Discovery BoxLuke 1:5-38 
Context1:5 During the reign 1 of Herod 2 king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to 3 the priestly division of Abijah, 4 and he had a wife named Elizabeth, 5 who was a descendant of Aaron. 6 1:6 They 7 were both righteous in the sight of God, following 8 all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly. 9 1:7 But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, 10 and they were both very old. 11
1:8 Now 12 while Zechariah 13 was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 14 1:9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, 15 to enter 16 the holy place 17 of the Lord and burn incense. 1:10 Now 18 the whole crowd 19 of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. 20 1:11 An 21 angel of the Lord, 22 standing on the right side of the altar of incense, appeared 23 to him. 1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, 24 was seized with fear. 25 1:13 But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard, 26 and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you 27 will name him John. 28 1:14 Joy and gladness will come 29 to you, and many will rejoice at 30 his birth, 31 1:15 for he will be great in the sight of 32 the Lord. He 33 must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. 34 1:16 He 35 will turn 36 many of the people 37 of Israel to the Lord their God. 1:17 And he will go as forerunner before the Lord 38 in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 39 to make ready for the Lord a people prepared for him.”
1:18 Zechariah 40 said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? 41 For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” 42 1:19 The 43 angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands 44 in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring 45 you this good news. 1:20 And now, 46 because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, 47 you will be silent, unable to speak, 48 until the day these things take place.”
1:21 Now 49 the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder 50 why he was delayed in the holy place. 51 1:22 When 52 he came out, he was not able to speak to them. They 53 realized that he had seen a vision 54 in the holy place, 55 because 56 he was making signs to them and remained unable to speak. 57 1:23 When his time of service was over, 58 he went to his home.
1:24 After some time 59 his wife Elizabeth became pregnant, 60 and for five months she kept herself in seclusion. 61 She said, 62 1:25 “This is what 63 the Lord has done for me at the time 64 when he has been gracious to me, 65 to take away my disgrace 66 among people.” 67
1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 68 the angel Gabriel 69 was sent by 70 God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 71 1:27 to a virgin engaged 72 to a man whose name was Joseph, a descendant of David, 73 and the virgin’s name was Mary. 1:28 The 74 angel 75 came 76 to her and said, “Greetings, favored one, 77 the Lord is with you!” 78 1:29 But 79 she was greatly troubled 80 by his words and began to wonder about the meaning of this greeting. 81 1:30 So 82 the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, 83 Mary, for you have found favor 84 with God! 1:31 Listen: 85 You will become pregnant 86 and give birth to 87 a son, and you will name him 88 Jesus. 89 1:32 He 90 will be great, 91 and will be called the Son of the Most High, 92 and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father 93 David. 1:33 He 94 will reign over the house of Jacob 95 forever, and his kingdom will never end.” 1:34 Mary 96 said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with 97 a man?” 1:35 The angel replied, 98 “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow 99 you. Therefore the child 100 to be born 101 will be holy; 102 he will be called the Son of God.
1:36 “And look, 103 your relative 104 Elizabeth has also become pregnant with 105 a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! 106 1:37 For nothing 107 will be impossible with God.” 1:38 So 108 Mary said, “Yes, 109 I am a servant 110 of the Lord; let this happen to me 111 according to your word.” 112 Then 113 the angel departed from her.
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.
2 sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37
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.”
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.
5 tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”
6 tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”
sn It was not unusual for a priest to have a wife from a priestly family (a descendant of Aaron); this was regarded as a special blessing.
7 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.
8 tn Grk “walking in” (an idiom for one’s lifestyle).
sn The description of Zechariah and Elizabeth as following… blamelessly was not to say that they were sinless, but that they were faithful and pious. Thus a practical righteousness is meant here (Gen 6:8; Deut 28:9).
9 tn The predicate adjective has the effect of an adverb here (BDF §243).
10 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.
11 tn Grk “were both advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).
12 tn Grk “Now 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.
