Luke 1:18

1:18 Zechariah ¹  said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? ²  For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” ³ 

Luke 1:34

1:34 Mary ⁴  said to the angel, “How will this be, since I have not had sexual relations with ⁵  a man?”

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

² tn Grk “How will I know this?”

³ tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).

⁴ tn Grk “And Mary.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁵ 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.