But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John.
13. Fear not, Zacharias The glory of God, it ought to be observed, is not so appalling to the saints as to swallow them up entirely with dread, but only to cast them down from a foolish confidence, that they may behold him with humility.
The two preceding evangelists had agreed to begin the gospel with the baptism of John and his ministry, which commenced about six months before our Saviour's public ministry (and now, things being near a crisis, six months was a deal of time, which before was but a little), and therefore this evangelist, designing to give a more particular account than had been given of our...
Commenting on Luke 1:5-25
ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE FORERUNNER. (Luke 1:5-25) Herod--(See on Mat 2:1). course of Abia--or Abijah; the eighth of the twenty-four orders of courses into which David divided the priests (see Ch1 24:1, Ch1 24:4, Ch1 24:10). Of these courses only four returned after the captivity (Ezr 2:34-39), which were again subdivided into twenty-four--retaining the ancient name and order of each. They took the whole temple service for a week each.
Commenting on Luke 1:5-25