Gladness (αγαλλιασις). Only in the LXX and N.T. so far as known. A word for extreme exultation.

Rejoice (χ…

Many shall rejoice.—The words point to what had been the priest’s prayer. He had been seeking the joy of many rather than his own, and now…

But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call hi…

St. John Chrysostom: When Zacharias entered the temple to offer prayers to God for all people, interceding between God and man…

The description of the child’s mission has a counterpart in Gabriel’s words to Mary (vv.32–33); this is part of the literary device that connects a…

He shall be to you joy. The angel describes a greater joy than what Zacharias could derive from the recent birth of a child, for he inform…

And you shall have joy and gladness
Not only because of his having a son; but because this his son would be the prop…

The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners, as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were distingui…