1:67 Then 3 his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, 4
1:21 Now 5 the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder 6 why he was delayed in the holy place. 7
1:59 On 11 the eighth day 12 they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name 13 him Zechariah after his father.
1:5 During the reign 19 of Herod 20 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 21 the priestly division of Abijah, 22 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 23 who was a descendant of Aaron. 24
1:18 Zechariah 28 said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? 29 For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” 30
1 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.
2 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).
3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
4 tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
5 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
6 tn The imperfect verb ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
7 tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.
7 sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from
8 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.
9 tn Or “desert.”
9 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.
10 sn They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.
11 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.
11 sn Gen 4:10 indicates that Abel’s blood cried out for justice.
12 sn It is not clear which Zechariah is meant here. It is probably the person mentioned in 2 Chr 24:20-25.
13 tn Or “who perished.”
14 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.
15 tn Or “required from.”
13 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.
14 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37
15 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.”
16 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.
17 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
18 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”
15 tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.
16 tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
17 tn Grk “you will call his name John.” The future tense here functions like a command (see ExSyn 569-70). This same construction occurs in v. 31.
17 tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
18 tn Grk “How will I know this?”
19 tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).