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

⁵ sn The word translated will turn is a good summary term for repentance and denotes John’s call to a change of direction (Luke 3:1-14).

⁶ tn Grk “sons”; but clearly this is a generic reference to people of both genders.

⁷ tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.

⁸ tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹⁰ 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.

¹¹ 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.

¹² tn Grk “And suddenly.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹³ tn Grk “a multitude of the armies of heaven.”

¹⁴ tn Or “kept increasing.” The imperfect tense suggests something of a progressive force to the verb.

¹⁵ sn The reference to the son of God here is not to a divine being, but to one directly formed by the hand of God. He is made in God’s image, so this phrase could be read as appositional (“Adam, that is, the son of God”). See Acts 17:28-29.

¹⁶ tn Grk “is,” but in this context it is clearly giving an explanation of the parable.

¹⁷ sn “To send out” is often a term of divine commission in Luke: 1:19; 4:18, 43; 7:27; 9:48; 10:1, 16; 11:49; 13:34; 24:49.

¹⁸ tn Or “to preach.”

¹⁹ sn The kingdom of God 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.

²⁰ sn As Jesus’ own ministry (Luke 4:16-44) involved both word (to proclaim) and deed (to heal) so also would that of the disciples.

²¹ tn Grk “said.”

²² sn This is another reference to hearing and doing the word of God, which here describes Jesus’ teaching; see Luke 8:21.

²³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

²⁴ sn The healing took place immediately.

²⁵ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

²⁶ tn Grk “said,” but what follows is a question.

²⁷ sn The kingdom of God 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.

²⁸ sn What is the kingdom of God like? Unlike Mark 4 or Matt 13, where the kingdom parables tend to be all in one location in the narrative, Luke scatters his examples throughout the Gospel.

²⁹ tn Grk “And to.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

³⁰ tn Grk “And again.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

³¹ sn The kingdom of God 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.

³² sn Jesus’ point in calling the man a foreigner is that none of the other nine, who were presumably Israelites, responded with gratitude. Only the “outsiders” were listening and responding.

³³ sn The term impossible is in the emphatic position in the Greek text. God makes the impossible possible.

³⁴ tn The plural Greek term ἄνθρωποις (anqrwpois) is used here in a generic sense, referring to both men and women (cf. NASB 1995 update, “people”). Because of the contrast here between mere mortals and God (“impossible for men…possible for God”) the phrase “mere humans” has been used in the translation.