Lectionary Calendar
Tuesday, April 29th, 2025
the Second Week after Easter
Attention!
Take your personal ministry to the Next Level by helping StudyLight build churches and supporting pastors in Uganda.
Click here to join the effort!

Read the Bible

Amplified Bible

Luke 1:7

But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Barrenness;   Elisabeth (Elizabeth);   Joy;   Temple;   Zacharias (Zechariah);   Thompson Chain Reference - Childlessness;   Family;   Home;   Trouble;   Torrey's Topical Textbook - Years;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Elisabeth;   John;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Elizabeth;   John the baptist;   Marriage;   Remnant;   Zechariah;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Jerusalem;   John the Baptist;   Miracle;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Angel;   Union Hypostatical;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Barren;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Juttah;   Luke, the Gospel According to;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Barren, Barrenness;   Jesus, Life and Ministry of;   John;   Luke, Gospel of;   Mother;   Resurrection of Jesus Christ;   Zacharias;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - John the Baptist;   Vision;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Deaf and Dumb;   Elisabeth;   Lots ;   Priest (2);   Zacharias ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Elisabeth ;   1910 New Catholic Dictionary - parable of the pharisee and the publican;   pharisee and publican;   The Hawker's Poor Man's Concordance And Dictionary - Theophilus;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Elisabeth;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - John the Baptist;  

Encyclopedias:

- Condensed Biblical Cyclopedia - John, the Baptize;   International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Barren;   Child;   Priesthood in the New Testament;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - John the Baptist;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
But they had no children because Elizabeth could not conceive, and both of them were well along in years.
King James Version (1611)
And they had no childe, because that Elizabeth was barren, and they both were now well striken in yeeres.
King James Version
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
English Standard Version
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
New American Standard Bible
And yet they had no child, because Elizabeth was infertile, and they were both advanced in years.
New Century Version
But they had no children, because Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Legacy Standard Bible
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Berean Standard Bible
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both of them were well along in years.
Contemporary English Version
But they did not have children. Elizabeth could not have any, and both Zechariah and Elizabeth were already old.
Complete Jewish Bible
But they had no children, because Elisheva was barren; and they were both well along in years.
Darby Translation
And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Easy-to-Read Version
But they had no children. Elizabeth could not have a baby, and both of them were very old.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And they had no childe, because that Elisabet was barren: and both were well stricken in age.
George Lamsa Translation
But they had no son, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well on in years.
Good News Translation
They had no children because Elizabeth could not have any, and she and Zechariah were both very old.
Lexham English Bible
And they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren. And they were both advanced in years.
Literal Translation
And no child was born to them, because Elizabeth was barren. And both were advanced in their days.
American Standard Version
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
Bible in Basic English
And they were without children, because Elisabeth had never given birth, and they were at that time very old.
Hebrew Names Version
But they had no child, because Elisheva was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
International Standard Version
They had no children because Elizabeth was barren and because both of them were getting on in years.in their days
">[fn]
Etheridge Translation
But they had no son because Elishaba was barren, and both had become many in their days.
Murdock Translation
But they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren: and they were both advanced in life.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
And they had no chylde, because that Elizabeth was barren: and they both were nowe well stricken in age.
English Revised Version
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.
World English Bible
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they were both advanced in years.
Weymouth's New Testament
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren; and both of them were far advanced in life.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And thei hadden no child, for Elizabeth was bareyn, and bothe weren of grete age in her daies.
Update Bible Version
And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were [now] well stricken in years.
Webster's Bible Translation
And they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren, and they both were far advanced in years.
New English Translation
But they did not have a child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both very old.
New King James Version
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both well advanced in years.
New Living Translation
They had no children because Elizabeth was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
New Life Bible
They had no children because Elizabeth was not able to have a child. Both of them were older people.
New Revised Standard
But they had no children, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were getting on in years.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
and they had no child, inasmuch as Elizabeth was barren, and, both, had become, advanced in their days.
Douay-Rheims Bible
And they had no son, for that Elizabeth was barren: and they both were well advanced in years.
Revised Standard Version
But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and both were advanced in years.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And they had no chylde because that Elizabeth was barre and booth were well stricken in age.
Young's Literal Translation
and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
And they had no childe, for Elizabeth was baren, and they were both well stricken in age.
Mace New Testament (1729)
they had no children, because Elizabeth was steril, and they were both advanced in years.
Simplified Cowboy Version
They were both timeworn, and Elizabeth had never gotten pregnant despite her and her husband's many prayers.

