Luke 1:19 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

NIV: The angel said to him, 'I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news.

NASB: The angel answered and said to him, 'I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.

CSB: The angel answered him, "I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and tell you this good news.

NLT: Then the angel said, 'I am Gabriel! I stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good news!

KJV: And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of God; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.

NKJV: And the angel answered and said to him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.

Only two angels are explicitly named in the Bible. One is Michael (Daniel 12:1; Jude 1:9; Revelation 12:7), the other is Gabriel (Daniel 8:16; 9:21). It will be this same angel, Gabriel, who also tells Mary the news that she will give birth to the Son of God (Luke 1:26). Gabriel is speaking to Zechariah (Luke 1:5–7), a priest offering incense (Luke 1:8–10). His message was a promise that Zechariah and his wife, Elizabeth, would finally have a child, and the child would be a powerful prophet of God (Luke 1:11–17).

Zechariah's instinct was to doubt this prediction. His question is not about "how" such a birth could occur. It is hesitation to believe it "could" occur. In response, the angel identifies himself and his role in passing along messages from God. This reply is almost indignant. Zechariah would have immediately recognized the name Gabriel, thanks to the angel's appearance in the story of the prophet Daniel. Gabriel's reply is something like a modern English speaker saying, "are you really doubting Gabriel, the one God sends to deliver His messages?"

In a rebuke for his lack of faith, Zechariah will be temporarily unable to speak (Luke 1:20), and apparently unable to hear, as well (Luke 1:62).

Luke 1:5–25 explains how Elizabeth, the childless wife of a priest, learns that she will give birth to a prophet. This child will eventually be known as John the Baptist. Her husband, Zechariah, learns this from an angel but doubts due to his advanced age. As a result, he is rendered temporarily mute, and likely deaf as well (Luke 1:62). As predicted, he and Elizabeth conceive and await the birth of their son. This occurs several months before Elizabeth's relative, Mary, receives even more amazing news from an angel.

The angel Gabriel predicts two miraculous births. The first is a son born to Zechariah and Elizabeth: an older, childless priest and his wife. Because Zechariah initially doubts this message, he is temporarily made unable to speak. Their child will be known as John the Baptist, a powerful herald of the Messiah. The Promised One whom John will proclaim is the second birth predicted by Gabriel. He tells an engaged virgin, Mary, that God will miraculously conceive His Son in her. The two women meet and rejoice over their blessings. John's arrival sets the stage for Luke's familiar account of the birth of Jesus Christ.

Luke was a travelling companion of the apostle Paul (Acts 16:10); his book of Acts is a direct "sequel" to the gospel of Luke (Acts 1:1–3). Those two books make up more than a quarter of the New Testament. Luke begins by explaining how his orderly approach is meant to inspire confidence in Christian faith. His work is based on eyewitness interviews and other evidence. The first chapter details the miraculous conceptions of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ. Chapter 2 continues with Jesus' birth.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.