Discovery BoxLuke 1:18 
Context1:18 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 1:26
Context1:26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, 4 the angel Gabriel 5 was sent by 6 God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, 7
Luke 1:38
Context1:38 So 8 Mary said, “Yes, 9 I am a servant 10 of the Lord; let this happen to me 11 according to your word.” 12 Then 13 the angel departed from her.
Luke 2:9-10
Context2:9 An 14 angel of the Lord 15 appeared to 16 them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. 17 2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, 18 for I proclaim to you good news 19 that brings great joy to all the people:
Luke 2:21
Context2:21 At 20 the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel 21 before he was conceived in the womb.
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 “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.
5 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.
6 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.
7 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.
8 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
9 tn Grk “behold.”
10 tn Traditionally, “handmaid”; Grk “slave woman.” Though δούλη (doulh) is normally translated “woman servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free woman serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times… in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v. δοῦλος). The most accurate translation is “bondservant,” sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος (doulos), in that it often indicates one who sells himself or herself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
11 tn Grk “let this be to me.”
12 sn The remark according to your word is a sign of Mary’s total submission to God’s will, a response that makes her exemplary.
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
14 tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
15 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:11.
16 tn Or “stood in front of.”
17 tn Grk “they feared a great fear” (a Semitic idiom which intensifies the main idea, in this case their fear).
sn Terrified. See similar responses in Luke 1:12, 29.
18 tn Grk “behold.”
19 tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”
20 tn Grk “And when eight days were completed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
21 sn Jesus’ parents obeyed the angel as Zechariah and Elizabeth had (1:57-66). These events are taking place very much under God’s direction.
