Luke 1:63-66

1:63 He ¹  asked for a writing tablet ²  and wrote, ³  “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. ⁴  1:64 Immediately ⁵  Zechariah’s ⁶  mouth was opened and his tongue ⁷  released, ⁸  and he spoke, blessing God. 1:65 All ⁹  their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about. 1:66 All ¹⁰  who heard these things ¹¹  kept them in their hearts, ¹²  saying, “What then will this child be?” ¹³  For the Lord’s hand ¹⁴  was indeed with him.

[1:63]  ¹ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:63]  ² sn The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.

[1:63]  ³ tn Grk “and wrote, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.

[1:63]  ⁴ sn The response, they were all amazed, expresses a mixture of surprise and reflection in this setting where they were so certain of what the child’s name would be.

[1:64]  ⁵ tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:64]  ⁶ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:64]  ⁷ sn The mention of both mouth and tongue here is a figure called zeugma and emphasizes that the end of the temporary judgment came instantly and fully upon Zechariah’s expression of faith in naming the child. He had learned to trust and obey God during his short period of silence. He had learned from his trial.

[1:64]  ⁸ tn “Released” is implied; in the Greek text both στόμα (stoma) and γλῶσσα (glwssa) are subjects of ἀνεῴχθη (anewcqh), but this would be somewhat redundant in English.

[1:65]  ⁹ tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:66]  ¹⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence was begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.

[1:66]  ¹¹ tn Grk “heard them”; the referent (these things, from the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:66]  ¹² tn Grk “heart.” The term “heart” (καρδία, kardia) could also be translated as “mind,” or “thoughts,” and the entire phrase be rendered as “kept them in mind,” “thought about,” or the like. But the immediate context is clearly emotive, suggesting that much more is at work than merely the mental processes of thinking or reasoning about “these things.” There is a sense of joy and excitement (see the following question, “What then will this child be?”) and even fear. Further, the use of καρδία in 1:66 suggests connections with the same term in 2:19 where deep emotion is being expressed as well. Therefore, recognizing both the dramatic nature of the immediate context and the literary connections to 2:19, the translation renders the term in 1:66 as “hearts” to capture both the cognitive and emotive aspects of the people’s response.

[1:66]  ¹³ tn Or “what manner of child will this one be?”

[1:66]  ¹⁴ sn The reference to the Lord’s hand indicates that the presence, direction, and favor of God was with him (Acts 7:9b).