13 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
14 tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”
sn Zechariah’s division would be on duty twice a year for a week at a time.
15 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.
16 tn This is an aorist participle and is temporally related to the offering of incense, not to when the lot fell.
17 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.
18 tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.
19 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.
20 tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.
21 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.
22 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.
23 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).
24 tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.
25 tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).
26 tn The passive means that the prayer was heard by God.
sn Your prayer has been heard. Zechariah’s prayer while offering the sacrifice would have been for the nation, but the answer to the prayer also gave them a long hoped-for child, a hope they had abandoned because of their old age.
27 tn Grk “a son, and you”; καί (kai) has not been translated. Instead a semicolon is used in the translation for stylistic reasons.
28 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.
sn “Do not be afraid…you must call his name John.” This is a standard birth announcement (see Gen 16:11; Isa 7:14; Matt 1:21; Luke 1:31).
29 tn Grk “This will be joy and gladness.”
30 tn Or “because of.”
31 tn “At his birth” is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though “at his coming” is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will really bring joy.
32 tn Grk “before.”
33 tn Grk “and he”; because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the conjunction καί (kai) has not been translated here. Instead a new English sentence is begun in the translation.
34 tn Grk “even from his mother’s womb.” While this idiom may be understood to refer to the point of birth (“even from his birth”), Luke 1:41 suggests that here it should be understood to refer to a time before birth.
sn He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth. This is the language of the birth of a prophet (Judg 13:5, 7; Isa 49:1; Jer 1:5; Sir 49:7); see 1:41 for the first fulfillment.
35 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
36 sn The word translated will turn is a good summary term for repentance and denotes John’s call to a change of direction (Luke 3:1-14).
37 tn Grk “sons”; but clearly this is a generic reference to people of both genders.
38 tn Grk “before him”; the referent (the Lord) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
39 sn These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.
40 tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
41 tn Grk “How will I know this?”
42 tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).
43 tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
44 tn Grk “the one who is standing before God.”
45 tn Grk “to announce these things of good news to you.”
46 tn Grk “behold.”
47 sn The predicted fulfillment in the expression my words, which will be fulfilled in their time takes place in Luke 1:63-66.
48 sn Silent, unable to speak. Actually Zechariah was deaf and mute as 1:61-63 indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him.
49 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
50 tn The imperfect verb ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
51 tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.
52 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
53 tn Grk “and they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
54 tn That is, “he had had a supernatural encounter in the holy place,” since the angel came to Zechariah by the altar. This was not just a “mental experience.”
55 tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.
56 tn Grk “and,” but the force is causal or explanatory in context.
57 tn Grk “dumb,” but this could be understood to mean “stupid” in contemporary English, whereas the point is that he was speechless.
58 tn Grk “And it happened that as the days of his service were ended.” 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.
59 tn Grk “After these days.” The phrase refers to a general, unspecified period of time that passes before fulfillment comes.
60 tn Or “Elizabeth conceived.”
61 sn The text does not state why Elizabeth withdrew into seclusion, nor is the reason entirely clear.
62 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.
63 tn Grk “Thus.”
64 tn Grk “in the days.”
65 tn Grk “has looked on me” (an idiom for taking favorable notice of someone).
66 sn Barrenness was often seen as a reproach or disgrace (Lev 20:20-21; Jer 22:30), but now at her late age (the exact age is never given in Luke’s account), God had miraculously removed it (see also Luke 1:7).
67 tn Grk “among men”; but the context clearly indicates a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") here.
68 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.
69 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.
70 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.
71 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.
map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
72 tn Or “promised in marriage.”
73 tn Grk “Joseph, of the house of David.”
sn The Greek word order here favors connecting Davidic descent to Joseph, not Mary, in this remark.
74 tn Grk “And coming to her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
75 tn Grk “And coming to her, he said”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
76 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.
77 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.
78 tc Most
79 tc Most
80 sn On the phrase greatly troubled see 1:12. Mary’s reaction was like Zechariah’s response.
