01800
 \\Showed strength\\ (\\epoisen kratos\\). "Made might" (Wycliff). A
 Hebrew conception as in
 # Ps 118:15
 Plummer notes six aorist indicatives in this sentence
 # 51-63
 neither corresponding to our English idiom, which translates here
 by "hath" each time. \\Imagination\\ (\\dianoii\\). Intellectual
 insight, moral understanding.

01801
 \\Princes\\ (\\dunastas\\). Our word dynasty is from this word. It comes
 from \\dunamai\\, to be able.

01802
01803
 \\Hath holpen\\ (\\antelabeto\\). Second aorist middle indicative. A very
 common verb. It means to lay hold of with a view to help or
 succour. \\Servant\\ (\\paidos\\). Here it means "servant," not "son" or
 "child," its usual meaning.

01804
01805
01806
01807
 \\Had magnified\\ (\\emegalunen\\). Aorist active indicative. Same verb
 as in verse
 # 46
 \\Rejoiced with her\\ (\\sunechairon auti\\). Imperfect tense and
 pictures the continual joy of the neighbours, accented also by
 \\sun-\\ (cf.
 # Php 2:18
 in its mutual aspect.

01808
 \\Would have called\\ (\\ekaloun\\). Conative imperfect, tried to call.

01809
01810
01811
 \\Made signs\\ (\\eneneuon\\). Imperfect tense, repeated action as usual
 when making signs. In
 # 1:22
 the verb used of Zacharias is \\dianeun\\. \\What he would have him\\
 \\called\\ (\\to ti an theloi kaleisthai auto\\). Note article \\to\\ with
 the indirect question, accusative of general reference. The
 optative with \\an\\ is here because it was used in the direct
 question (cf.
 # Ac 17:18
 and is simply retained in the indirect. \\What would he wish him to\\
 \\be called?\\ (\\if he could speak\\), a conclusion of the fourth-class
 condition.

01812
 \\Tablet\\ (\\pinakidion\\). Diminutive of \\pinakis\\. In Aristotle and the
 papyri for writing tablet, probably covered with wax. Sometimes
 it was a little table, like Shakespeare's "the table of my
 memory" (Hamlet, i.5). It was used also of a physician's
 note-book. \\Wrote, saying\\ (\\egrapsen legn\\). Hebrew way of speaking
 # 2Ki 10:6

01813
 \\Immediately\\ (\\parachrma\\). Nineteen times in the N.T., seventeen
 in Luke. \\Opened\\ (\\aneichth\\). First aorist passive indicative
 with double augment. The verb suits "mouth," but not "tongue"
 (\\glssa\\). It is thus a zeugma with tongue. Loosed or some such
 verb to be supplied.

01814
 \\Fear\\ (\\phobos\\). Not terror, but religious awe because of contact
 with the supernatural as in the case of Zacharias
 # 1:12
 Were noised abroad (\\dielaleito\\). Imperfect passive. Occurs in
 Polybius. In the N.T. only here and
 # Lu 6:11
 It was continuous talk back and forth between (\\dia\\) the people.

01815
 \\What then\\ (\\ti ara\\). With all these supernatural happenings they
 predicted the marvellous career of this child. Note \\Ti\\, \\what\\, not
 \\Tis\\, \\who\\. Cf.
 # Ac 12:18
 \\They laid them up\\ (\\ethento\\, second aorist middle indicative) as
 Mary did
 # 2:19
 \\The hand of the Lord\\ (\\cheir Kuriou\\). Luke's explanation in
 addition to the supernatural events. The expression occurs only
 in Luke's writing
 # Ac 11:21; 13:11

01816
 \\Prophesied\\ (\\eprophteusen\\). Under the guidance of the Holy
 Spirit. This _Benedictus_ (\\Eulogtos\\, \\Blessed\\) of Zacharias
 # 68-79
 may be what is referred to in verse
 # 64
 "he began to speak blessing God" (\\eulogn\\). Nearly every phrase
 here is found in the O.T. (Psalms and Prophets). He, like Mary,
 was full of the Holy Spirit and had caught the Messianic message
 in its highest meaning.

