Luke 1:27-29

New English Translation

Footnotes

1. Luke 1:27 tn Or “promised in marriage.”
2. 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.
3. Luke 1:28 tn Grk “And coming to her.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
4. Luke 1:28 tn Grk “And coming to her, he said”; the referent (the angel) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
5. Luke 1:28 tn Grk “coming to her, he said.” The participle εἰσελθών (eiselthōn) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.
6. Luke 1:28 tn The address, “favored one” (a perfect participle, Grk “Oh one who is favored”) points to Mary as the recipient of God’s grace, not a bestower of it. She is a model saint in this passage, one who willingly receives God’s benefits. The Vulgate rendering “full of grace” suggests something more of Mary as a bestower of grace, but does not make sense here contextually.
7. Luke 1:28 tc Most mss (A C D Θ ƒ¹³ 33 M latt sy) read here εὐλογημένη σὺ ἐν γυναιξίν (eulogēmenē su en gunaixin, “blessed are you among women”) which also appears in 1:42 (where it is textually certain). This has the earmarks of a scribal addition for balance; the shorter reading, attested by the most significant witnesses and several others (א B L W Ψ ƒ¹ 565 579 700 1241 co), is thus preferred.
8. Luke 1:29 tc Most mss (A C Θ 0130 ƒ¹³ M lat sy) have ἰδοῦσα (idousa, “when [she] saw [the angel]”) here as well, making Mary’s concern the appearance of the angel. This construction is harder than the shorter reading since it adds a transitive verb without an explicit object. However, the shorter reading has significant support (א B D L W Ψ ƒ¹ 565 579 1241 sa) and on balance should probably be considered authentic.
9. Luke 1:29 sn On the phrase greatly troubled see 1:12. Mary’s reaction was like Zechariah’s response.
10. Luke 1:29 tn Grk “to wonder what kind of greeting this might be.” Luke often uses the optative this way to reveal a figure’s thinking (3:15; 8:9; 18:36; 22:23).