Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Luke: Chapter 1].
justifies such miraculous manifestations of divine power. Luke
tells his story from the standpoint of Mary as Matthew gives his
from the standpoint of Joseph. The two supplement each other. We
have here the earliest documentary evidence of the origins of
Christianity that has come down to us (Plummer). {Herod, King of
Judea} (\H•r•idou basile•s t•s Ioudaias\). This note of time
locates the events before the death of Herod the Great (as he was
called later), appointed King of Judea by the Roman Senate B.C.
40 at the suggestion of Octavius and Antony. He died B.C. 4. {Of
the course of Abijah} (\ex eph•merias Abia\). Not in old Greek,
but in LXX and modern Greek. Papyri have a verb derived from it,
\eph•mere•\. Daily service (Ne 13:30; 1Ch 25:8) and then a
course of priests who were on duty for a week (1Ch 23:6;
28:13). There were 24 such courses and that of Abijah was the
eighth (1Ch 24:10; 2Ch 8:14). Only four of these courses
(Jedaiah, Immer, Pashur, Harim) returned from Babylon, but these
four were divided into twenty-four with the old names. Each of
these courses did duty for eight days, sabbath to sabbath, twice
a year. On sabbaths the whole course did duty. At the feast of
tabernacles all twenty-four courses were present. {Of the
daughters of Aaron} (\ek t•n thugater•n Aar•n\). "To be a priest
and married to a priest's daughter was a double distinction"
(Plummer). Like a preacher married to a preacher's daughter.
1:6 {Righteous before God} (\dikaioi enantion tou theou\). Old
Testament conception and idiom. Cf. 2:25 about Simeon. Expanded
in Old Testament language. Picture of "noblest product of Old
Testament education" (Ragg) is Zacharias and Elisabeth, Mary and
Joseph, Simeon and Anna who were "privileged to see with clear
eyes the dawn of the New Testament revelation."
1:7 {Because that} (\kathoti\). Good Attic word, according to
what. Only in Luke and Acts in the N.T. In the papyri. {Well
stricken in years} (\probeb•kotes en tais h•merais aut•n\).
Wycliff has it right: "Had gone far in their days." Perfect
active participle. See also verse 18.
1:8 {While he executed the priest's office} (\en t•i hierateuein
auton\). A favourite idiom in Luke, \en\ with the articular
infinitive and the accusative of general reference where the
genitive absolute could have been used or a temporal conjunction
and finite verb. It is proper Greek, but occurs often in the LXX,
which Luke read, particularly in imitation of the Hebrew
infinitive construct. The word \hierateu•\ does not appear in the
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