Luke 1:57–80

The Birth of John

1:57 Now the time came173 for Elizabeth to have her baby,174 and she gave birth to a son. 1:58 Her175 neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown176 great mercy to her, and they rejoiced177 with her.

1:59 On178 the eighth day179 they came to circumcise the child, and they wanted to name180 him Zechariah after his father. 1:60 But181 his mother replied,182 “No! He must be named183 John.”184 1:61 They185 said to her, “But186 none of your relatives bears this name.”187 1:62 So188 they made signs to the baby’s189 father,190 inquiring what he wanted to name his son.191 1:63 He192 asked for a writing tablet193 and wrote,194 “His name is John.” And they were all amazed.195 1:64 Immediately196 Zechariah’s197 mouth was opened and his tongue198 released,199 and he spoke, blessing God. 1:65 All200 their neighbors were filled with fear, and throughout the entire hill country of Judea all these things were talked about. 1:66 All201 who heard these things202 kept them in their hearts,203 saying, “What then will this child be?”204 For the Lord’s hand205 was indeed with him.

Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction

1:67 Then206 his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied,207

1:68 “Blessed208 be the Lord God of Israel,

because he has come to help209 and has redeemed210 his people.

1:69 For211 he has raised up212 a horn of salvation213 for us in the house of his servant David,214

1:70 as he spoke through the mouth of his holy prophets from long ago,215

1:71 that we should be saved216 from our enemies,217

and from the hand of all who hate us.

1:72 He has done this218 to show mercy219 to our ancestors,220

and to remember his holy covenant221—

1:73 the oath222 that he swore to our ancestor223 Abraham.

This oath grants224

1:74 that we, being rescued from the hand of our225 enemies,

may serve him without fear,226

1:75 in holiness and righteousness227 before him for as long as we live.228

1:76 And you, child,229 will be called the prophet230 of the Most High.231

For you will go before232 the Lord to prepare his ways,233

1:77 to give his people knowledge of salvation234 through the forgiveness235 of their sins.

1:78 Because of236 our God’s tender mercy237

the dawn238 will break239 upon us from on high

1:79 to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,240

to guide our feet into the way241 of peace.”

1:80 And the child kept growing242 and becoming strong243 in spirit, and he was in the wilderness244 until the day he was revealed245 to Israel.

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173	tn Grk “the time was fulfilled.”
174	tn The words “her baby” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
175	tn Grk “And her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
176	tn Grk “had magnified his mercy with her.”
177	tn The verb συνέχαιρον (sunechairon) is an imperfect and could be translated as an ingressive force, “they began to rejoice.”
178	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.
179	sn They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.
180	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.
181	tn Grk “And,” but with clearly contrastive emphasis in context.
182	tn Grk “his mother answering, said.” The combination of participle and finite verb is redundant in English and has been simplified to “replied” in the translation.
183	tn This future passive indicative verb has imperatival force and thus has been translated “he must be named.”
184	sn “No! He must be named John.” By insisting on the name specified by the angel, Elizabeth (v. 60) and Zechariah (v. 63) have learned to obey God (see Luke 1:13).
185	tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
186	tn The word “but” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
187	tn Grk “There is no one from your relatives who is called by this name.”
188	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action described.
189	tn Grk “his”; the referent (the baby) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
190	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.
191	tn Grk “what he might wish to call him.”
192	tn Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
193	sn The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.
194	tn Grk “and wrote, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.
195	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.
196	tn Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
197	tn Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
198	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.
199	tn “Released” is implied; in the Greek text both στόμα (stoma) and γλῶσσα (glōssa) are subjects of ἀνεῴχθη (aneōchthē), but this would be somewhat redundant in English.
200	tn Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. sn Fear is the emotion that comes when one recognizes something unusual, even supernatural, has taken place.
201	tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. A new sentence was begun at this point in the translation because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence.
202	tn Grk “heard them”; the referent (these things, from the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
203	tn Grk “heart.” The term “heart” (καρδία, kardia) could also be translated as “mind,” or “thoughts,” and the entire phrase be rendered as “kept them in mind,” “thought about,” or the like. But the immediate context is clearly emotive, suggesting that much more is at work than merely the mental processes of thinking or reasoning about “these things.” There is a sense of joy and excitement (see the following question, “What then will this child be?”) and even fear. Further, the use of καρδία in 1:66 suggests connections with the same term in 2:19 where deep emotion is being expressed as well. Therefore, recognizing both the dramatic nature of the immediate context and the literary connections to 2:19, the translation renders the term in 1:66 as “hearts” to capture both the cognitive and emotive aspects of the people’s response.
204	tn Or “what manner of child will this one be?”
205	sn The reference to the Lord’s hand indicates that the presence, direction, and favor of God was with him (Acts 7:9b).
206	tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
207	tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) 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.
208	sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be …”).
209	sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).
210	tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.” sn Has redeemed is a reference to redemption, but it anticipates the total release into salvation that the full work of Messiah will bring for Israel. This involves both spiritual and material benefits eventually.
211	tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
212	sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
213	sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4–5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
214	sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.
215	tn Grk “from the ages,” “from eternity.”
216	tn Grk “from long ago, salvation.”
217	sn The theme of being saved from our enemies is like the release Jesus preached in Luke 4:18–19. Luke’s narrative shows that one of the enemies in view is Satan and his cohorts, with the grip they have on humanity.
218	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.
219	sn Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50.
220	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.
221	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).
222	tn This is linked back grammatically by apposition to “covenant” in v. 72, specifying which covenant is meant.
223	tn Or “forefather”; Grk “father.”
224	tn Again for reasons of English style, the infinitival clause “to grant us” has been translated “This oath grants” and made the beginning of a new sentence in the translation.
225	tc Many important early mss (א B L W [0130] f1, 13 565 892 pc) lack “our,” while most (A C D [K] Θ Ψ 0177 33 𝔐 pc) supply it. Although the addition is most likely not authentic, “our” has been included in the translation due to English stylistic requirements.
226	tn This phrase in Greek is actually thrown forward to the front of the verse to give it emphasis.
227	sn The phrases that we … might serve him … in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74–75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.
228	tn Grk “all our days.”
229	sn Now Zechariah describes his son John (you, child) through v. 77.
230	tn Or “a prophet”; but since Greek nouns can be definite without the article, and since in context this is a reference to the eschatological forerunner of the Messiah (cf. John 1:17), the concept is better conveyed to the English reader by the use of the definite article “the.”
231	sn In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22–23, 28.
232	tc Most mss, especially the later ones (A C D L Θ Ψ 0130 f1, 13 33 𝔐 sy), have πρὸ προσώπου κυρίου (pro prosōpou kuriou, “before the face of the Lord”), but the translation follows the reading ἐνώπιον κυρίου (enōpion kuriou, “before the Lord”), which has earlier and better ms support (𝔓4 א B W 0177 pc) and is thus more likely to be authentic.
233	tn This term is often translated in the singular, looking specifically to the forerunner role, but the plural suggests the many elements in that salvation. sn On the phrase prepare his ways see Isa 40:3–5 and Luke 3:1–6.
234	sn John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation, is similar to that of Jesus (Luke 3:1–14; 5:31–32).
235	sn Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme (Luke 4:18; 24:47; Acts 10:37).
236	tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.
237	sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.
238	sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolē) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1–10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).
239	tn Grk “shall visit us.”
240	sn On the phrases who sit in darkness … and … death see Isa 9:1–2; 42:7; 49:9–10.
241	tn Or “the path.”
242	tn This verb is imperfect.
243	tn This verb is also imperfect.
244	tn Or “desert.”
245	tn Grk “until the day of his revealing.”

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