Luke 1:24

1:24 After some time ¹  his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, ²  and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. ³  She said, ⁴ 

Luke 1:56

1:56 So ⁵  Mary stayed with Elizabeth ⁶  about three months ⁷  and then returned to her home.

Luke 1:26

Birth Announcement of Jesus the Messiah

1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, ⁸  the angel Gabriel ⁹  was sent by ¹⁰  God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, ¹¹ 

Luke 1:36

1:36 “And look, ¹²  your relative ¹³  Elizabeth has also become pregnant with ¹⁴  a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! ¹⁵ 

Luke 4:25

4:25 But in truth I tell you, there were many widows in Israel in Elijah’s days, ¹⁶  when the sky ¹⁷  was shut up three and a half years, and ¹⁸  there was a great famine over all the land.

[1:24]  ¹ tn Grk “After these days.” The phrase refers to a general, unspecified period of time that passes before fulfillment comes.

[1:24]  ² tn Or “Elizabeth conceived.”

[1:24]  ³ sn The text does not state why Elizabeth withdrew into seclusion, nor is the reason entirely clear.

[1:24]  ⁴ tn Grk “she kept herself in seclusion, saying.” The participle λέγουσα (legousa) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

[1:56]  ⁵ tn Grk “And.” Here (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

[1:56]  ⁶ tn Grk “her”; the referent (Elizabeth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:56]  ⁷ sn As is typical with Luke the timing is approximate (about three months), not specific.

[1:26]  ⁹ tn Grk “in the sixth month.” The phrase “of Elizabeth’s pregnancy” was supplied in the translation to clarify the exact time meant by this reference. That Elizabeth’s pregnancy is meant is clear from vv. 24-25.

[1:26]  ¹⁰ sn Gabriel is the same angel mentioned previously in v. 19. He is traditionally identified as an angel who brings revelation (see Dan 8:15-16; 9:21). Gabriel and Michael are the only two good angels named in the Bible.

[1:26]  ¹¹ tn Or “from.” The account suggests God’s planned direction in these events, so “by” is better than “from,” as six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God acts again.

[1:26]  ¹² sn Nazareth was a town in the region of Galilee, located north of Samaria and Judea. Galilee extended from about 45 to 85 miles north of Jerusalem and was about 30 miles in width. Nazareth was a very small village and was located about 15 miles west of the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee.

[1:36]  ¹³ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:36]  ¹⁴ tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungeni") as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.

[1:36]  ¹⁵ tn Or “has conceived.”

[1:36]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren.” Yet another note on Elizabeth’s loss of reproach also becomes a sign of the truth of the angel’s declaration.

[4:25]  ¹⁷ sn Elijah’s days. Jesus, by discussing Elijah and Elisha, pictures one of the lowest periods in Israel’s history. These examples, along with v. 24, also show that Jesus is making prophetic claims as well as messianic ones. See 1 Kgs 17-18.

[4:25]  ¹⁸ tn Or “the heaven”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. Since the context here refers to a drought (which produced the famine), “sky” is preferable.

[4:25]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “as.” The particle ὡς can also function temporally (see BDAG 1105-6 s.v. 8).