Lukas 1:20

1:20 And now, ¹  because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time, ²  you will be silent, unable to speak, ³  until the day these things take place.”

Lukas 17:6

17:6 So ⁴  the Lord replied, ⁵  “If ⁶  you had faith the size of ⁷  a mustard seed, you could say to this black mulberry ⁸  tree, ‘Be pulled out by the roots and planted in the sea,’ ⁹  and it would obey ¹⁰  you.

Lukas 21:36

21:36 But stay alert at all times, ¹¹  praying that you may have strength to escape all these things that must ¹²  happen, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

[1:20]  ¹ tn Grk “behold.”

[1:20]  ² sn The predicted fulfillment in the expression my words, which will be fulfilled in their time takes place in Luke 1:63-66.

[1:20]  ³ sn Silent, unable to speak. Actually Zechariah was deaf and mute as 1:61-63 indicates, since others had to use gestures to communicate with him.

[17:6]  ⁴ tn Here δέ (de) has been translated as “so” to indicate the implied result of previous action(s) in the narrative.

[17:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “said.”

[17:6]  ⁶ tn This is a mixed condition, with ἄν (an) in the apodosis.

[17:6]  ⁷ tn Grk “faith as,” “faith like.”

[17:6]  ⁸ sn A black mulberry tree is a deciduous fruit tree that grows about 20 ft (6 m) tall and has black juicy berries. This tree has an extensive root system, so to pull it up would be a major operation.

[17:6]  ⁹ tn The passives here (ἐκριζώθητι and φυτεύθητι, ekrizwqhti and futeuqhti) are probably a circumlocution for God performing the action (the so-called divine passive, see ExSyn 437-38). The issue is not the amount of faith (which in the example is only very tiny), but its presence, which can accomplish impossible things. To cause a tree to be uprooted and planted in the sea is impossible. The expression is a rhetorical idiom. It is like saying a camel can go through the eye of a needle (Luke 18:25).

[17:6]  ¹⁰ tn The verb is aorist, though it looks at a future event, another rhetorical touch to communicate certainty of the effect of faith.

[21:36]  ¹¹ sn The call to be alert at all times is a call to remain faithful in looking for the Lord’s return.

[21:36]  ¹² tn For the translation of μέλλω (mellw) as “must,” see L&N 71.36.