Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:13
The angel appeared to announce God’s answer to Zechariah’s prayer. He told Zechariah not to fear, a fairly common statement in Luke’s Gospel (cf. Luke 1:30; Luke 2:10; Luke 5:10; Luke 8:50; Luke 12:7; Luke 12:32). Zechariah’s prayer may have been a petition (Gr. deesis) for a son that the priest and his barren wife probably offered many times in previous years. However it was probably the petition that Zechariah had just offered as he presented the incense, presumably as he prayed for Israel’s... read more
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 1:8-23
2. The angel’s announcement to Zechariah 1:8-23"It seems indeed most fitting that the Evangelic story should have taken its beginning within the Sanctuary, and at the time of sacrifice." [Note: Ibid., 1:144.] read more