1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 1 the angel Gabriel 2 was sent by 3 God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 4
1:36 “And look, 9 your relative 10 Elizabeth has also become pregnant with 11 a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! 12
1:76 And you, child, 13 will be called the prophet 14 of the Most High. 15
For you will go before 16 the Lord to prepare his ways, 17
9:10 When 21 the apostles returned, 22 they told Jesus 23 everything they had done. Then 24 he took them with him and they withdrew privately to a town 25 called Bethsaida. 26
24:13 Now 36 that very day two of them 37 were on their way to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles 38 from Jerusalem. 39
1 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.
2 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.
3 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.
4 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.
5 tn Grk “this one.”
6 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.
7 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.
8 tn Or “ancestor.”
9 tn Grk “behold.”
10 tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungeni") as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.
11 tn Or “has conceived.”
12 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.
13 sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
14 tn Or “a prophet”; but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
15 sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28.
16 tc Most
17 tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation.
sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3-5 and Luke 3:1-6.
18 sn There is an important respect shown to women in this text, as their contributions were often ignored in ancient society.
19 tn Or “illnesses.” The term ἀσθένεια (asqeneia) refers to the state of being ill and thus incapacitated in some way – “illness, disability, weakness.” (L&N 23.143).
20 sn This Mary is not the woman mentioned in the previous passage (as some church fathers claimed), because she is introduced as a new figure here. In addition, she is further specified by Luke with the notation called Magdalene, which seems to distinguish her from the woman at Simon the Pharisee’s house.
21 tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
22 tn The participle ὑποστρέψαντες (Jupostreyante") has been taken temporally.
23 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
24 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
25 tc There is a seeming myriad of variants for this text. Many
tn Or “city.”
26 sn Bethsaida was a town on the northeast side of the Sea of Galilee. Probably this should be understood to mean a place in the vicinity of the town. It represents an attempt to reconcile the location with the place of the miraculous feeding that follows.
27 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
28 sn The phrase against heaven is a circumlocution for God. 1st century Judaism tended to minimize use of the divine name out of reverence.
29 sn The younger son launches into his confession just as he had planned. See vv. 18-19.
30 tn Grk “And it happened that when.” 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. Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
31 sn The exact location of the village of Bethphage is not known. Most locate it on the southeast side of the Mount of Olives and northwest of Bethany, about 1.5 miles (3 km) east of Jerusalem.
32 tn Grk “at the mountain called ‘of Olives.’” This form of reference is awkward in contemporary English, so the more familiar “Mount of Olives” has been used in the translation.
sn “Mountain” in English generally denotes a higher elevation than it often does in reference to places in Palestine. The Mount of Olives is really a ridge running north to south about 1.8 mi (3 km) long, east of Jerusalem across the Kidron Valley. Its central elevation is about 100 ft (30 m) higher than Jerusalem. It was named for the large number of olive trees which grew on it.
33 tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of the dispute among the apostles.
34 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
35 sn The title ‘benefactor,’ highlighting grace and meaning something like “helper of the people,” was even given to tyrants (2 Macc 4:2; 3 Macc 3:19; Josephus, J. W. 3.9.8 [3.459]).
36 tn Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
37 tn These are disciples as they know about the empty tomb and do not know what to make of it all.
38 tn Grk “sixty stades” or about 11 kilometers. A stade (στάδιον, stadion) was a unit of distance about 607 feet (187 meters) long.
39 map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.