1:8 Now 1 while Zechariah 2 was serving as priest before God when his division was on duty, 3
1:67 Then 10 his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, 11
1:21 Now 12 the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they began to wonder 13 why he was delayed in the holy place. 14
1:59 On 15 the eighth day 16 they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name 17 him Zechariah after his father.
1:18 Zechariah 18 said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? 19 For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” 20
1 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.
2 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
3 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.
4 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.
5 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).
6 tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7 tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 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.
9 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.
10 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
11 tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.
sn Prophesied. The reference to prophecy reflects that Zechariah is enabled by the Spirit to speak God’s will. He does so in this case through a praise psalm, which calls for praise and then gives the reason why God should be praised.
12 tn Grk “And.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
13 tn The imperfect verb ἐθαύμαζον (eqaumazon) has been translated as an ingressive imperfect.
14 tn Or “temple.” See the note on the phrase “the holy place” in v. 9.
15 tn Grk “And 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. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
16 sn They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.
17 tn This could be understood as a conative imperfect, expressing an unrealized desire (“they were trying to name him”). It has been given more of a voluntative nuance in the translation.
18 tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
19 tn Grk “How will I know this?”
20 tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).
21 sn Use of the singular high priesthood to mention two figures is unusual but accurate, since Annas was the key priest from
22 tn The term translated “word” here is not λόγος (logos) but ῥῆμα (rJhma), and thus could refer to the call of the Lord to John to begin ministry.
23 tn Or “desert.”