1:76 And you, child, 7 will be called the prophet 8 of the Most High. 9
For you will go before 10 the Lord to prepare his ways, 11
2:39 So 16 when Joseph and Mary 17 had performed 18 everything according to the law of the Lord, 19 they returned to Galilee, to their own town 20 of Nazareth. 21
1 tn Grk “And they.” 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.
2 tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).
3 tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).
4 tn Grk “according to the custom of the priesthood it fell to him by lot.” The order of the clauses has been rearranged in the translation to make it clear that the prepositional phrase κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἱερατείας (kata to eqo" th" Jierateia", “according to the custom of the priesthood”) modifies the phrase “it fell to him by lot” rather than the preceding clause.
5 tn This is an aorist participle and is temporally related to the offering of incense, not to when the lot fell.
6 tn Or “temple.” Such sacrifices, which included the burning of incense, would have occurred in the holy place according to the Mishnah (m. Tamid 1.2; 3.1; 5-7). A priest would have given this sacrifice, which was offered for the nation, once in one’s career. It would be offered either at 9 a.m. or 3 p.m., since it was made twice a day.
7 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
8 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.”
9 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
10 tc Most
11 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.
10 tn Grk “every male that opens the womb” (an idiom for the firstborn male).
11 sn An allusion to Exod 13:2, 12, 15.
13 sn The offering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, instead of a lamb, speaks of the humble roots of Jesus’ family – they apparently could not afford the expense of a lamb.
14 sn A quotation from Lev 12:8; 5:11 (LXX).
16 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.
17 tn Grk “when they”; the referents (Joseph and Mary) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
18 tn Or “completed.”
19 sn On the phrase the law of the Lord see Luke 2:22-23.
20 tn Or “city.”
21 map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.
19 sn Luke adds the title king to the citation from Ps 118:26 to make clear who was meant (see Luke 18:38). The psalm was used in looking for the deliverance of the end, thus leading to the Pharisees’ reaction.
20 sn A quotation from Ps 118:26.