Lukas 1:12

1:12 And Zechariah, visibly shaken when he saw the angel, ¹  was seized with fear. ² 

Lukas 1:67

Zechariah’s Praise and Prediction

1:67 Then ³  his father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied, ⁴ 

Lukas 1:5

Birth Announcement of John the Baptist

1:5 During the reign ⁵  of Herod ⁶  king of Judea, there lived a priest named Zechariah who belonged to ⁷  the priestly division of Abijah, ⁸  and he had a wife named Elizabeth, ⁹  who was a descendant of Aaron. ¹⁰ 

Lukas 1:18

1:18 Zechariah ¹¹  said to the angel, “How can I be sure of this? ¹²  For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well.” ¹³ 

[1:12]  ¹ tn The words “the angel” are not in the Greek text, but are implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.

[1:12]  ² tn Or “and he was afraid”; Grk “fear fell upon him.” Fear is common when supernatural agents appear (1:29-30, 65; 2:9; 5:8-10; 9:34; 24:38; Exod 15:16; Judg 6:22-23; 13:6, 22; 2 Sam 6:9).

[1:67]  ³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[1:67]  ⁴ tn Grk “and he prophesied, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant and has not been translated.

[1:67]  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.

[1:5]  ⁵ tn Grk “It happened that in the days.” 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.

[1:5]  ⁶ sn Herod was Herod the Great, who ruled Palestine from 37 b.c. until he died in 4 b.c. He was known for his extensive building projects (including the temple in Jerusalem) and for his cruelty.

[1:5]  ⁷ tn Grk “of”; but the meaning of the preposition ἐκ (ek) is more accurately expressed in contemporary English by the relative clause “who belonged to.”

[1:5]  ⁸ sn There were twenty-four divisions of priesthood and the priestly division of Abijah was eighth on the list according to 1 Chr 24:10.

[1:5]  ⁹ tn Grk “and her name was Elizabeth.”

[1:5]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “a wife of the daughters of Aaron.”

[1:5]  sn It was not unusual for a priest to have a wife from a priestly family (a descendant of Aaron); this was regarded as a special blessing.

[1:18]  ¹¹ tn Grk “And Zechariah.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:18]  ¹² tn Grk “How will I know this?”

[1:18]  ¹³ tn Grk “is advanced in days” (an idiom for old age).