1:13a

But: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as But introduces what the angel said to Zechariah. The angel first responded to Zechariah’s obvious fear by telling him not to be afraid. In some languages, a conjunction may not be needed. Connect 1:12 and 1:13a in a natural way in your language. For example:

The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah!” (God’s Word)
-or-
So/But the angel told him, “Zechariah, do not be afraid!”

angel: The word angel was also used in 1:11a.

Do not be afraid: In this context the phrase Do not be afraid expresses reassurance. The angel assured Zechariah that he did not need to be afraid.

Another way to translate this reassurance is:

You do not ⌊need to⌋ be afraid.

1:13b

because In Greek, 1:13b begins with a conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as because. It introduces a reason why Zechariah should not be afraid. The angel had come to tell him that God had heard his prayer. Some English versions, such as the New International Version, do not translate this conjunction. Connect 1:13a to 1:13b in a way that is natural in your language.

your prayer has been heard: This clause is passive. In some languages, it may be more natural to translate it as an active clause. For example:

God has heard your prayer (God’s Word)

The angel did not say here when Zechariah had prayed or what he had prayed for. However, in 1:13c he implied that Zechariah had prayed for a son. In some languages, it may be helpful to make this information explicit here. For example:

⌊God⌋ has heard your prayer ⌊for a son⌋.

prayer: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as prayer indicates here that Zechariah had spoken or talked to God. He had asked God to give him a son. In some languages, it will be necessary to translate prayer as a verb. For example:

you asked/begged God ⌊for a son⌋

heard: Here, the word heard implies that God accepted Zechariah’s prayer and had committed himself to answer it. If the word heard does not imply this in your language, you may need to make this explicit. For example:

God has heard your prayer ⌊and will answer it⌋
-or-
God will give you what you have prayed for

1:13c

This part of the verse tells what would happen as a result of 1:13b. Connect this part of the verse to 1:13b in a natural way in your language.

Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son: The phrase bear you a son is literally “will bear a son to/for you.” This indicates that Elizabeth would conceive a child by Zechariah and give birth to him. Some other ways to say this in English are:

Your wife Elizabeth will have a son (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Your wife, Elizabeth, will give birth to a son (New Century Version)
-or-
You and your wife Elizabeth are going to have a son

You should use an expression that is both natural and polite in your language.

1:13d

you are to give him the name John: In Greek, the verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as you are to give functions as a command. It means “you must name him John.” In Jewish custom, the father was usually the person who decided what the names of his children would be.

John: The name John means “the Lord is gracious.” You may want to include this information in a footnote.

© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.