Paragraph 1:76–79
1:76a
In this verse Zechariah began to speak to and about a different person. He had been speaking to all the people who were with him. In this verse he began to speak to his son. Indicate this change of focus in a natural way in your language.
And you, child: Zechariah now began to talk to his baby boy, John, even though the baby did not yet understand him. Even though Zechariah was speaking to a different person, he continued to speak a message from God.
To clarify that John is the child to whom Zechariah is speaking, many English translations supply the word “my” before the word child (or “son”), even though it is not in the Greek text. You may use a natural way in your language for Zechariah to address his son.
you…will be called a prophet of the Most High: The phrase will be called a prophet indicates that God would cause John to be his prophet. People in general would recognize this and give him the title “a prophet of the Most High.”
The verb will be called is passive. In some languages, it may not be natural to translate it as passive. If that is true in your language, here are other ways to translate it:
• Use a different verb that does not require you to say who will use the title. For example:
you will have the title “Prophet of the Most High”
-or-
your title will be Prophet of the Most High
• Focus on the fact that John will be a prophet of the Most High. For example:
you will be a prophet of the Most High
a prophet of the Most High: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as a prophet of the Most High means one who speaks messages from the Most High God.
Some ways to translate a prophet of the Most High are:
a spokesman for the Most High
-or-
a man who speaks words from God Most High
-or-
a message-speaker for the Most High
The word “prophets” occurs in 1:70. See the note on “his holy prophets” in 1:70. See also prophet in the Glossary.
the Most High: The expression the Most High is a title for God. Some ways to translate this are:
the Greatest/Highest God
-or-
the One who is more powerful than all other beings
-or-
the Most High God (Good News Translation)
-or-
God who is so great that no one is great like him
See the note on 1:32b for a more complete discussion of the Most High.
1:76b
Here, Zechariah repeated some of the things that the angel told him in 1:17.
for: The Greek conjunction that the Berean Standard Bible translates as for introduces the reasons why people would call John a prophet. These reasons are given here in 1:76b and 1:77.
you will go on before the Lord: The clause you will go on before the Lord means that John would go and preach to the people of Israel before the Lord/Messiah came. John was to be messenger or forerunner of the Messiah. He would tell the people that the Messiah was coming. Another way to translate this is:
You will go ahead of the Lord (Contemporary English Version)
See the note on “he will go on before the Lord” in 1:17a for further discussion.
before the Lord: Make sure that in this verse the word before means “before the Lord/Messiah comes.” Here before does not mean that John would walk in front of the Messiah.
The phrase “before the Lord” was used in 1:17a with the same meaning.
Lord: In this context the word Lord refers to the Messiah. Luke probably also implied here that the Lord was God who was coming to his people as the Messiah. In some languages it may be necessary to use a possessive pronoun with the word Lord. For example:
our(incl) Lord
See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.
to prepare the way for Him: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the way is literally “roads.” The phrase to prepare the way for Him means “to make roads ready for the Lord to use.” Zechariah used this phrase as a figure of speech. He implied that John would preach to the people to prepare them for the Lord. John would tell the people to prepare their hearts and their attitudes to receive their Messiah.
In some cultures, readers may not understand the meaning of this metaphor. If that is true for your culture, you will have to indicate the meaning more explicitly. Some ways to do this are:
• Use a simile. For example:
to ⌊prepare people’s hearts/ minds/ lives for the Lord as a person would⌋ prepare a road for a king
• Express the meaning without the figure of speech. For example:
To prepare people’s hearts/ minds/ lives to receive the Lord
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