Section 1:67–80
Zechariah prophesied and praised God
In this section the Holy Spirit gave Zechariah insight, and Zechariah spoke the message in 1:68–79. Some scholars call the message a song because it praises God and is similar to some of the psalms, which people often sang. In the message, Zechariah praised God for keeping his promises by sending the Messiah, who would deliver Israel (1:68–75). He also prophesied that his son, John, would prepare people for the Messiah (1:76–79). John grew up (1:80) and fulfilled this prophecy.
Many verbs in 1:68–79 are in the past tense. But Zechariah was not talking only about the past. He talked about what God was doing at that time and what he would continue to do through the Messiah and through John. If possible, use verb forms that do not refer only to past events.
The phrases in Zechariah’s prophecy are similar to phrases in the Old Testament Scriptures. Almost every clause is similar to a verse in the Old Testament. However, none are so similar that it is clear that Zechariah is quoting a certain verse. You may want to include cross-references to some of the similar verses. They will be mentioned in the Notes.
For your translation of 1:68–79, you may want to write the clauses of this song on separate lines, as poetry. For an example, see 1:68–79 in the Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, or Good News Translation. In Greek, 1:68–79 is phrased as two long sentences. Most modern English versions use more and shorter sentences. The Notes will give suggestions about sentence breaks. Remember that there may be special phrases in your language that are appropriate for poetry, even if they are not used in ordinary conversation.
In this section Zechariah did not speak about events in the order in which they happened. In some languages it may be necessary to change the order of the clauses to make the sequence of events clear. For example, here is a possible way to begin this section in some languages:
68aPraise be to the Lord the God of Israel!
73Long ago he swore an oath to our father Abraham.
74aHe promised to rescue us from the hand of our enemies…
Some other possible headings for this section are:
Zechariah praised God and prophesied about John
-or-
Zechariah praised God for the Messiah who would save Israel
-or-
Zechariah’s prophecy
-or-
Zechariah’s song of praise to God
Paragraph 1:67–75
1:67a
Then his father Zechariah: The phrase his father refers to Zechariah as the father of the child/baby John. You should refer to him in a natural way in your language for this context. Some ways to do this are:
John’s father Zechariah (Good News Translation)
-or-
The child’s father
-or-
Zechariah (Contemporary English Version)
Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit: The Greek expression that the Berean Standard Bible translates as filled with the Holy Spirit implies here that the Holy Spirit suddenly gave Zechariah a message to speak from God. The expression filled with the Holy Spirit is a common figure of speech in the New Testament.
This expression was also used in 1:41b. In 1:41b Zechariah’s wife Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and then spoke God’s words.
Some ways to translate Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit in this context are:
The Holy Spirit guided Zechariah
-or-
The Holy Spirit gave Zechariah power/insight
the Holy Spirit: The term Holy Spirit also occurs in 1:15c. See the note there for help in translating this term.
1:67b
prophesied: The word prophesied means “to speak a message on behalf of God.” God somehow communicates his message directly to the prophet. The prophet then speaks the message to people on behalf of God. Here Zechariah spoke about what God had done, what he was doing, and what he would soon do in the future.
Some other ways to translate this are:
spoke words that God wanted/inspired him to say
-or-
proclaimed things that God revealed to him
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