Lukas 1:32

1:32 He ¹  will be great, ²  and will be called the Son of the Most High, ³  and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father ⁴  David.

Lukas 21:11

21:11 There will be great earthquakes, and famines ⁵  and plagues in various places, and there will be terrifying sights ⁶  and great signs ⁷  from heaven.

[1:32]  ¹ tn Grk “this one.”

[1:32]  ² sn Compare the description of Jesus as great here with 1:15, “great before the Lord.” Jesus is greater than John, since he is Messiah compared to a prophet. Great is stated absolutely without qualification to make the point.

[1:32]  ³ sn The expression Most High is a way to refer to God without naming him. Such avoiding of direct reference to God was common in 1st century Judaism out of reverence for the divine name.

[1:32]  ⁴ tn Or “ancestor.”

[21:11]  ⁵ sn See Isa 5:13-14; 13:6-16; Hag 2:6-7; Zech 14:4.

[21:11]  ⁶ tn This term, φόβητρον (fobhtron), occurs only here in the NT. It could refer to an object, event, or condition that causes fear, but in the context it is linked with great signs from heaven, so the translation “sights” was preferred.

[21:11]  ⁷ sn See Jer 4:13-22; 14:12; 21:6-7.