1:70
as He spoke through His holy prophets, those of ages past: This verse applies both to the verses before it and the verses after it. Long before Zechariah was born, God spoke through his holy prophets that he would provide salvation for his people. This salvation is mentioned in both 1:69 and 1:71.
Some English versions connect 1:70 to 1:69, while others connect it to 1:71. You should connect the verse to the context in a natural way in your language. In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the clauses in 1:68–71. See the General Comment on 1:68b–71 at the end of the notes on 1:71 for suggestions.
He spoke through His holy prophets: The pronoun He refers to the Lord, the God of Israel (1:68a). The phrase He spoke through His holy prophets means that God said things to his prophets, and the prophets told these things to other people.
Some ways to translate He spoke through His holy prophets are:
the Lord promised by the words of his holy prophets (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
he said these things to his holy prophets and they proclaimed them to people
-or-
just as he promised through his holy prophets (New Living Translation (2004))
through His holy prophets: The phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as through His holy prophets is literally “through the mouth of his holy prophets.” The “mouth” represents the prophets speaking. Another way to translate this is:
through what his holy prophets said
His holy prophets: The word prophets refers to men and women who spoke on behalf of God. They told people what God revealed to them. The word holy indicates that they were dedicated to God. It also implies that they lived in a righteous way that pleased him. Some ways to translate His holy prophets are:
God’s own spokesmen
-or-
righteous men and women who spoke God’s words
-or-
God’s message-speakers
When you translate the word “prophet,” it is good to use a general term that does not focus only on foretelling the future. Although prophets did foretell the future, they also gave people other messages from God. They especially told them to stop sinning and to obey God.
When you choose a term for “prophet,” consider how you will distinguish prophet from other words which are similar in meaning such as “angel,” “apostle,” and “preacher.”
This word has the same root as the word “prophesied” in 1:67b. See also prophet in the Glossary.
those of ages past: The phrase those of ages past, literally “from the ages,” refers to prophets who lived hundreds of years before Zechariah was born.
Some other ways to translate this are:
who lived a long time ago
-or-
who lived/prophesied many centuries ago
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