Contextual Overview

5In the days of Herod [the Great], king of Judea, there was a certain priest whose name was Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was a descendant of Aaron [the first high priest of Israel], and her name was Elizabeth. 6They both were righteous (approved) in the sight of God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and requirements of the Lord. 7But they were childless, because Elizabeth was barren, and they were both far advanced in years.8Now it happened while Zacharias was serving as priest before God in the appointed order of his priestly division, 9as was the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot to enter [the sanctuary of] the temple of the Lord and burn incense [on the altar of incense]. 10And all the congregation was praying outside [in the court of the temple] at the hour of the incense offering. 11And an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the altar of incense. 12When Zacharias saw the angel, he was troubled and overcome with fear. 13But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zacharias, because your petition [in prayer] was heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will name him John. 14"You will have great joy and delight, and many will rejoice over his birth,

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

they had: Genesis 15:2, Genesis 15:3, Genesis 16:1, Genesis 16:2, Genesis 25:21, Genesis 30:1, Judges 13:2, Judges 13:3, 1 Samuel 1:2, 1 Samuel 1:5-8

well: Genesis 17:17, Genesis 18:11, 1 Kings 1:1, 2 Kings 4:14, Romans 4:19, Hebrews 11:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 11:30 - barren Genesis 24:1 - was old Genesis 29:31 - he opened Leviticus 20:20 - childless Joshua 13:1 - Joshua Luke 1:18 - for

Cross-References

Genesis 1:8
God called the expanse [of sky] heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
Genesis 1:9
Then God said, "Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place [of standing, pooling together], and let the dry land appear"; and it was so.
Genesis 1:11
So God said, "Let the earth sprout [tender] vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind, whose seed is in them upon the earth"; and it was so.
Genesis 1:15
and let them be useful as lights in the expanse of the heavens to provide light on the earth"; and it was so, [just as He commanded].
Genesis 1:24
Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to (limited to, consistent with) their kind: livestock, crawling things, and wild animals of the earth according to their kinds"; and it was so [because He had spoken them into creation].
Genesis 1:28
And God blessed them [granting them certain authority] and said to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth, and subjugate it [putting it under your power]; and rule over (dominate) the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, and every living thing that moves upon the earth."
Genesis 1:29
So God said, "Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of the entire earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you;
Job 26:8
"He wraps the waters in His clouds [which otherwise would spill on earth all at once], And the cloud does not burst under them.
Psalms 104:10
You send springs into the valleys; Their waters flow among the mountains.
Psalms 148:4
Praise Him, highest heavens, And the waters above the heavens!

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And they had no child,.... Son or daughter: and which was accounted a great infelicity: but this was not owing to the judgment of God upon them for any sins they had been guilty of, as the above character of them shows: and it had been the case of some righteous pairs before them for a great while, as Abraham and Sarah, Manoah, and his wile, Elkanah and Hannah:

because that Elizabeth was barren; so that it was peculiarly her case, and not Zacharias's: and though God had promised the people of Israel that there should be no male nor female barren among them, Deuteronomy 7:14 yet there were instances and exceptions to this general rule, as before mentioned, when it was the pleasure of God to make himself known, and magnify his power in the extraordinary conception and birth of any person; and therefore, though barrenness was reckoned a reproach to a person, there was, in this case, a particular hand of God, to answer a special purpose: the signs of sterility are, according to the Jews b, when a woman had not breasts as other women have, her voice gross, so that it could not be discerned, whether it was a man's or a woman's, c.

and they both were now well stricken in years which made the conception and birth of John the more extraordinary, and even

miraculous, and so the belief of it the more difficult; see Genesis 17:17 It may be literally rendered, "they had proceeded", or had far advanced "in their days": it is an "Hebraism", and answers to, באים בימים in

Genesis 18:11 where the Septuagint render it by the same phrase as here. The Mahometan writers Beidavi and Jallallo'din say c that Zacharias was "ninety nine" years of age, and his wife "eighty nine".

b T. Bab. Yebamot, fol. 80. 2. Maimon. & Bartenora. in Misn. Yebamot, c. 1. sect. 1. & Maimon. Hilch. Ishot, c. 2. sect. 6. c In Koran, c. 3.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Well stricken in years - Old or advanced in life, so as to render the prospect of having children hopeless.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 1:7. Both were now well stricken in years. — By the order of God, sterility and old age both met in the person of Elisabeth, to render the birth of a son (humanly speaking) impossible. This was an exact parallel to the case of Sarah and Abraham, Genesis 11:30; Genesis 17:17. Christ must (by the miraculous power of God) be born of a virgin: whatever was connected with, or referred to, his incarnation must be miraculous and impressive. Isaac was his grand type, and therefore must be born miraculously - contrary to the common course and rule of nature: Abraham was a hundred years of age, Sarah was ninety, Genesis 17:17, and it had CEASED to be with Sarah AFTER THE MANNER OF WOMEN, Genesis 18:11, and therefore, from her age and state, the birth of a child must, according to nature, have been impossible; and it was thus; that it might be miraculous. John the Baptist was to be the forerunner of Christ; his birth, like that of Isaac, must be miraculous, because, like the other, it was to be a representation of the birth of Christ; therefore his parents were both far advanced in years, and besides, Elisabeth was naturally barren. The birth of these three extraordinary persons was announced nearly in the same way. God himself foretells the birth of Isaac, Genesis 17:16. The angel of the Lord announces the birth of John the Baptist, Luke 1:13; and six months after, the angel Gabriel, the same angel, proclaims to Mary the birth of Christ! Man is naturally an inconsiderate and incredulous creature: he must have extraordinary things to arrest and fix his attention; and he requires well-attested miracles from God, to bespeak and confirm his faith. Every person who has properly considered the nature of man must see that the whole of natural religion, so termed, is little else than a disbelief of all religion.


 
adsfree-icon
Ads FreeProfile