Luke 1:19-20
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
19 And the angel said to him in reply, “I am Gabriel,[a] who stand before God. I was sent to speak to you and to announce to you this good news.(A) 20 But now you will be speechless and unable to talk[b] until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled at their proper time.”(B)
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- 1:19 I am Gabriel: “the angel of the Lord” is identified as Gabriel, the angel who in Dn 9:20–25 announces the seventy weeks of years and the coming of an anointed one, a prince. By alluding to Old Testament themes in Lk 1:17, 19 such as the coming of the day of the Lord and the dawning of the messianic era, Luke is presenting his interpretation of the significance of the births of John and Jesus.
- 1:20 You will be speechless and unable to talk: Zechariah’s becoming mute is the sign given in response to his question in v 18. When Mary asks a similar question in Lk 1:34, unlike Zechariah who was punished for his doubt, she, in spite of her doubt, is praised and reassured (Lk 1:35–37).
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