Luke 1:72-74

1:72 He has done this ¹  to show mercy ²  to our ancestors, ³ 

and to remember his holy covenant ⁴  –

1:73 the oath ⁵  that he swore to our ancestor ⁶  Abraham.

This oath grants ⁷ 

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our ⁸  enemies,

may serve him without fear, ⁹ 

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¹ 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.

² sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

³ 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.

⁴ 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).

⁵ tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.

⁶ tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”

⁷ 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.

⁸ tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] Ë^1,13 565 892 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.

⁹ tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.