Lukas 1:48

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ¹ 

For ²  from now on ³  all generations will call me blessed, ⁴ 

Lukas 1:54

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ⁵  his mercy, ⁶ 

Lukas 1:69

1:69 For ⁷  he has raised up ⁸  a horn of salvation ⁹  for us in the house of his servant David, ¹⁰ 

Lukas 7:2

7:2 A centurion ¹¹  there ¹²  had a slave ¹³  who was highly regarded, ¹⁴  but who was sick and at the point of death.

Lukas 12:38

12:38 Even if he comes in the second or third watch of the night ¹⁵  and finds them alert, ¹⁶  blessed are those slaves! ¹⁷ 

[1:48]  ¹ tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

[1:48]  ² tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ³ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

[1:48]  ⁴ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

[1:54]  ⁵ tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ⁶ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:69]  ⁷ tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.

[1:69]  ⁸ sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.

[1:69]  ⁹ 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.”

[1:69]  ¹⁰ 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.

[7:2]  ¹¹ sn A centurion was a noncommissioned officer in the Roman army or one of the auxiliary territorial armies, commanding a centuria of (nominally) 100 men. The responsibilities of centurions were broadly similar to modern junior officers, but there was a wide gap in social status between them and officers, and relatively few were promoted beyond the rank of senior centurion. The Roman troops stationed in Judea were auxiliaries, who would normally be rewarded with Roman citizenship after 25 years of service. Some of the centurions may have served originally in the Roman legions (regular army) and thus gained their citizenship at enlistment. Others may have inherited it, like Paul.

[7:2]  ¹² tn The word “there” is not in the Greek text, but is implied.

[7:2]  ¹³ tn Though δοῦλος (doulos) is normally translated “servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free individual serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times… in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v. 1). The most accurate translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force. In addition, the parallel passage in Matt 8:6 uses the Greek term παῖς (pais), to refer to the centurion’s slave. This was a term often used of a slave who was regarded with some degree of affection, possibly a personal servant.

[7:2]  ¹⁴ tn The term ἔντιμος (entimos) could mean “highly valued,” but this sounds too much like the slave was seen as an asset, while the text suggests a genuine care for the person. More archaically, it could be said the centurion was fond of this slave.

[12:38]  ¹⁵ sn The second or third watch of the night would be between 9 p.m. and 3 a.m. on a Roman schedule and 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. on a Jewish schedule. Luke uses the four-watch schedule of the Romans in Acts 12:4, so that is more probable here. Regardless of the precise times of the watches, however, it is clear that the late-night watches when a person is least alert are in view here.

[12:38]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “finds (them) thus”; but this has been clarified in the translation by referring to the status (“alert”) mentioned in v. 37.

[12:38]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “blessed are they”; the referent (the watchful slaves, v. 37) has been specified in the translation for clarity.