01817
 \\Hath visited\\ (\\epeskepsato\\). An old Greek word with a Hebraic
 colouring to look into with a view to help. The papyri have
 plenty of examples of the verb in the sense of inspecting,
 examining. \\Redemption\\ (\\lutrsin\\) here originally referred to
 political redemption, but with a moral and spiritual basis
 (verses
 # 75,77

01818
 \\Horn of salvation\\ (\\keras strias\\). A common metaphor in the O.T.
 # 1Sa 2:10; 2Sa 23:3
 etc.). It represents strength like the horns of bulls. Cf.
 # Ps. 132:17

01819
 \\Since the world began\\ (\\ap' ainos\\). Better "from of old"
 (Weymouth, American Revision).

01820
01821
01822
 \\The oath which he sware\\ (\\horkon hon mosen\\). Antecedent attracted
 to case of the relative. The oath appears in
 # Ge 22:16-18
 The oppression of the Gentiles seems to be in the mind of
 Zacharias. It is not certain how clearly he grasped the idea of
 the spiritual Israel as Paul saw it in Galatians and Romans.

01823
 \\Delivered\\ (\\rhusthentas\\). First aorist passive participle of an
 old verb, \\rhuomai\\. The accusative case appears, where the dative
 could have been used to agree with \\hmin\\, because of the
 infinitive \\latreuein\\ (verse
 # 74
 \\to serve\\ (from \\latros\\, for hire). But Plato uses the word of
 service for God so that the bad sense does not always exist.

01824
 \\In holiness and righteousness\\ (\\en hosiotti kai dikaiosuni\\). Not
 a usual combination
 # Eph 4:24; Tit 1:8; 1Th 2:10
 The Godward and the manward aspects of conduct (Bruce). \\Hosios\\,
 the eternal principles of right, \\dikaios\\, the rule of conduct
 before men.

01825
 \\Yea and thou\\ (\\kai su de\\). Direct address to the child with
 forecast of his life (cf.
 # 1:13-17
 \\Prophet\\ (\\prophts\\). The word here directly applied to the child.
 Jesus will later call John a prophet and more than a prophet. \\The\\
 \\Lord\\ (\\Kuriou\\). Jehovah as in
 # 1:16

01826
 \\Knowledge of salvation\\ (\\gnsin strias\\). "This is the aim and
 end of the work of the Forerunner" (Plummer).

01827
 \\Tender mercy\\ (\\splagchna eleous\\). Bowels of mercy literally
 # 1Pe 3:8; Jas 3:11
 Revised margin has it, hearts of mercy. \\The dayspring from on\\
 \\high\\ (\\anatol ex hupsous\\). Literally, rising from on high, like
 the rising sun or stars
 # Isa 60:19
 The word is used also of a sprouting plant or branch
 # Jer 23:5; Zec 6:12
 but that does not suit here. \\Shall visit\\ (\\epeskepsetai\\), correct
 text, cf.
 # 1:68

01828
 \\To shine upon\\ (\\epiphnai\\). First aorist active infinitive of
 \\epiphain\\ (liquid verb). An old verb to give light, to shine
 upon, like the sun or stars. See also
 # Ac 27:20; Tit 2:11; 3:4
 \\The shadow of death\\ (\\skii thanatou\\). See
 # Ps 107:10
 where darkness and shadow of death are combined as here. Cf. also
 # Isa 9:1
 See note on "Mt 4:16"
 To guide (\\tou kateuthnai\\). Genitive of the articular infinitive
 of purpose. The light will enable them in the dark to see how to
 walk in a straight path that leads to "the way of peace." We are
 still on that road, but so many stumble for lack of light, men
 and nations.

