Luke 1:40

1:40 and entered Zechariah’s house and greeted Elizabeth.

Luke 1:57

The Birth of John

1:57 Now the time came ¹  for Elizabeth to have her baby, ²  and she gave birth to a son.

Luke 1:41

1:41 When ³  Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped ⁴  in her ⁵  womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. ⁶ 

Luke 1:24

1:24 After some time ⁷  his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, ⁸  and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. ⁹  She said, ¹⁰ 

Luke 1:7

1:7 But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, ¹¹  and they were both very old. ¹² 

Luke 1:36

1:36 “And look, ¹³  your relative ¹⁴  Elizabeth has also become pregnant with ¹⁵  a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! ¹⁶ 

Luke 1:5

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

1:5 During the reign ¹⁷  of Herod ¹⁸  king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ¹⁹  the priestly division of Abijah, ²⁰  and he had a wife named Elizabeth, ²¹  who was a descendant of Aaron. ²² 

Luke 1:13

1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, ²³  and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you ²⁴  will name him John. ²⁵ 

[1:57]  ¹ tn Grk “the time was fulfilled.”

[1:57]  ² tn The words “her baby” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

[1:41]  ¹ 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.

[1:41]  ² sn When the baby leaped John gave his first testimony about Jesus, a fulfillment of 1:15.

[1:41]  ³ tn The antecedent of “her” is Elizabeth.

[1:41]  ⁴ sn The passage makes clear that Elizabeth spoke her commentary with prophetic enablement, filled with the Holy Spirit.

[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.

[1:7]  ¹ sn Elizabeth was barren. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are regarded by Luke as righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly (v. 6). With this language, reminiscent of various passages in the OT, Luke is probably drawing implicit comparisons to the age and barrenness of such famous OT personalities as Abraham and Sarah (see, e.g., Gen 18:9-15), the mother of Samson (Judg 13:2-5), and Hannah, the mother of Samuel (1 Sam 1:1-20). And, as it was in the case of these OT saints, so it is with Elizabeth: After much anguish and seeking the Lord, she too is going to have a son in her barrenness. In that day it was a great reproach to be childless, for children were a sign of God’s blessing (cf. Gen 1:28; Lev 20:20-21; Pss 127 and 128; Jer 22:30). As the dawn of salvation draws near, however, God will change this elderly couple’s grief into great joy and grant them the one desire time had rendered impossible.

[1:7]  ² tn Grk “were both advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).

[1:36]  ¹ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:36]  ² tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungeni") as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.

[1:36]  ³ tn Or “has conceived.”

[1:36]  ⁴ 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.

[1:5]  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.

[1:5]  ² sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[1:5]  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.”

[1:5]  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.

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”

[1:5]  ⁶ tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”

[1:13]  ¹ tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.

[1:13]  ² tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.

[1:13]  ³ tn Grk “you will call his name John.” The future tense here functions like a command (see ExSyn 569-70). This same construction occurs in v. 31.