, ⁴⁸  and he spoke, blessing God.

[1:11]  ¹ tn Grk “And an angel.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

[1:11]  ² tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

[1:11]  ³ sn This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance (24:34; Acts 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16).

[3:2]  ⁴ sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from a.d. 6-15 and then his relatives were chosen for many of the next several years. After two brief tenures by others, his son-in-law Caiaphas came to power and stayed there until a.d. 36.

[3:2]  ⁵ tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.

[3:2]  ⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[11:51]  ⁷ sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.

[11:51]  ⁸ sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.

[11:51]  ⁹ tn Or “who perished.”

[11:51]  ¹⁰ tn Or “and the temple”; Grk “and the house,” but in this context a reference to the house of God as a place of sanctuary.

[11:51]  ¹¹ tn Or “required from.”

[1:18]  ¹² tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:18]  ¹³ tn Grk “How will I know this?”

[1:18]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).

[1:67]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:67]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[1:67]  sn Prophesied. The reference to prophecy reflects that Zechariah is enabled by the Spirit to speak God’s will. He does so in this case through a praise psalm, which calls for praise and then gives the reason why God should be praised.

[1:6]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “And they.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.

[1:6]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).

[1:6]  sn The description of Zechariah and Elizabeth as following… blamelessly was not to say that they were sinless, but that they were faithful and pious. Thus a practical righteousness is meant here (Gen 6:8; Deut 28:9).

[1:6]  ¹⁹ tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).

[1:62]  ²⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action described.

[1:62]  ²¹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the baby) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:62]  ²² sn The crowd was sure there had been a mistake, so they appealed to the child’s father. But custom was not to be followed here, since God had spoken. The fact they needed to signal him (made signs) shows that he was deaf as well as unable to speak.

[1:62]  ²³ tn Grk “what he might wish to call him.”

[1:8]  ²⁴ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[1:8]  ²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:8]  ²⁶ tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”

[1:8]  sn Zechariah’s division would be on duty twice a year for a week at a time.

[1:21]  ²⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:21]  ²⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

[1:21]  ²⁹ tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.

[1:59]  ³⁰ tn Grk “And it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:59]  ³¹ sn They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.

[1:59]  ³² tn This could be understood as a conative imperfect, expressing an unrealized desire (“they were trying to name him”). It has been given more of a voluntative nuance in the translation.

[1:12]  ³³ tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:12]  ³⁴ tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).

[1:5]  ³⁵ tn Grk “It happened that in the days.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[1:5]  ³⁶ sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[1:5]  ³⁷ tn Grk “of”; but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”

[1:5]  ³⁸ sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.

[1:5]  ³⁹ tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”

[1:5]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”

[1:5]  sn It was not unusual for a priest to have a wife from a priestly family (a descendant of Aaron); this was regarded as a special blessing.

[1:63]  ⁴¹ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:63]  ⁴² sn The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.

[1:63]  ⁴³ tn Grk “and wrote, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.

[1:63]  ⁴⁴ sn The response, they were all amazed, expresses a mixture of surprise and reflection in this setting where they were so certain of what the child’s name would be.

[1:64]  ⁴⁵ tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:64]  ⁴⁶ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:64]  ⁴⁷ sn The mention of both mouth and tongue here is a figure called zeugma and emphasizes that the end of the temporary judgment came instantly and fully upon Zechariah’s expression of faith in naming the child. He had learned to trust and obey God during his short period of silence. He had learned from his trial.

[1:64]  ⁴⁸ tn “Released” is implied; in the Greek text both στόμα (stoma) and γλῶσσα (glwssa) are subjects of ἀνεῴχθη (anewcqh), but this would be somewhat redundant in English.