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

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

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Footnotes

173 Grk “the time was fulfilled.”
174 The words “her baby” are not in the Greek text, but have been supplied for clarity.
175 Grk “And her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
176 Grk “had magnified his mercy with her.”
177 The verb συνέχαιρον (sunechairon) is an imperfect and could be translated as an ingressive force, “they began to rejoice.”
178 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 They were following OT law (Lev 12:3) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day.
180 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 Grk “And,” but with clearly contrastive emphasis in context.
182 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 This future passive indicative verb has imperatival force and thus has been translated “he must be named.”
184 “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 Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
186 The word “but” is not in the Greek text but has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
187 Grk “There is no one from your relatives who is called by this name.”
188 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action described.
189 Grk “his”; the referent (the baby) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
190 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 Grk “what he might wish to call him.”
192 Grk “And he.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
193 The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.
194 Grk “and wrote, saying.” The participle λέγων (legōn) is redundant is English and has not been translated.
195 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 Grk “And immediately.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
197 Grk “his”; the referent (Zechariah) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
198 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 “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 Grk “And all.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style. Fear is the emotion that comes when one recognizes something unusual, even supernatural, has taken place.
201 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 Grk “heard them”; the referent (these things, from the previous verse) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
203 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 Or “what manner of child will this one be?”
205 The reference to the Lord’s hand indicates that the presence, direction, and favor of God was with him (Acts 7:9b).

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

Now the time came for Elizabeth to give birth, and she bore a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child. And they would have called him Zechariah after his father, but his mother answered, “No; he shall be called John.” And they said to her, “None of your relatives is called by this name.” And they made signs to his father, inquiring what he wanted him to be called. And he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they all wondered. And immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue loosed, and he spoke, blessing God. And fear came on all their neighbors. And all these things were talked about through all the hill country of Judea, and all who heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be?” For the hand of the Lord was with him.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When it was time for Elizabeth to have her baby, she gave birth to a son. Her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her great mercy, and they shared her joy.

On the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were going to name him after his father Zechariah, but his mother spoke up and said, “No! He is to be called John.”

They said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who has that name.”

Then they made signs to his father, to find out what he would like to name the child. He asked for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s astonishment he wrote, “His name is John.” Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. All the neighbors were filled with awe, and throughout the hill country of Judea people were talking about all these things. Everyone who heard this wondered about it, asking, “What then is this child going to be?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

Now the time had come for Elizabeth to give birth, and she had a son. Then her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown her his great mercy, and they rejoiced with her.

When they came to circumcise the child on the eighth day, they were going to name him Zechariah, after his father. But his mother responded, “No. He will be called John.”

Then they said to her, “None of your relatives has that name.” So they motioned to his father to find out what he wanted him to be called. He asked for a writing tablet and wrote, “His name is John.” And they were all amazed. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue set free, and he began to speak, praising God. Fear came on all those who lived around them, and all these things were being talked about throughout the hill country of Judea. All who heard about him took it to heart, saying, “What then will this child become?” For, indeed, the Lord’s hand was with him.

NLTNew Living Translation

When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to be born, she gave birth to a son. And when her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with her.

When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father. But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is John!”

“What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one in all your family by that name.” So they used gestures to ask the baby’s father what he wanted to name him. He motioned for a writing tablet, and to everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.” Instantly Zechariah could speak again, and he began praising God.

Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood, and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills. Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

Now the time came for Elizabeth that she should give birth, and she gave birth to a son. And her neighbors and relatives heard that the Lord had shown his great mercy to her, and they rejoiced with her. And it happened that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child, and they were wanting to name him after his father Zechariah. And his mother answered and said, “No, but he will be named John.” And they said to her, “There is no one of your relatives who is called by this name.” So they made signs to his father asking what he wanted him to be named, and he asked for a writing tablet and wrote, saying, “John is his name.” And they were all astonished. And his mouth and his tongue were opened immediately, and he began to speak, praising God. And fear came on all those who lived near them, and in all the hill country of Judea all these events were discussed. And all those who heard kept these things in their hearts, saying, “What then will this child be? For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him!”

KJV 1900King James Version

Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

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