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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Luke C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24
Luke 1 V1 V4 V7 V10 V13 V16 V22 V25 V28 V31 V34 V37 V40 V43 V46 V49 V52 V55 V58 V61 V64 V67 V70 V73 V76 V79
OET (OET-LV) And answering the messenger said to_him:
I am Gabriaʸl/(Gaⱱrīʼēl), the one having_stood_by before the god, and I_was_sent_out to_speak to you, and to_good_message_preach these things to_you.
OET (OET-RV) Now the messenger rebuked him, “I am Gabriel who stood right in front of God and was commanded to come here and talk to you, and to tell all of this to you,
An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah while he was working in the temple as a priest. The angel told him that his wife Elizabeth would become pregnant and have a baby, and that he must name him John. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, and Elizabeth was not able to have children. So Zechariah did not believe the angel. Because he did not believe that what the angel said would happen, the angel made him unable to speak. But later, Elizabeth became pregnant.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
The Birth of John the Baptist is Announced (GNT)
The angel Gabriel predicts the birth of John the Baptizer
The angel Gabriel announces/prophesies to Zechariah that his wife will have a son
In 1:19 the angel Gabriel indirectly rebuked Zechariah for not believing his message.
“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God,
The angel said, “I am Gabriel, who stands before God,
The angel said, “I am the angel Gabriel. I stand near God ready to serve him,
“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God: In the Greek text, the words that the BSB translates as replied the angel, which are literally “and, answering, the angel said to him,” come before this quotation. The BSB has put these words within the quotation. While the GNT does the same thing, most English versions put them before the quotation. In your translation, put them where they would be most natural in your language.
I am Gabriel…I stand in the presence of God: In the Greek text this part of the verse is more literally, “I am Gabriel, the one standing before God.” The angel mentioned his name and position to emphasize his authority as an important messenger from God. Gabriel’s name was well known among Jewish people. He is mentioned by name in Daniel chapters 8–9. Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:
I am Gabriel who stands near God to serve him
I serve God in his presence; you know my name, Gabriel
I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God
Express Gabriel’s authority in an emphatic way in your language.
I stand in the presence of God: The clause I stand in the presence of God indicates that Gabriel regularly or always stood near God. This fact implies that Gabriel was a very important servant of God and was always ready to serve him. The clause does not imply that Gabriel was standing near God in heaven at the time when he was talking to Zechariah.
God: See God in the Glossary.
the angel: See the note at 1:11a for suggestions about translating the word angel. See also angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
and I have been sent by him/God to talk to you(sing) and to tell you this good news.
and God has sent me to bring/announce this good news to you(sing) concerning your(sing) son.
I have been sent: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as I have been sent is passive. It was a respectful way for the angel to say that God sent him. Some ways to translate this verb are:
Use a passive verb. For example:
I was sent (NET)
Use an active verb. For example:
God sent me (GW)
It was he who sent me (NLT)
Notice the way that the NLT continues to emphasize Gabriel’s authority from God by using the phrase “It was he.”
to speak to you and to bring you this good news: The two verb phrases to speak to you and to bring you this good news are similar in meaning. The second verb refers specifically to declaring good news. In some languages, it may be more natural to use only one verb of speech. Use a verb that is appropriate for telling good news that is important. For example:
to declare to you this good news
to announce this good news to you
this good news: In this context, the good news was that Zechariah would have a son and that God would give his son a special work. Make sure that in your translation it is clear that this good news refers to what the angel had already told Zechariah. Make sure that it does not refer to what he would tell him next.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / hendiadys
ἀποκριθεὶς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθείς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἐγώ εἰμί Γαβριήλ ὁ παρεστηκώς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρός σέ καί εὐαγγελίσασθαι σοί ταῦτα)
Together the words answering and said mean that the angel responded to the question that Zechariah asked. Alternate translation: [the angel responded]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / declarative
ἐγώ εἰμι Γαβριὴλ, ὁ παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθείς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἐγώ εἰμί Γαβριήλ ὁ παρεστηκώς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρός σέ καί εὐαγγελίσασθαι σοί ταῦτα)
Gabriel says this in the form of a statement, but he means it as a rebuke to Zechariah. The presence of an angel coming directly from God should be enough proof for him. Alternate translation: [You should have believed me, Gabriel, coming to you straight from God!]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor
ὁ παρεστηκὼς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ
the the_‹one› (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθείς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἐγώ εἰμί Γαβριήλ ὁ παρεστηκώς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρός σέ καί εὐαγγελίσασθαι σοί ταῦτα)
To stand before or “in front of” a master, that is, in the presence of that master, means to be available to serve them at all times in any capacity. Alternate translation: [I serve God personally]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρὸς σὲ
˱I˲_˓was˒_sent_out ˓to˒_speak (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ἀποκριθείς ὁ ἄγγελος εἶπεν αὐτῷ Ἐγώ εἰμί Γαβριήλ ὁ παρεστηκώς ἐνώπιον τοῦ Θεοῦ καί ἀπεστάλην λαλῆσαι πρός σέ καί εὐαγγελίσασθαι σοί ταῦτα)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who did the action. Alternate translation: [God sent me to speak to you]
1:19 I am Gabriel! Two angels are named in Scripture: Gabriel (Dan 8:16; 9:21) and Michael (Dan 10:13; 12:1; Jude 1:9; Rev 12:7).
OET (OET-LV) And answering the messenger said to_him:
I am Gabriaʸl/(Gaⱱrīʼēl), the one having_stood_by before the god, and I_was_sent_out to_speak to you, and to_good_message_preach these things to_you.
OET (OET-RV) Now the messenger rebuked him, “I am Gabriel who stood right in front of God and was commanded to come here and talk to you, and to tell all of this to you,
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.