translation_id: net-engnet

book_id: LUK

label: NET study note

text: The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery ( passed on ) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.


text: When Luke says it seemed good to me as well he is not being critical of the earlier accounts, but sees himself stepping into a tradition of reporting about Jesus to which he will add uniquely a second volume on the early church when he writes the Book of Acts.


text: An orderly account does not necessarily mean that all events are recorded in the exact chronological sequence in which they occurred, but that the account produced is an orderly one. This could include, for example, thematic or topical order rather than strict chronological order.


text: 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.


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


text: Elizabeth was barren. Both Zechariah and Elizabeth are regarded by Luke as righteous in the sight of God, following all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blamelessly (v. 6 ). With this language, reminiscent of various passages in the OT, Luke is probably drawing implicit comparisons to the age and barrenness of such famous OT personalities as Abraham and Sarah (see, e.g., Gen 18:9-15 ), the mother of Samson ( Judg 13:2-5 ), and Hannah, the mother of Samuel ( 1 Sam 1:1-20 ). And, as it was in the case of these OT saints, so it is with Elizabeth: After much anguish and seeking the Lord, she too is going to have a son in her barrenness. In that day it was a great reproach to be childless, for children were a sign of God’s blessing (cf. Gen 1:28 ; Lev 20:20-21 ; Pss 127 and 128 ; Jer 22:30 ). As the dawn of salvation draws near, however, God will change this elderly couple’s grief into great joy and grant them the one desire time had rendered impossible.


text: This term is often used to describe a supernatural appearance ( 24:34 ; Acts 2:3; 7:2, 30, 35; 9:17; 13:31; 16:9; 26:16 ).


text: The word translated will turn is a good summary term for repentance and denotes John’s call to a change of direction ( Luke 3:1-14 ).


text: These two lines cover all relationships: Turn the hearts of the fathers back to their children points to horizontal relationships, while (turn) the disobedient to the wisdom of the just shows what God gives from above in a vertical manner.


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


text: 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.


text: The text does not state why Elizabeth withdrew into seclusion , nor is the reason entirely clear.


text: 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 ).


text: 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.


text: 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. map For location see Map1-D3 ; Map2-C2 ; Map3-D5 ; Map4-C1 ; Map5-G3 .


text: On the phrase greatly troubled see 1:12 . Mary’s reaction was like Zechariah’s response.


text: Do not be afraid. See 1:13 for a similar statement to Zechariah.


text: 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.


text: 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.


text: The phrase will overshadow is a reference to God’s glorious presence at work ( Exod 40:34-35 ; Ps 91:4 ).


text: The remark according to your word is a sign of Mary’s total submission to God’s will, a response that makes her exemplary.


text: The expression In those days is another general time reference, though the sense of the context is that the visit came shortly after Mary miraculously conceived and shortly after the announcement about Jesus.


text: The author does not say exactly where Elizabeth stayed. The location is given generally as a town of Judah . Judah is about a three day trip south of Nazareth.


text: When the baby leaped John gave his first testimony about Jesus, a fulfillment of 1:15 .


text: The passage makes clear that Elizabeth spoke her commentary with prophetic enablement, filled with the Holy Spirit .


text: The commendation Blessed are you among women means that Mary has a unique privilege to be the mother of the promised one of God.


text: On the statement the baby in my womb leaped for joy see both 1:14 and 1:47 . This notes a fulfillment of God’s promised word.


text: Again the note of being blessed makes the key point of the passage about believing God.


text: The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus , and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.


text: This psalm (vv. 46-55 ) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49 ) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55 ). Its traditional name, the “ Magnificat ,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.


text: 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 ).


text: Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace ( blessed ) for all generations .


text: God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.


text: Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.


text: Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich ( Luke 6:20-26 ).


text: As is typical with Luke the timing is approximate ( about three months ), not specific.


text: They were following OT law ( Lev 12:3 ) which prescribed that a male child was to be circumcised on the eighth day .


text: “ No! He must be named John. ” By insisting on the name specified by the angel, Elizabeth (v. 60 ) and Zechariah (v. 63 ) have learned to obey God (see Luke 1:13 ).


text: The crowd was sure there had been a mistake, so they appealed to the child’s father . But custom was not to be followed here, since God had spoken. The fact they needed to signal him ( made signs ) shows that he was deaf as well as unable to speak.


text: The writing tablet requested by Zechariah would have been a wax tablet.


text: The response, they were all amazed , expresses a mixture of surprise and reflection in this setting where they were so certain of what the child’s name would be.


text: The mention of both mouth and tongue here is a figure called zeugma and emphasizes that the end of the temporary judgment came instantly and fully upon Zechariah’s expression of faith in naming the child. He had learned to trust and obey God during his short period of silence. He had learned from his trial.


text: The reference to the Lord ’ s hand indicates that the presence, direction, and favor of God was with him ( Acts 7:9 b).


text: The traditional name of this psalm, the “ Benedictus ,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“ Blessed be… ”).


text: The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).


text: The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.


text: 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.”


text: 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.


text: The theme of being saved from our enemies is like the release Jesus preached in Luke 4:18-19 . Luke’s narrative shows that one of the enemies in view is Satan and his cohorts, with the grip they have on humanity.


text: Mercy refers to God’s loyal love (steadfast love) by which he completes his promises. See Luke 1:50 .


text: The promises of God can be summarized as being found in the one promise ( the oath that he swore ) to Abraham ( Gen 12:1-3 ).


text: The phrases that we…might serve him…in holiness and righteousness from Luke 1:74-75 well summarize a basic goal for a believer in the eyes of Luke. Salvation frees us up to serve God without fear through a life full of ethical integrity.


text: Now Zechariah describes his son John ( you, child ) through v. 77 .


text: In other words, John is a prophet of God; see 1:32 and 7:22-23, 28 .


text: John’s role, to give his people knowledge of salvation , is similar to that of Jesus ( Luke 3:1-14; 5:31-32 ).


text: Forgiveness is another major Lukan theme ( Luke 4:18; 24:47 ; Acts 10:37 ).


text: God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy ; see Luke 1:72 .


text: The Greek term translated dawn ( ἀνατολή , anatolh ) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10 ; Jer 23:5; 33:15 ; Zech 3:8; 6:12 ).


text: On the phrases who sit in darkness…and…death see Isa 9:1-2; 42:7; 49:9-10 .