Luke 1:25-27

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 1:25 tn Grk “Thus.”
2. Luke 1:25 tn Grk “in the days.”
3. Luke 1:25 tn Grk “has looked on me” (an idiom for taking favorable notice of someone).
4. Luke 1:25 sn Barrenness was often seen as a reproach or disgrace (Lev 20:20-21; Jer 22:30), but now at her late age (the exact age is never given in Luke’s account), God had miraculously removed it (see also Luke 1:7).
5. Luke 1:25 tn Grk “among men,” but the context clearly indicates a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anthrōpos) here.
6. Luke 1:26 tn Grk “in the sixth month.” The phrase “of Elizabeth’s pregnancy” was supplied in the translation to clarify the exact time meant by this reference. That Elizabeth’s pregnancy is meant is clear from vv. 24-25.
7. Luke 1:26 sn Gabriel is the same angel mentioned previously in v. 19. He is traditionally identified as an angel who brings revelation (see Dan 8:15-16; 9:21). Gabriel and Michael are the only two good angels named in the Bible.
8. Luke 1:26 tn Or “from.” The account suggests God’s planned direction in these events, so “by” is better than “from,” as six months into Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God acts again.
9. Luke 1:26 sn Nazareth was a town in the region of Galilee, located north of Samaria and Judea. Galilee extended from about 45 to 85 miles north of Jerusalem and was about 30 miles in width. Nazareth was a very small village and was located about 15 miles west of the southern edge of the Sea of Galilee.
10. Luke 1:27 tn Or “promised in marriage.”
11. Luke 1:27 tn Grk “Joseph, of the house of David.” sn The Greek word order here favors connecting Davidic descent to Joseph, not Mary, in this remark.