01829
 \\Grew\\ (\\uxane\\). Imperfect active, was growing. \\Waxed strong\\
 (\\ekrataiouto\\). Imperfect again. The child kept growing in
 strength of body and spirit. \\His shewing\\ (\\anadeixes autou\\). Here
 alone in the N.T. It occurs in Plutarch and Polybius. The verb
 appears in a sacrificial sense. The boy, as he grew, may have
 gone up to the passover and may have seen the boy Jesus
 # Lu 2:42-52
 but he would not know that he was to be the Messiah. So these two
 boys of destiny grew on with the years, the one in the desert
 hills near Hebron after Zacharias and Elisabeth died, the other,
 the young Carpenter up in Nazareth, each waiting for "his shewing
 unto Israel."

01830
 \\Decree from Caesar Augustus\\ (\\dogma para Kaisaros Augoustou\\). Old
 and common word from \\doke\\, to think, form an opinion. No such
 decree was given by Greek or Roman historians and it was for long
 assumed by many scholars that Luke was in error. But papyri and
 inscriptions have confirmed Luke on every point in these crucial
 verses
 # 2:1-7
 See W.M. Ramsay's books (_Was Christ Born at Bethelehem?_ _Luke
 the Physician_. _The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the
 Trustworthiness of the N.T._). \\The World\\ (\\tn oikoumenn\\).
 Literally, \\the inhabited\\ (\\land\\, \\gn\\). Inhabited by the Greeks,
 then by the Romans, then the whole world (Roman world, the world
 ruled by Rome). So
 # Ac 11:28; 17:6
 \\Should be enrolled\\ (\\apographesthai\\). It was a census, not a
 taxing, though taxing generally followed and was based on the
 census. This word is very old and common. It means to write or
 copy off for the public records, to register.

01831
 \\The first enrolment\\ (\\apograph prt\\). A definite allusion by
 Luke to a series of censuses instituted by Augustus, the second
 of which is mentioned by him in
 # Ac 5:37
 This second one is described by Josephus and it was supposed by
 some that Luke confused the two. But Ramsay has shown that a
 periodical fourteen-year census in Egypt is given in dated papyri
 back to A.D. 20. The one in
 # Ac 5:37
 would then be A.D. 6. This is in the time of Augustus. The first
 would then be B.C. 8 in Egypt. If it was delayed a couple of
 years in Palestine by Herod the Great for obvious reasons, that
 would make the birth of Christ about B.C. 6 which agrees with the
 other known data \\When Quirinius\\ (\\Kurniou\\). Genitive absolute.
 Here again Luke has been attacked on the ground that Quirinius
 was only governor of Syria once and that was A.D. 6 as shown by
 Josephus (_Ant_. XVIII. I.I). But Ramsay has proven by
 inscriptions that Quirinius was twice in Syria and that Luke is
 correct here also. See summary of the facts in my _Luke the
 Historian in the Light of Research_, pp. 118-29.

01832
 \\Each to his own city\\ (\\hekastos eis tn heautou polin\\). A number
 of papyri in Egypt have the heading enrolment by household
 (\\apograph kat' oikian\\). Here again Luke is vindicated. Each man
 went to the town where his family register was kept.

01833
01834
 \\To enrol himself with Mary\\ (\\apograpsasthai sun Mariam\\). Direct
 middle. "With Mary" is naturally taken with the infinitive as
 here. If so, that means that Mary's family register was in
 Bethlehem also and that she also belonged to the house of David.
 It is possible to connect "with Mary" far back with "went up"
 (\\aneb\\) in verse
 # 4
 but it is unnatural to do so. There is no real reason for
 doubting that Mary herself was a descendant of David and that is
 the obvious way to understand Luke's genealogy of Jesus in
 # Lu 3:23-38
 The Syriac Sinaitic expressly says that both Joseph and Mary were
 of the house and city of David. \\Betrothed\\ (\\emnsteumenn\\). Same
 verb as in
 # 1:27
 but here it really means "married" or "espoused" as
 # Mt 1:24
 shows. Otherwise she could not have travelled with Joseph. \\Great\\
 \\with child\\ (\\enkui\\). Only here in N.T. Common Greek word.

