Lukas 1:19-26

1:19 The ¹  angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands ²  in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring ³  you this good news. 1:20 And now, ⁴  because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, ⁵  you will be silent, unable to speak, ⁶  until the day these things take place.”

1:21 Now ⁷  the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder ⁸  why he was delayed in the holy place. ⁹  1:22 When ¹⁰  he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They ¹¹  realized that he had seen a vision ¹²  in the holy place, ¹³  because ¹⁴  he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak. ¹⁵  1:23 When his time of service was over, ¹⁶  he went to his home.

1:24 After some time ¹⁷  his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, ¹⁸  and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. ¹⁹  She said, ²⁰  1:25 “This is what ²¹  the Lord has done for me at the time ²²  when he has been gracious to me, ²³  to take away my disgrace ²⁴  among people.” ²⁵ 

Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah

1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, ²⁶  the angel Gabriel ²⁷  was sent by ²⁸  God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, ²⁹ 

[1:19]  ¹ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:19]  ² tn Grk “the one who is standing before God.”

[1:19]  ³ tn Grk “to announce these things of good news to you.”

[1:20]  ⁴ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:20]  ⁵ sn The predicted fulfillment in the expression my words, which will be fulfilled in their time takes place in Luke 1:63-66.

[1:20]  ⁶ sn Silent, unable to speak. Actually Zechariah was deaf and mute as 1:61-63 indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him.

[1:21]  ⁷ tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[1:21]  ⁸ tn The imperfect verb ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.

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

[1:22]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:22]  ¹¹ tn Grk “and they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:22]  ¹² tn That is, “he had had a supernatural encounter in the holy place,” since the angel came to Zechariah by the altar. This was not just a “mental experience.”

[1:22]  ¹³ tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.

[1:22]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “and,” but the force is causal or explanatory in context.

[1:22]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “dumb,” but this could be understood to mean “stupid” in contemporary English, whereas the point is that he was speechless.

[1:23]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And it happened that as the days of his service were ended.” 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.

[1:24]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “After these days.” The phrase refers to a general, unspecified period of time that passes before fulfillment comes.

[1:24]  ¹⁸ tn Or “Elizabeth conceived.”

[1:24]  ¹⁹ sn The text does not state why Elizabeth withdrew into seclusion, nor is the reason entirely clear.

[1:24]  ²⁰ tn Grk “she kept herself in seclusion, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:25]  ²¹ tn Grk “Thus.”

[1:25]  ²² tn Grk “in the days.”

[1:25]  ²³ tn Grk “has looked on me” (an idiom for taking favorable notice of someone).

[1:25]  ²⁴ sn Barrenness was often seen as a reproach or disgrace (Lev 20:20-21; Jer 22:30), but now at her late age (the exact age is never given in Luke’s account), God had miraculously removed it (see also Luke 1:7).

[1:25]  ²⁵ tn Grk “among men”; but the context clearly indicates a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") here.

[1:26]  ²⁶ tn Grk “in the sixth month.” The phrase “of Elizabeth’s pregnancy” was supplied in the translation to clarify the exact time meant by this reference. That Elizabeth’s pregnancy is meant is clear from vv. 24-25.

[1:26]  ²⁷ sn Gabriel is the same angel mentioned previously in v. 19. He is traditionally identified as an angel who brings revelation (see Dan 8:15-16; 9:21). Gabriel and Michael are the only two good angels named in the Bible.

[1:26]  ²⁸ tn Or “from.” The account suggests God’s planned direction in these events, so “by” is better than “from,” as six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God acts again.

[1:26]  ²⁹ sn Nazareth was a town in the region of Galilee, located north of Samaria and Judea. Galilee extended from about 45 to 85 miles north of Jerusalem and was about 30 miles in width. Nazareth was a very small village and was located about 15 miles west of the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee.

[1:26]  map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.