81 tn Grk “to wonder what kind of greeting this might be.” Luke often uses the optative this way to reveal a figure’s thinking (3:15; 8:9; 18:36; 22:23).
82 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate that Gabriel’s statement is a response to Mary’s perplexity over the greeting.
83 sn Do not be afraid. See 1:13 for a similar statement to Zechariah.
84 tn Or “grace.”
sn The expression found favor is a Semitism, common in the OT (Gen 6:8; 18:3; 43:14; 2 Sam 15:25). God has chosen to act on this person’s behalf.
85 tn Grk “And behold.”
86 tn Grk “you will conceive in your womb.”
87 tn Or “and bear.”
88 tn Grk “you will call his name.”
89 tn See v. 13 for a similar construction.
sn You will name him Jesus. This verse reflects the birth announcement of a major figure; see 1:13; Gen 16:7; Judg 13:5; Isa 7:14. The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and Josephus indicate.
90 tn Grk “this one.”
91 sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.
92 sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.
93 tn Or “ancestor.”
94 tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence is begun here in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek.
95 tn Or “over Israel.”
sn The expression house of Jacob refers to Israel. This points to the Messiah’s relationship to the people of Israel.
96 tn Grk “And Mary.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
97 tn Grk “have not known.” The expression in the Greek text is a euphemism for sexual relations. Mary seems to have sensed that the declaration had an element of immediacy to it that excluded Joseph. Many modern translations render this phrase “since I am a virgin,” but the Greek word for virgin is not used in the text, and the euphemistic expression is really more explicit, referring specifically to sexual relations.
98 tn Grk “And the angel said to her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. The pronoun αὐτῇ (auth, “to her”) has not been included in the translation since it is redundant in contemporary English.
99 sn The phrase will overshadow is a reference to God’s glorious presence at work (Exod 40:34-35; Ps 91:4).
100 tn Or “the one born holy will be called the Son of God.” The wording of this phrase depends on whether the adjective is a predicate adjective, as in the text, or is an adjective modifying the participle serving as the subject. The absence of an article with the adjective speaks for a predicate position. Other less appealing options supply a verb for “holy”; thus “the one who is born will be holy”; or argue that both “holy” and “Son of God” are predicates, so “The one who is born will be called holy, the Son of God.”
101 tc A few
102 tn Or “Therefore the holy child to be born will be called the Son of God.” There are two ways to understand the Greek phrase τὸ γεννώμενον ἅγιον (to gennwmenon {agion) here. First, τὸ γεννώμενον could be considered a substantival participle with ἅγιον as an adjective in the second predicate position, thus making a complete sentence; this interpretation is reflected in the translation above. Second, τὸ ἅγιον could be considered a substantival adjective with γεννώμενον acting as an adjectival participle, thus making the phrase the subject of the verb κληθήσεται (klhqhsetai); this interpretation is reflected in the alternative reading. Treating the participle γεννώμενον as adjectival is a bit unnatural for the very reason that it forces one to understand ἅγιον as substantival; this introduces a new idea in the text with ἅγιον when an already new topic is being introduced with γεννώμενον. Semantically this would overload the new subject introduced at this point. For this reason the first interpretation is preferred.
103 tn Grk “behold.”
104 tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungeni") as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.
105 tn Or “has conceived.”
106 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.
107 tn In Greek, the phrase πᾶν ῥῆμα (pan rJhma, “nothing”) has an emphatic position, giving it emphasis as the lesson in the entire discussion. The remark is a call for faith.
108 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
109 tn Grk “behold.”
110 tn Traditionally, “handmaid”; Grk “slave woman.” Though δούλη (doulh) is normally translated “woman servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free woman serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times… in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v. δοῦλος). The most accurate translation is “bondservant,” sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος (doulos), in that it often indicates one who sells himself or herself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
111 tn Grk “let this be to me.”
112 sn The remark according to your word is a sign of Mary’s total submission to God’s will, a response that makes her exemplary.
113 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
