¹ tn Grk “for behold.”

² tn Grk “when the sound of your greeting [reached] my ears.”

³ sn On the statement the baby in my womb leaped for joy see both 1:14 and 1:47. This notes a fulfillment of God’s promised word.

⁴ tn Grk “the time was fulfilled.”

⁵ tn The words “her baby” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.

⁶ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action described.

⁷ tn Grk “his”; the referent (the baby) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁸ 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.

⁹ tn Grk “what he might wish to call him.”

¹⁰ tn Or “a feeding trough.”

¹¹ 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. Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here either.

¹² sn When the baby leaped John gave his first testimony about Jesus, a fulfillment of 1:15.

¹³ tn The antecedent of “her” is Elizabeth.

¹⁴ sn The passage makes clear that Elizabeth spoke her commentary with prophetic enablement, filled with the Holy Spirit.

¹⁵ tn Grk “And this.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁶ sn The sign functions for the shepherds like Elizabeth’s conception served for Mary in 1:36.

¹⁷ tn Or “a feeding trough,” see Luke 2:7.