KJV: And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
YLT: And Zacharias said unto the messenger, 'Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'
Darby: And Zacharias said to the angel, How shall I know this, for I am an old man, and my wife advanced in years?
ASV: And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
| εἶπεν | said |
|
Parse: Verb, Aorist Indicative Active, 3rd Person Singular Root: λέγω Sense: to speak, say. |
|
| Ζαχαρίας | Zechariah |
|
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: Ζαχαρίας Sense: the father of John the Baptist. |
|
| ἄγγελον | angel |
|
Parse: Noun, Accusative Masculine Singular Root: ἄγγελος Sense: a messenger, envoy, one who is sent, an angel, a messenger from God. |
|
| γνώσομαι | will I know |
|
Parse: Verb, Future Indicative Middle, 1st Person Singular Root: γινώσκω Sense: to learn to know, come to know, get a knowledge of perceive, feel. |
|
| τοῦτο | this |
|
Parse: Demonstrative Pronoun, Accusative Neuter Singular Root: οὗτος Sense: this. |
|
| πρεσβύτης | an old man |
|
Parse: Noun, Nominative Masculine Singular Root: πρεσβευτής Sense: an old man, an aged man. |
|
| γυνή | wife |
|
Parse: Noun, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: γυνή Sense: a woman of any age, whether a virgin, or married, or a widow. |
|
| μου | of me |
|
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive 1st Person Singular Root: ἐγώ Sense: I, me, my. |
|
| προβεβηκυῖα | is advanced |
|
Parse: Verb, Perfect Participle Active, Nominative Feminine Singular Root: προβαίνω Sense: to go forwards, go on. |
|
| ἡμέραις | years |
|
Parse: Noun, Dative Feminine Plural Root: ἡμέρα Sense: the day, used of the natural day, or the interval between sunrise and sunset, as distinguished from and contrasted with the night. |
|
| αὐτῆς | of her |
|
Parse: Personal / Possessive Pronoun, Genitive Feminine 3rd Person Singular Root: αὐτός Sense: himself, herself, themselves, itself. |
|
Greek Commentary for Luke 1:18
According to what. It was too good to be true and Zacharias demanded proof and gives the reason (for, γαρ gar) for his doubt. He had prayed for this blessing and was now sceptical like the disciples in the house of Mary about the return of Peter (Acts 12:14.). [source]
Lit., according to what? It demands a standard of knowledge, a sign. [source]
I require a sign, for I am old. [source]
Reverse Greek Commentary Search for Luke 1:18
Wycliff has it right: “Had gone far in their days.” Perfect active participle. See also Luke 1:18. [source]
Only here, Luke 1:18; Philemon 1:9. To be understood of natural age, not of ecclesiastical position. Note that 2Chronicles href="/desk/?q=2ch+32:31&sr=1">2 Chronicles 32:31; 1 Maccabees 13:21; 14:21,22; 2 Maccabees 11:34. [source]
Being such an one, connect with the previous I rather beseech, and with Paul the aged. Not, being such an one (armed with such authority), as Paul the aged I beseech (the second beseech in Philemon 1:10); but, as Rev., for love's sake I rather beseech, being such an one as Paul the aged. The beseech in Philemon 1:10is resumptive. Aged; or ambassador (so Rev., in margin). The latter rendering is supported by πρεσβεύω I am an ambassador, Ephesians 6:10. There is no objection to aged on the ground of fact. Paul was about sixty years old, besides being prematurely aged from labor and hardship. For aged see Luke 1:18; Titus 2:2. [source]
Paul is called νεανιας neanias (a young man) at the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58). He was perhaps a bit under sixty now. Hippocrates calls a man πρεσβυτης presbutēs from 49 to 56 and γερων gerōn after that. The papyri use πρεσβυτης presbutēs for old man as in Luke 1:18 of Zacharias and in Titus 2:2. But in Ephesians 6:20 Paul says πρεσβευω εν αλυσει presbeuō en halusei (I am an ambassador in a chain). Hence Lightfoot holds that here πρεσβυτης presbutēs = πρεσβευτης presbeutēs because of common confusion by the scribes between υ u and ευ eu In the lxx four times the two words are used interchangeably. There is some confusion also in the papyri and the inscriptions. Undoubtedly ambassador (πρεσβευτης presbeutēs) is possible here as in Ephesians 6:20 (πρεσβευω presbeuō) though there is no real reason why Paul should not term himself properly “Paul the aged.” [source]