1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering 1 his mercy, 2
1:69 For 3 he has raised up 4 a horn of salvation 5 for us in the house of his servant David, 6
1 tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.
2 tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”
3 tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
4 sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
5 sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
6 sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.
5 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
6 tn Grk “and called, saying.” This is redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation to “and said.”
7 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the result of the older son hearing the noise of the celebration in progress.
8 tn The Greek term here, παῖς (pais), describes a slave, possibly a household servant regarded with some affection (L&N 87.77).