01835
 \\That she should be delivered\\ (\\tou tekein autn\\). \\For the bearing\\
 \\the child as to her\\. A neat use of the articular infinitive,
 second aorist active, with the accusative of general reference.
 From \\tikt\\, common verb.

01836
 \\Her firstborn\\ (\\ton prtotokon\\). The expression naturally means
 that she afterwards had other children and we read of brothers
 and sisters of Jesus. There is not a particle of evidence for the
 notion that Mary refused to bear other children because she was
 the mother of the Messiah. \\Wrapped in swaddling clothes\\
 (\\espargansen\\). From \\sparganon\\, a swathing band. Only here and
 verse
 # 12
 in the N.T., but in Euripides, Aristotle, Hippocrates, Plutarch.
 Frequent in medical works. \\In a manger\\ (\\en phatni\\). In a crib in
 a stall whether in a cave (Justin Martyr) or connected with the
 inn we do not know. The cattle may have been out on the hills or
 the donkeys used in travelling may have been feeding in this
 stall or another near. \\In the inn\\ (\\en ti katalumati\\). A
 lodging-house or khan, poor enough at best, but there was not
 even room in this public place because of the crowds for the
 census. See the word also in
 # Lu 22:11; Mr 14:14
 with the sense of guest-room (cf.
 # 1Ki 1:13
 It is the Hellenistic equivalent for \\kataggeion\\ and appears also
 in one papyrus. See
 # Ex 4:24
 There would sometimes be an inner court, a range or arches, an
 open gallery round the four sides. On one side of the square,
 outside the wall, would be stables for the asses and camels,
 buffaloes and goats. Each man had to carry his own food and
 bedding.

01837
 \\Abiding in the field\\ (\\agraulountes\\). From \\agros\\, field and
 \\aul\\, court. The shepherds were making the field their court.
 Plutarch and Strabo use the word. \\Keeping watch\\ (\\phulassontes\\
 \\phulakas\\). Cognate accusative. They were bivouacking by night and
 it was plainly mild weather. In these very pastures David had
 fought the lion and the bear to protect the sheep
 # 1Sa 17:34
 The plural here probably means that they watched by turns. The
 flock may have been meant for the temple sacrifices. There is no
 way to tell.

01838
 \\Stood by them\\ (\\epest autois\\). Ingressive aorist active
 indicative. Stepped by their side. The same word in
 # Ac 12:7
 of the angel there. Paul uses it in the sense of standing by in
 # Ac 22:20
 It is a common old Greek word, \\ephistmi\\. \\Were sore afraid\\
 (\\ephobthsan phobon megan\\). First aorist passive indicative with
 cognate accusative (the passive sense gone), they feared a great
 fear.

01839
 \\I bring you good tidings of great joy\\ (\\euaggelizomai hmin charan\\
 \\megaln\\). Wycliff, "I evangelize to you a great joy." The active
 verb \\euaggeliz\\ occurs only in late Greek writers, LXX, a few
 papyri examples, and the N.T. The middle (deponent) appears from
 Aristophanes on. Luke and Paul employ both substantive
 \\euaggelion\\ and verb \\euaggeliz\\ very frequently. It is to Paul's
 influence that we owe their frequency and popularity in the
 language of Christendom (George Milligan, _The Epistles to the
 Thessalonians_, p. 143). The other Gospels do not have the verb
 save
 # Mt 11:5
 and that in a quotation
 # Isa 61:1

