1:74–75
These verses tell some of the promises that God had made in his covenant with Abraham. God promised to deliver Abraham’s descendants from their enemies so that they could serve him without fear.
In some languages, it may be more natural to put this oath in direct speech. For example:
“I will rescue you from the hands of your enemies….”
The second meaning line in the Display gives an example of this.
1:74a
deliverance from hostile hands: As in 1:71b, the word hands is used here in a figurative sense to mean “power, authority, and control.” Some other ways to translate from hostile hands are:
from the power/authority of our enemies
-or-
from being under the control of our enemies
See the note on “and from the hand of all who hate us” in 1:71a–b.
1:74b
that we may serve Him without fear: This clause gives the purpose of 1:74a. God promised to rescue the Israelites from their enemies (1:74a) so that they could serve him without fear (1:74b).
God promised Abraham that he would allow the people of Israel to serve him without fear. They would not have to be afraid that their enemies would punish them for worshiping the true God.
serve Him: The Greek verb that the Berean Standard Bible translates as serve often means “to worship God by doing religious rites or duties.” However, in a Jewish context, serving or worshiping God involves being devoted to him and obeying him. It is not limited to acts only done at the temple or synagogue or on certain days. In some languages, the word for “worship” only means to do religious rites at special places or special times. If this is true in your language, you should probably translate this is in a broader way. For example:
obey him
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