Luke 1:54-55

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering his mercy,

1:55 as he promised to our ancestors, to Abraham and to his descendants forever.”

Luke 1:72-74

1:72 He has done this to show mercy to our ancestors,

and to remember his holy covenant

1:73 the oath 10  that he swore to our ancestor 11  Abraham.

This oath grants 12 

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our 13  enemies,

may serve him without fear, 14 


tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalhsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.

tn Grk “fathers.”

tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

tn The words “He has done this” (referring to the raising up of the horn of salvation from David’s house) are not in the Greek text, but are supplied to allow a new sentence to be started in the translation. The Greek sentence is lengthy and complex at this point, while contemporary English uses much shorter sentences.

sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

tn Or “our forefathers”; Grk “our fathers.” This begins with the promise to Abraham (vv. 55, 73), and thus refers to many generations of ancestors.

sn The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise (the oath that he swore) to Abraham (Gen 12:1-3).

10 tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.

11 tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”

12 tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.

13 tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] Ë1,13 565 892 pc) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 Ï pc) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.

14 tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.