Psalms 118:26

118:26 May the one who comes in the name of the Lord be blessed!

We will pronounce blessings on you in the Lord’s temple.

Psalms 129:7-8

129:7 which cannot fill the reaper’s hand,

or the lap of the one who gathers the grain!

129:8 Those who pass by will not say,

“May you experience the Lord’s blessing!

We pronounce a blessing on you in the name of the Lord.”

Luke 1:28

1:28 The angel came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, the Lord is with you!”

Luke 1:2

1:2 like the accounts 10  passed on 11  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word 12  from the beginning. 13 

Luke 3:16

3:16 John answered them all, 14  “I baptize you with water, 15  but one more powerful than I am is coming – I am not worthy 16  to untie the strap 17  of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 18 

Luke 3:2

3:2 during the high priesthood 19  of Annas and Caiaphas, the word 20  of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness. 21 

Luke 4:22

4:22 All 22  were speaking well of him, and were amazed at the gracious words coming out of his mouth. They 23  said, “Isn’t this 24  Joseph’s son?”

Luke 4:2

4:2 where for forty days he endured temptations 25  from the devil. He 26  ate nothing 27  during those days, and when they were completed, 28  he was famished.

Luke 1:10-11

1:10 Now 29  the whole crowd 30  of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 31  1:11 An 32  angel of the Lord, 33  standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared 34  to him.

sn The people refer here to the psalmist, who enters the Lord’s temple to thank him publicly (see vv. 19-21), as the one who comes in the name of the Lord.

tn The pronominal suffix is second masculine plural, but the final mem (ם) is probably dittographic (note the mem [מ] at the beginning of the following form) or enclitic, in which case the suffix may be taken as second masculine singular, referring to the psalmist.

tn Heb “from the house of the Lord.”

tn The perfect verbal form is used for rhetorical effect; it describes an anticipated development as if it were already reality.

tn Grk “And coming to her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

tn Grk “And coming to her, he said”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

tn Grk “coming to her, he said.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselqwn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

tn The address, “favored one” (a perfect participle, Grk “Oh one who is favored”) points to Mary as the recipient of God’s grace, not a bestower of it. She is a model saint in this passage, one who willingly receives God’s benefits. The Vulgate rendering “full of grace” suggests something more of Mary as a bestower of grace, but does not make sense here contextually.

tc Most mss (A C D Θ Ë13 33 Ï latt sy) read here εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν (euloghmenh su en gunaixin, “blessed are you among women”) which also appears in 1:42 (where it is textually certain). This has the earmarks of a scribal addition for balance; the shorter reading, attested by the most important witnesses and several others (א B L W Ψ Ë1 565 579 700 1241 pc co), is thus preferred.

10 tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

11 tn Or “delivered.”

12 sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

13 tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

14 tn Grk “answered them all, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

15 tc A few mss (C D 892 1424 pc it ) add εἰς μετάνοιαν (ei" metanoian, “for repentance”). Although two of the mss in support are early and important, it is an obviously motivated reading to add clarification, probably representing a copyist’s attempt to harmonize Luke’s version with Matt 3:11.

16 tn Grk “of whom I am not worthy.”

17 tn The term refers to the leather strap or thong used to bind a sandal. This is often viewed as a collective singular and translated as a plural, “the straps of his sandals,” but it may be more emphatic to retain the singular here.

18 sn With the Holy Spirit and fire. There are differing interpretations for this phrase regarding the number of baptisms and their nature. (1) Some see one baptism here, and this can be divided further into two options. (a) The baptism of the Holy Spirit and fire could refer to the cleansing, purifying work of the Spirit in the individual believer through salvation and sanctification, or (b) it could refer to two different results of Christ’s ministry: Some accept Christ and are baptized with the Holy Spirit, but some reject him and receive judgment. (2) Other interpreters see two baptisms here: The baptism of the Holy Spirit refers to the salvation Jesus brings at his first advent, in which believers receive the Holy Spirit, and the baptism of fire refers to the judgment Jesus will bring upon the world at his second coming. One must take into account both the image of fire and whether individual or corporate baptism is in view. A decision is not easy on either issue. The image of fire is used to refer to both eternal judgment (e.g., Matt 25:41) and the power of the Lord’s presence to purge and cleanse his people (e.g., Isa 4:4-5). The pouring out of the Spirit at Pentecost, a fulfillment of this prophecy no matter which interpretation is taken, had both individual and corporate dimensions. It is possible that since Holy Spirit and fire are governed by a single preposition in Greek, the one-baptism view may be more likely, but this is not certain. Simply put, there is no consensus view in scholarship at this time on the best interpretation of this passage.

19 sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from a.d. 6-15 and then his relatives were chosen for many of the next several years. After two brief tenures by others, his son-in-law Caiaphas came to power and stayed there until a.d. 36.

20 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.

21 tn Or “desert.”

22 tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

23 tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

24 sn The form of the question assumes a positive reply. It really amounts to an objection, as Jesus’ response in the next verses shows. Jesus spoke smoothly and impressively. He made a wonderful declaration, but could a local carpenter’s son make such an offer? That was their real question.

25 tn Grk “in the desert, for forty days being tempted.” The participle πειραζόμενος (peirazomeno") has been translated as an adverbial clause in English to avoid a run-on sentence with a second “and.” Here the present participle suggests a period of forty days of testing. Three samples of the end of the testing are given in the following verses.

26 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

27 sn The reference to Jesus eating nothing could well be an idiom meaning that he ate only what the desert provided; see Exod 34:28. A desert fast simply meant eating only what one could obtain in the desert. The parallel in Matt 4:2 speaks only of Jesus fasting.

28 tn The Greek word here is συντελεσθείσων (suntelesqeiswn) from the verb συντελέω (suntelew).

29 tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.

30 tn Grk “all the multitude.” While “assembly” is sometimes used here to translate πλῆθος (plhqo"), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual, especially for the afternoon offering.

31 tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.

32 tn Grk “And an angel.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, δέ (de) has not been translated here.

33 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” Linguistically, “angel of the Lord” is the same in both testaments (and thus, he is either “an angel of the Lord” or “the angel of the Lord” in both testaments). For arguments and implications, see ExSyn 252; M. J. Davidson, “Angels,” DJG, 9; W. G. MacDonald argues for “an angel” in both testaments: “Christology and ‘The Angel of the Lord’,” Current Issues in Biblical and Patristic Interpretation, 324-35.

34 sn This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance (24:34; Acts 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16).