Exegesis:

kai idou ‘and behold,’ imperative of eidein ‘to see,’ used as a demonstrative particle, losing its force as a verb, and serving to focus the attention strongly on what follows which is usually something quite unexpected. Several translations therefore have a rendering which does not carry the idea of seeing but only arrest the attention, as “mark this” (Translator’s New Testament), “listen” (New English Bible).

esē siōpōn kai mē dunamenos lalēsai ‘you will be silent and not able to speak.’ The periphrastic construction is used in order to express duration, as brought out by Phillips, “you shall live in silence”, cf. Moule 18. mē dunamenos lalēsai indicates that Zechariah’s silence will be compulsory.

siōpaō (also 19.40) ‘to be silent,’ here in the sense of being unable to speak.

achri hēs hēmeras lit. ‘until which day,’ i.e. ‘until the day on which.’

anth’ hōn ‘in return for which,’ with loss of its relative force, ‘because.’

hoitines ‘which.’ Some commentators (e.g. Plummer) think that the use of the indefinite relative pronoun suggests an interpretation like ‘which are of such a character that…,’ but Moule (123f) quotes Cadbury who maintains that there is no difference in meaning between the definite and the indefinite relative pronoun.

plērōthēsontai ‘will be fulfilled,’ i.e. what has been said will happen. When used in this meaning the verb refers mostly to the Scripture and its words.

plēroō ‘to make full,’ ‘to fill,’ ‘to complete,’ ‘to fulfil.’

eis ton kairon autōn ‘at their proper time.’ autōn refers back to logois and the ‘proper time’ of Gabriel’s words is the time which has been fixed by God for their fulfilment. eis ‘to,’ ‘into’ refers to a future event.

kairos ‘point of time,’ or, ‘period of time,’ here ‘the proper time.’

Translation:

In this verse five clauses can be discerned, i.e., (1) “and behold”, (2) “you will … to speak”, (3) “until the … to pass”, (4) “because you … my words”, and (5), “which will be fulfilled in their time”, to be taken either (a) as attributive to “my words” and characterizing them as true, or (b) as a separate piece of information referring to a future event. If the structure of the verse has to be changed in accordance with the historical order of events, the clause order will become either, (1), (4), (5a), (2), (3), cf. Good News Translation, or (1), (4), (2), (3), (5b), resulting in something like: ‘But now listen. You have not believed my words. Therefore you will be … unable to speak, until … those things (or, the things I have told you) happen. They (certainly) will be fulfilled at the right time.’

And behold. For the Greek particle to be idiomatically rendered in most of its occurrences by an imperative form of a verb for ‘to see’ or ‘to look’ is the exception (on record for Kituba and Sranan Tongo) rather than the rule. Usually divergent renderings are required, dependent on what is idiomatic in the given context. A few examples must suffice. Where introducing something new, extraordinary, or unexpected, the particle has been rendered, “but now listen” (New English Bible), “learn then” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation), ‘mind-you’ (Bahasa Indonesia) in the present verse, by interjections meaning, ‘see, it’s this way’ and ‘take notice’ (Navajo and Apache) in v. 31, by “suddenly” (New English Bible, similarly Bahasa Indonesia), ‘O wonder’ (Low Malay), in 9.30; and in such a verse as 13.30, bringing home the truth of a preceding parable, by “yes” (New English Bible, similarly Bible de Jérusalem), “indeed” (Translator’s New Testament), “remember” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation). In other verses it seems to ask for closer consideration; hence, ‘now think how’ (Willibrord) in 2.48; or to emphasize a reason, cf. “for, mark this” (Translator’s New Testament, similarly Javanese, Sundanese), “for assuredly” (New English Bible), in 6.23. Or, again, the particle simply means, ‘this here (or, that there) is/was,’ cf. “what is here is greater than Solomon” (New English Bible) in 11.31, or with a further shift, “I am the Lord’s servant” (New English Bible and several others) in 1.38. Its demonstrative force may serve to mark a shift in focus, e.g. from the parents to the child Jesus (2.34), or from past to present, hence, ‘but now’ (13.35); or to introduce new persons (5.18); or to specify one person amongst many (9.38); or to start a new story (10.25) or episode (7.37), hence, “now there was” (An American Translation). In some cases the particle cannot be expressed by one specific word or phrase, but is rendered by other means, e.g. by the beginning of a new paragraph, by specific word order (Bible de Jérusalem, in 5.18), or by an adversative connective, cf. ‘whereas’ (Sundanese, similarly The Four Gospels – a New Translation) in 11.31f and cf. on 23.14, or, by a combination of the two latter renderings, cf. “but it is in palaces” (The Four Gospels – a New Translation) in 7.25. Further occurrences of “behold”: 1.36, 44, 48; 2.10; 7.12, 24, 27, 34; 9.39; 10.3, 19; 11.41; 13.32; 14.2; 17.21; 18.31; 19.8; 22.10, 21, 31; 23.15, 29; 24.4, 49.

In rendering the two expressions in you will be silent and unable to speak the translator must be on his guard against repetitiveness. In some languages it is better to combine them in one phrase, ‘you will be dumb’ (Thai, Tagalog), for which term see on v. 22; or one may render the second expression by a causal clause, e.g., .’.. silent, because you will not be able to speak,’ or, ‘you will not speak, because you will not be able to do so.’ In languages that have distinctive terms for speech as a mere faculty and as a special skill with magical or rational function, the first term should be used here.

Until the day that, or ‘awaiting the moment that,’ ‘and this will not end before,’ ‘up to the time that.’ Here until implies a condition; hence, ‘as-long-as-not-yet’ and ‘when/if not-yet’ (Balinese and Javanese, in 12.59); or, ‘only when,’ cf. e.g. ‘only when what I said is fulfilled, you will speak again’ (Shipibo-Conibo, which has to add a positive reference to the return of speech; similarly in Apache). If renderings of “until” have to be different in accordance with the length of time envisaged, as e.g. in Sranan Tongo, the more comprehensive one should be used here, since a period of more than nine months is implied.

Come to pass, or, ‘happen,’ ‘take place.’

You did not believe my words, or, if a personal object is required, ‘you did not believe me when I (or, me who) spoke these words’; or again, more analytically rendered, ‘you did not think, “His words are true”, or, “What he just said will come true/will happen” .’ Cf. also below on “faith” in 5.20.

Which will be fulfilled, when taken attributive to “my words”, implies a contrast with Zechariah’s doubt; hence several translators use an adversative or concessive connective (Kituba, Willibrord, or, Williams, New English Bible). To preserve the expressiveness of the verb one may say ‘surely happen’ (Javanese), or, using a double negative expressing strong affirmation, ‘not amiss’ (Toraja-Sa’dan). For the verb cf. on 4.21.

In their time, or, “at their appointed time” (Translator’s New Testament, similarly Javanese), ‘at the time having-been-reached’ (Balinese). In Sranan Tongo, where the equivalent expression is ‘a time will come,’ the clause “which will be fulfilled in their time” has to be rendered, ‘for yet a time will come (that) these things will come true.’

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.