¹ tn Grk “And behold.”

² tn Grk “you will conceive in your womb.”

³ tn Or “and bear.”

⁴ tn Grk “you will call his name.”

⁵ tn See v. 13 for a similar construction.

sn You will name him Jesus. This verse reflects the birth announcement of a major figure; see 1:13; Gen 16:7; Judg 13:5; Isa 7:14. The Greek form of the name Ihsous, which was translated into Latin as Jesus, is the same as the Hebrew Yeshua (Joshua), which means “Yahweh saves” (Yahweh is typically rendered as “Lord” in the OT). It was a fairly common name among Jews in 1st century Palestine, as references to a number of people by this name in the LXX and Josephus indicate.

⁶ 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.

⁷ sn They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action described.

¹⁰ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the baby) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹¹ sn The crowd was sure there had been a mistake, so they appealed to the child’s father. But custom was not to be followed here, since God had spoken. The fact they needed to signal him (made signs) shows that he was deaf as well as unable to speak.

¹² tn Grk “what he might wish to call him.”

¹³ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁴ sn The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.

¹⁵ tn Grk “and wrote, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.

¹⁶ sn The response, they were all amazed, expresses a mixture of surprise and reflection in this setting where they were so certain of what the child’s name would be.

¹⁷ tn Grk “And Jesus.” Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to pick up the sequence of the narrative prior to the parenthetical note by the author.

¹⁸ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

¹⁹ sn The name Legion means “thousands,” a word taken from a Latin term for a large group of soldiers. The term not only suggests a multiple possession, but also adds a military feel to the account. This is a true battle.

²⁰ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

²¹ tc See the tc note on the number “seventy-two” in Luke 10:1.

²² tn Or “the demons obey”; see L&N 36.18.

²³ tn The prepositional phrase “in your name” indicates the sphere of authority for the messengers’ work of exorcism.

²⁴ sn When you pray. What follows, although traditionally known as the Lord’s prayer, is really the disciples’ prayer. It represents how they are to approach God, by acknowledging his uniqueness and their need for his provision and protection.

²⁵ tc Most mss, including later majority (A C D W Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33^vid Ï it), add ἡμῶν ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς (Jhmwn Jo en toi" oujranoi", “our [Father] in heaven”) here. This makes the prayer begin like the version in Matt 6:9. The shorter version is read by Ì⁷⁵ א B (L: + ἡμῶν) 1 700 pc as well as some versions and fathers. Given this more weighty external evidence, combined with the scribal tendency to harmonize Gospel parallels, the shorter reading is preferred.

sn God is addressed in terms of intimacy (Father). The original Semitic term here was probably Abba. The term is a little unusual in a personal prayer, especially as it lacks qualification. It is not the exact equivalent of “Daddy” (as is sometimes popularly suggested), but it does suggest a close, familial relationship.

²⁶ tn Grk “hallowed be your name.”

²⁷ tc Most mss (א A C D W Θ Ψ 070 ˹³ 33^vid Ï it) read at the end of the verse “may your will be done on earth as [it is] in heaven,” making this version parallel to Matt 6:10. The shorter reading is found, however, in weighty mss (Ì⁷⁵ B L pc), and cannot be easily explained as arising from the longer reading.

sn Your kingdom come represents the hope for the full manifestation of God’s promised rule.

²⁸ sn Luke adds the title king to the citation from Ps 118:26 to make clear who was meant (see Luke 18:38). The psalm was used in looking for the deliverance of the end, thus leading to the Pharisees’ reaction.

²⁹ sn A quotation from Ps 118:26.

³⁰ sn This repentance has its roots in declarations of the Old Testament. It is the Hebrew concept of a turning of direction.

³¹ tn Or “preached,” “announced.”

³² sn To all nations. The same Greek term (τὰ ἔθνη, ta eqnh) may be translated “the Gentiles” or “the nations.” The hope of God in Christ was for all the nations from the beginning.

³³ sn Beginning from Jerusalem. See Acts 2, which is where it all starts.

map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.