¹ tn Grk “Now 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.

² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Grk “serving as priest in the order of his division before God.”

sn Zechariah’s division would be on duty twice a year for a week at a time.

⁴ tn Grk “This will be joy and gladness.”

⁵ tn Or “because of.”

⁶ tn “At his birth” is more precise as the grammatical subject (1:58), though “at his coming” is a possible force, since it is his mission, as the following verses note, that will really bring joy.

⁷ tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence is begun here in the translation because of the length of the sentence in Greek.

⁸ tn Or “over Israel.”

sn The expression house of Jacob refers to Israel. This points to the Messiah’s relationship to the people of Israel.

⁹ tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ tn Grk “fathers.”

¹² tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

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

¹⁴ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁵ sn The mention of both mouth and tongue here is a figure called zeugma and emphasizes that the end of the temporary judgment came instantly and fully upon Zechariah’s expression of faith in naming the child. He had learned to trust and obey God during his short period of silence. He had learned from his trial.

¹⁶ tn “Released” is implied; in the Greek text both στόμα (stoma) and γλῶσσα (glwssa) are subjects of ἀνεῴχθη (anewcqh), but this would be somewhat redundant in English.

¹⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

¹⁸ tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

sn Prophesied. The reference to prophecy reflects that Zechariah is enabled by the Spirit to speak God’s will. He does so in this case through a praise psalm, which calls for praise and then gives the reason why God should be praised.

¹⁹ tn Grk “from the ages,” “from eternity.”

²⁰ 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.

²¹ sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.

²² 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.

²³ 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).

²⁴ sn John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation, is similar to that of Jesus (Luke 3:1-14; 5:31-32).

²⁵ sn Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme (Luke 4:18; 24:47; Acts 10:37).

²⁶ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

²⁷ tn Grk “they”; the referent (his parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁸ sn This was the first of many times those around Jesus did not understand what he was saying at the time (9:45; 10:21-24; 18:34).

²⁹ tn Or “the matter.”

³⁰ tn Grk “which he spoke.”

³¹ sn A quotation from Ps 91:11 by the devil. This was not so much an incorrect citation as a use in a wrong context (a misapplication of the passage).

³² tn Grk “said,” but since this is a continuation of previous remarks, “added” is used here.

³³ tn Grk “Truly (ἀμήν, amhn), I say to you.”

³⁴ sn Jesus argues that he will get no respect in his own hometown. There is a wordplay here on the word acceptable (δεκτός, dektos), which also occurs in v. 19: Jesus has declared the “acceptable” year of the Lord (here translated year of the Lord’s favor), but he is not “accepted” by the people of his own hometown.

³⁵ tn Grk “their midst.”

³⁶ tn The verb πορεύομαι (poreuomai) in Luke often suggests divine direction, “to go in a led direction” (4:42; 7:6, 11; 9:51, 52, 56, 57; 13:33; 17:11; 22:22, 29; 24:28). It could suggest that Jesus is on a journey, a theme that definitely is present later in Luke 9-19.

³⁷ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

³⁸ sn They were amazed. The astonishment shown here is like that in Luke 2:48.

³⁹ tn Grk “because his word was.”

⁴⁰ sn Jesus’ teaching impressed the hearers with the directness of its claim (with authority). A study of Jewish rabbinic interpretation shows that it was typical to cite a list of authorities to make one’s point. Apparently Jesus addressed the issues in terms of his own understanding.

⁴¹ sn In the various lists of the twelve, Simon (that is, Peter) is always mentioned first (Matt 10:1-4; Mark 3:16-19; Acts 1:13) and the first four are always the same, though not in the same order after Peter.

⁴² sn Bartholomew (meaning “son of Tolmai” in Aramaic) could be another name for Nathanael mentioned in John 1:45.

⁴³ tn Or “by being anxious.”

⁴⁴ tn Or “a cubit to his height.” A cubit (πῆχυς, phcu") can measure length (normally about 45 cm or 18 inches) or time (a small unit, “hour” is usually used [BDAG 812 s.v.] although “day” has been suggested [L&N 67.151]). The term ἡλικία (Jhlikia) is ambiguous in the same way as πῆχυς. Most scholars take the term to describe age or length of life here, although a few refer it to bodily stature (see BDAG 435-36 s.v. 1.a for discussion). Worry about length of life seems a more natural figure than worry about height. However, the point either way is clear: Worrying adds nothing to life span or height.

⁴⁵ tn Grk “seek,” but in the sense of the previous verses.

⁴⁶ tc Most mss (Ì⁴⁵ A D¹ Q W Θ 070 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat sy) read τοῦ θεοῦ (tou qeou, “of God”) instead of αὐτοῦ (autou, “his”; found in א B D* L Ψ 579 892 pc co). But such a clarifying reading is suspect. αὐτοῦ is superior on both internal and external grounds. Ì⁷⁵ includes neither and as such would support the translation above since the article alone can often be translated as a possessive pronoun.

⁴⁷ sn His (that is, God’s) kingdom is a major theme of Jesus. It is a realm in which Jesus rules and to which those who trust him belong. See Luke 6:20; 11:20; 17:20-21.

⁴⁸ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.

⁴⁹ tn That is, doing his job, doing what he is supposed to be doing.

⁵⁰ tn Grk “Truly (ἀληθῶς, alhqw"), I say to you.”

⁵¹ tn Grk “he”; the referent (the master) has been specified in the translation for clarity. See also Luke 19:11-27.

⁵² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁵³ sn The healing took place immediately.

⁵⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁵⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁵⁶ tn This is a distributive use of κατά (kata); see L&N 83:12.

⁵⁷ tn Or “cities.”

⁵⁸ tn Grk “making his journey toward.” This is the first of several travel notes in Luke’s Jerusalem journey section of Luke 9-19; other notes appear at 17:11; 18:31; 19:28, 41.

⁵⁹ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

⁶⁰ sn It was customary practice in a Roman crucifixion for the prisoner to be made to carry his own cross. Jesus is speaking figuratively here in the context of rejection. If the priority is not one’s allegiance to Jesus, then one will not follow him in the face of possible rejection; see Luke 9:23.

⁶¹ tn Grk “and come after.” In combination with the verb ἔρχομαι (ercomai) the improper preposition ὀπίσω (opisw) means “follow.”

⁶² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁶³ tn The passive verb ἐβέβλητο (ebeblhto) does not indicate how Lazarus got there. Cf. BDAG 163 s.v. βάλλω 1.b, “he lay before the door”; Josephus, Ant. 9.10.2 (9.209).

⁶⁴ sn This is the one time in all the gospels that a figure in a parable is mentioned by name. It will become important later in the account.

⁶⁵ tn Or “was covered with ulcers.” The words “whose body” are implied in the context (L&N 23.180).

⁶⁶ tn Grk “David thus calls him ‘Lord.’ So how is he his son?” The conditional nuance, implicit in Greek, has been made explicit in the translation (cf. Matt 22:45).

⁶⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

⁶⁸ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

⁶⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

⁷⁰ sn One of them. The unnamed disciple is Peter according to John 18:10 (cf. also Matt 26:51; Mark 14:47).

⁷¹ tn See the note on the word “slave” in 7:2.