1:14–17

In these verses, the angel talked about the joy that John’s birth would bring to many people. He also gave the reasons why they would be joyful. The verses are written in a poetic style. English versions differ in how they connect the clauses into sentences. For example, the Revised Standard Version and the New Jerusalem Bible have two long sentences, the New International Version has four sentences, and the Good News Translation has six sentences. Consider how to connect the clauses and begin new sentences in a way that is natural in your language.

1:14a

He will be a joy and delight to you: The two words that the Berean Standard Bible translates as joy and delight are a doublet. They mean approximately the same thing. But the second word is stronger and suggests a more intense emotion. Together the two words mean “immense joy.” For example:

He will give you great joy
-or-
He will make you very happy

to you: The pronoun you refers to Zechariah.

1:14b

many will rejoice at his birth: This clause indicates that many people would be happy that John was born. They would especially be happy because he was the person whom God sent to prepare people for the Messiah. The clause does not indicate that people would only be happy at the time of his birth. It indicates that they would be happy about his birth and life. Another way to say this is:

many will rejoice that he was born

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