ἐκ τῶν θυγατέρων ᾽Ααρών, καὶ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτῆς Ελισάβετ. 6. ἦσαν δὲ δίκαιοι ἀμφότεροι ἐνώπιον 1 τοῦ Θεοῦ, πορευόµενοι ἐν πάσαις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς καὶ δικαιώµασι τοῦ Κυρίου ἄμεμπτο. 7. καὶ οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τέκνον, καθότι ἡ ᾿Ελισάβετ fv? στεῖρα, καὶ ἀμφότεροι προβεβηκότες ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις αὐτῶν ἦσαν. 8. Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ ἱερατεῦειν αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ τάξει τῆς ἐφημερίας αὐτοῦ ἕναντι τοῦ
Θεοῦ, 9. "κατὰ τὸ "ἔθος τῆς “ἱερατείας, 'ἔλαχε τοῦ "θυμιάσαι b again in ii. εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὸν ναὸν τοῦ Κυρίου: 1ο. καὶ πᾶν τὸ πλῆθος τοῦ 44° im λαοῦ ἦν ὃ προσευχόµενον ἔξω τῇ Gpa τοῦ θυµιάµατος. 11. ὤφθη Bia cee oe αὐτῷ ἄγγελος Κυρίου, ἑστὼς ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου τοῦ θυµιά- nara patos: 12. καὶ ἐταράχθη Ζαχαρίας ἰδών, καὶ φόβος ἐπέπεσεν ἐπ᾽ ας ΤΙΝ, Ee
αὐτόν. 13. Εἶπε δὲ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὁ ἄγγελος, “Mi φοβοῦ, Ζαχαρία” διότι εἰσηκούσθη ἡ δέησίς σου, καὶ ἡ γυνή σου Ελισάβετ γεννήσει 1 SSBC have εναντιον; ενωπιον in DLA.
? qv before η Ελ. in $BDLAS (Tisch., W.H.). B 69 omit η (W.H. brackets). 3 mv του λαου in NBLA (Tisch., W.H.).
from priestly parents on both sides.— Ver. 6. δίκαιοι: an O. T. term, and ex- pressing an O. T. idea of piety and good- ness, as unfolded in the following clause, which is Hebrew in speech as in senti- ment: walking in all the commandments and ordinances (equivalent terms, not to be distinguished, with Calvin, Bengel, and Godet, as moral and ceremonial) blameless (relatively to human judgment). —Ver. 7. καὶ οὐκ ἦν, etc.: childless, a calamity from the Jewish point of view, and also a fact hard to reconcile with the character of the pair, for the Lord loveth the righteous, and, according to O. T. views, He showed His love by granting prosperity, and, among other blessings, children (Ps, cxxviii.).—«a@dtt: a good Attic word: in Lk.’s writings only in N. T. = seeing, inasmuch α5.---προβε- βηκότες ἐν τ. ἡμ.: “advanced in days,” Hebraistic for the classic ‘‘ advanced in age” (τὴν ἡλικίαν) or years (τοῖς ἔτεσιν) : childless, and now no hope of children.
Vv. 8-10. Hope preternaturally re- vived.—év τῷ ἱερατεύειν: Zechariah was serving his week in due course, and it fell to his lot on a certain day to per- form the very special service of burning incense in the holy place. A great occasion in a priest’s life, as it might never come to him but once (priests said to be as many as 20,000 in our Lord’s time). ‘The most memorable day in the life of Zechariah ” (Farrar, C. G. T.). —Ver. 9. κατὰ τὸ ἔθος is to be connected with ἔλαχε : casting lots, the customary
manner of settling who was to have the Ποποι.-- εἰσελθὼν is to be connected with θυµιάσαι, not with ἔλαχε. The meaning is that entering the sanctuary was the necessary preliminary to offer- ing incense: in one sense a superfluous remark (Hahn), yet worth making in view of the sacredness of the place. A great affair to get entrance into the vads.—Ver.10. πλῆθος: there might be a crowd within the temple precincts at the hour of prayer any day of the week, not merely on Sabbath or on a feast day (‘dies solennis, et fortasse sabbatum,”
Bengel). Vv. 11-17. A celestial visitant.—Ver. 11. ὤφθη: the appearance very par-
ticularly described, the very position of the angel indicated: on the right side of the altar of incense; the south side, the propitious side say some, the place of honour say others. The altar of incense is called, with reference to its function, θυµιατήριον in Heb. ix. 3.—Ver. 12. ἐταράχθη describes the state of mind generally = perturbed, φόβος specifically. Yet why afraid, seeing in this case, as always, the objective appearance answers to the inward state of mind? This fear of the divine belongs to O. T. piety.—Ver. 13. δέησις : all prayed at that hour, there- fore of course the officiating priest. The prayer of Zechariah was very special— δέησις implies this as compared with προσευχή, vide Trench, Synonyms—and very realistic: for offspring. Beneath. the dignity of the occasion, say some-