01840
 \\Is born\\ (\\etechth\\). First aorist passive indicative from
 \\tikt\\. Was born. \\Saviour\\ (\\str\\). This great word is common in
 Luke and Paul and seldom elsewhere in the N.T. (Bruce). The
 people under Rome's rule came to call the emperor "Saviour" and
 Christians took the word and used it of Christ. See inscriptions
 (Deissmann, _Light from the Ancient East_, p. 344). \\Christ the\\
 \\Lord\\ (\\Christos Kurios\\). This combination occurs nowhere else in
 the N.T. and it is not clear what it really means. Luke is very
 fond of \\Kurios\\ (\\Lord\\) where the other Gospels have Jesus. It may
 mean "Christ the Lord," "Anointed Lord," "Messiah, Lord," "The
 Messiah, the Lord," "An Anointed One, a Lord," or "Lord Messiah."
 It occurs once in the LXX
 # La 4:20
 and is in Ps. of Sol. 17:36. Ragg suggests that our phrase "the
 Lord Jesus Christ" is really involved in "A Saviour (Jesus) which
 is Christ the Lord."
 See note on "Mt 1:1"
 for Christ and
 see note on "Mt 21:3"
 for Lord.

01841
01842
 \\Host\\ (\\stratias\\). A military term for a band of soldiers common in
 the ancient Greek. Bengel says: "Here the army announces peace."
 \\Praising\\ (\\ainountn\\). Construction according to sense (plural,
 though \\stratias\\ is singular).

01843
 \\Among men in whom he is well pleased\\ (\\en anthrpois eudokias\\).
 The Textus Receptus (Authorized Version also has \\eudokia\\, but the
 genitive \\eudokias\\ is undoubtedly correct, supported by the oldest
 and best uncials. (Aleph, A B D W). C has a lacuna here. Plummer
 justly notes how in this angelic hymn Glory and Peace correspond,
 in the highest and on earth, to God and among men of goodwill. It
 would be possible to connect "on earth" with "the highest" and
 also to have a triple division. There has been much objection
 raised to the genitive \\eudokias\\, the correct text. But it makes
 perfectly good sense and better sense. As a matter of fact real
 peace on earth exists only among those who are the subjects of
 God's goodwill, who are characterized by goodwill toward God and
 man. This word \\eudokia\\ we have already had in
 # Mt 11:26
 It does not occur in the ancient Greek. The word is confined to
 Jewish and Christian writings, though the papyri furnish
 instances of \\eudoksis\\. Wycliff has it "to men of goodwill."

01844
 \\Said to one another\\ (\\elaloun pros alllous\\). Imperfect tense,
 inchoative, "began to speak," each to the other. It suggests also
 repetition, they kept saying, \\Now\\ (\\d\\). A particle of urgency.
 \\This thing\\ (\\to rhma touto\\). A Hebraistic and vernacular use of
 \\rhma\\ (something said) as something done.
 See note on "Lu 1:65"
 The ancient Greek used \\logos\\ in this same way.

01845
 \\With haste\\ (\\speusantes\\). Aorist active participle of simultaneous
 action. \\Found\\ (\\aneuran\\). Second aorist active indicative of a
 common Greek verb \\aneurisk\\, but only in Luke in the N.T. The
 compound \\ana\\ suggests a search before finding.

01846
 \\Made known\\ (\\egnrisan\\). To others (verse
 # 18
 besides Joseph and Mary. The verb is common from Aeschylus on,
 from the root of \\ginsk\\ (to know). It is both transitive and
 intransitive in the N.T.

01847
01848
 \\Kept\\ (\\sunetrei\\). Imperfect active. She kept on keeping together
 (\\sun-\\) all these things. They were meat and drink to her. She was
 not astonished, but filled with holy awe. The verb occurs from
 Aristotle on. She could not forget. But did not Mary keep also a
 Baby Book? And may not Luke have seen it? \\Pondering\\
 (\\sunballousa\\). An old Greek word. Placing together for
 comparison. Mary would go over each detail in the words of
 Gabriel and of the shepherds and compare the sayings with the
 facts so far developed and brood over it all with a mother's high
 hopes and joy.

