Luke 1:36-38 New English Translation
36 “And look,[a] your relative[b] Elizabeth has also become pregnant with[c] a son in her old age—although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month![d] 37 For nothing[e] will be impossible with God.” 38 So[f] Mary said, “Yes,[g] I am a servant[h] of the Lord; let this happen to me[i] according to your word.”[j] Then[k] the angel departed from her.
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- Luke 1:36 tn Grk “behold.”
- Luke 1:36 tn Some translations render the word συγγενίς (sungenis) as “cousin” (so Phillips) but the term is not necessarily this specific.
- Luke 1:36 tn Or “has conceived.”
- Luke 1:36 tn Grk “and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren.” Yet another note on Elizabeth’s loss of reproach also becomes a sign of the truth of the angel’s declaration.
- Luke 1:37 tn In Greek, the phrase πᾶν ῥῆμα (pan rhēma, combined with a negation in the verse is translated as “nothing”) has an emphatic position, giving it emphasis as the lesson in the entire discussion. The remark is a call for faith.
- Luke 1:38 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
- Luke 1:38 tn Grk “behold.”
- Luke 1:38 tn Traditionally, “handmaid”; Grk “slave woman.” Though δούλη (doulē) is normally translated “woman servant,” the word does not bear the connotation of a free woman serving another. BDAG notes that “‘servant’ for ‘slave’ is largely confined to Biblical transl. and early American times…in normal usage at the present time the two words are carefully distinguished” (BDAG 260 s.v. δοῦλος). One good translation is “bondservant” (sometimes found in the ASV for δοῦλος) in that it often indicates one who sells himself or herself into slavery to another. But as this is archaic, few today understand its force.
- Luke 1:38 tn Grk “let this be to me.”
- Luke 1:38 sn The remark according to your word is a sign of Mary’s total submission to God’s will, a response that makes her exemplary.
- Luke 1:38 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
New English Translation (NET)
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