1:5 During the reign 1 of Herod 2 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 3 the priestly division of Abijah, 4 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 5 who was a descendant of Aaron. 6
1:18 Zechariah 7 said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? 8 For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” 9
4:38 After Jesus left 23 the synagogue, he entered Simon’s house. Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus 24 to help her. 25
1 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.
2 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37
3 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.”
4 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.
5 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
6 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”
7 tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
8 tn Grk “How will I know this?”
9 tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).
13 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. 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 either.
14 sn When the baby leaped John gave his first testimony about Jesus, a fulfillment of 1:15.
15 tn The antecedent of “her” is Elizabeth.
16 sn The passage makes clear that Elizabeth spoke her commentary with prophetic enablement, filled with the Holy Spirit.
19 sn The strips of cloth (traditionally, “swaddling cloths”) were strips of linen that would be wrapped around the arms and legs of an infant to keep the limbs protected.
20 tn Or “a feeding trough.”
21 tn The Greek word κατάλυμα is flexible, and usage in the LXX and NT refers to a variety of places for lodging (see BDAG 521 s.v.). Most likely Joseph and Mary sought lodging in the public accommodations in the city of Bethlehem (see J. Nolland, Luke [WBC], 1:105), which would have been crude shelters for people and animals. However, it has been suggested by various scholars that Joseph and Mary were staying with relatives in Bethlehem (e.g., C. S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament, 194; B. Witherington, “Birth of Jesus,” DJG, 69-70); if that were so the term would refer to the guest room in the relatives’ house, which would have been filled beyond capacity with all the other relatives who had to journey to Bethlehem for the census.
25 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
26 map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.
27 tn Or “was submitting.”
28 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
29 tn Or “all these words.”
30 sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.
31 tn Grk “Arising from the synagogue, he entered.” The participle ἀναστάς (anastas) has been taken temporally here, and the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
32 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
33 tn Grk “they asked him about her.” It is clear from the context that they were concerned about her physical condition. The verb “to help” in the translation makes this explicit.
37 tn Grk “And standing.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
38 tn Grk “standing”; the participle στᾶσα (stasa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
39 tn Grk “tears, and she.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, a new sentence was started here in the translation.
40 tn Grk “with the hair of her head.”
41 tn Grk “and kissed,” but καί (kai) has not been translated since English normally uses a coordinating conjunction only between the last two elements in a series of three or more.
42 tn Grk “kissed his feet,” but this has been replaced by the pronoun “them” in keeping with contemporary English style.
43 sn The series of verbs in this verse detail the woman’s every move, much as if the onlookers were watching her every step. That she attended the meal is not so surprising, as teachers often ate an open meal where listeners were welcome, but for her to approach Jesus was unusual and took great nerve, especially given her reputation.
43 tn There is dispute whether this phrase belongs to the end of v. 52 or begins v. 53. Given the shift of object, a connection to v. 53 is slightly preferred.
49 tn Grk “out of what abounded to them.”
50 tn Or “put in her entire livelihood.”