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Zacharias said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years."
Verse Takeaways
1
A Question of Doubt, Not Faith
Commentators explain that Zechariah's question, "Whereby shall I know this?", was not one of simple curiosity but of deep-seated doubt. Unlike Mary, who later asked how God would accomplish His will (Luke 1:34), Zechariah questioned if God's word was true. Scholars note he limited God's power to the ordinary course of nature, finding it hard to believe a promise that defied his human experience of old age.
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Luke
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7
18th Century
Presbyterian
Whereby shall I know this? The thing was improbable, and he desired evidence that it would take place. The testimony of an an…
Whereby (κατα τ). According to what. It was too good to be true and Zacharias demanded proof and gives the reason (for, γαρ) for h…
19th Century
Baptist
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years. And, the angel answering…
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Zechariah’s question (v.18) seems innocent, but v.20 reveals that it was asked in doubt. In contrast Mary’s question—“How can this be?” (v.34)—aris…
16th Century
Protestant
And Zacharias said to the angel. Next follows the doubt of Zacharias, and the punishment which the Lord inflicted on his unbelief. He had …
17th Century
Reformed Baptist
And Zacharias said unto the angel, whereby shall I know this ? &c.] Notwithstanding s…
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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…