1:39 In those days 7 Mary got up and went hurriedly into the hill country, to a town of Judah, 8
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
2 tn Grk “behold.”
3 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.
4 tn Grk “let this be to me.”
5 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.
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
7 sn The expression In those days is another general time reference, though the sense of the context is that the visit came shortly after Mary miraculously conceived and shortly after the announcement about Jesus.
8 sn The author does not say exactly where Elizabeth stayed. The location is given generally as a town of Judah. Judah is about a three day trip south of Nazareth.