[1:32] 2 sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.
[1:32] 3 sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
[1:76] 5 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
[1:76] 6 tn Or “a prophet”; but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
[1:76] 7 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
[1:76] 8 tc Most
[1:76] 9 tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation.
[1:76] sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3-5 and Luke 3:1-6.