Luke 1:18
New International Version
Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

New Living Translation
Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in years.”

English Standard Version
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Berean Standard Bible
“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

Berean Literal Bible
And Zechariah said to the angel, "By what will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years."

King James Bible
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

New King James Version
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

New American Standard Bible
Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in her years.”

NASB 1995
Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I know this for certain? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

NASB 1977
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this for certain? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

Legacy Standard Bible
And Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in years.”

Amplified Bible
And Zacharias said to the angel, “How will I be certain of this? For I am an old man and my wife is advanced in age.”

Christian Standard Bible
“How can I know this? ” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

Holman Christian Standard Bible
How can I know this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “For I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

American Standard Version
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And Zacharia said to the Angel, “How shall I know this, for I am old and my wife is advanced in her days?”

Contemporary English Version
Zechariah said to the angel, "How will I know this is going to happen? My wife and I are both very old."

Douay-Rheims Bible
And Zachary said to the angel: Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.

English Revised Version
And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
Zechariah said to the angel, "What proof is there for this? I'm an old man, and my wife is beyond her childbearing years."

Good News Translation
Zechariah said to the angel, "How shall I know if this is so? I am an old man, and my wife is old also."

International Standard Version
Then Zechariah asked the angel, "How can I be sure of this, since I am an old man, and my wife is getting older?"

Literal Standard Version
And Zacharias said to the messenger, “Whereby will I know this? For I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?”

Majority Standard Bible
“How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. “I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.”

New American Bible
Then Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.”

NET Bible
Zechariah said to the angel, "How can I be sure of this? For I am an old man, and my wife is old as well."

New Revised Standard Version
Zechariah said to the angel, “How will I know that this is so? For I am an old man, and my wife is getting on in years.”

New Heart English Bible
Zechariah 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."

Webster's Bible Translation
And Zacharias said to the angel, By what shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife far advanced in years.

Weymouth New Testament
"By what proof," asked Zechariah, "shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is far advanced in years."

World English Bible
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.”

Young's Literal Translation
And Zacharias said unto the messenger, 'Whereby shall I know this? for I am aged, and my wife is advanced in her days?'

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
Gabriel Foretells John's Birth
17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.” 18 How can I be sure of this?” Zechariah asked the angel. I am an old man, and my wife is well along in years.” 19“I am Gabriel,” replied the angel. “I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.…

Cross References
Genesis 15:8
But Abram replied, "Lord GOD, how can I know that I will possess it?"

Genesis 17:17
Abraham fell facedown. Then he laughed and said to himself, "Can a child be born to a man who is a hundred years old? Can Sarah give birth at the age of ninety?"

Genesis 18:12
So she laughed to herself, saying, "After I am worn out and my master is old, will I now have this pleasure?"


Treasury of Scripture

And Zacharias said to the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.

Whereby.

Luke 1:34
Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?

Genesis 15:8
And he said, Lord GOD, whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?

Genesis 17:17
Then Abraham fell upon his face, and laughed, and said in his heart, Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear?

for.

Luke 1:7
And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years.

Numbers 11:21-23
And Moses said, The people, among whom I am, are six hundred thousand footmen; and thou hast said, I will give them flesh, that they may eat a whole month…

2 Kings 7:2
Then a lord on whose hand the king leaned answered the man of God, and said, Behold, if the LORD would make windows in heaven, might this thing be? And he said, Behold, thou shalt see it with thine eyes, but shalt not eat thereof.

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Luke 1
1. The preface of Luke to his whole gospel.
5. The conception of John the Baptist;
26. and of Jesus.
39. The prophecy of Elisabeth and of Mary, concerning Jesus.
57. The nativity and circumcision of John.
67. The prophecy of Zachariah, both of Jesus,
76. and of John.














Verse 18. - Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man. There was something evidently blamable in this hesitation on the part of Zacharias to receive the angel's promise. It seems as though the radiant glory of the messenger, as he stood before the curtain of the silent sanctuary in his awful beauty, ought to have convinced the doubting old man of the truth of the strange message. The words of the angel, which follow, seem to imply this. What! do you doubt my message? "I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of the Eternal." Others in Old Testament story before - for instance, Abraham (Genesis 15) and Gideon (Judges 6) - had seen and listened to an angel, had at first doubted, but had received in consequence no rebuke, no punishment, for their want of faith. Zacharias was, however, condemned, we learn, to a long period of dumbness.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
“How
τί (ti)
Interrogative / Indefinite Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 5101: Who, which, what, why. Probably emphatic of tis; an interrogative pronoun, who, which or what.

can I be sure of
γνώσομαι (gnōsomai)
Verb - Future Indicative Middle - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1097: A prolonged form of a primary verb; to 'know' in a great variety of applications and with many implications.

this?”
τοῦτο (touto)
Demonstrative Pronoun - Accusative Neuter Singular
Strong's 3778: This; he, she, it.

Zechariah
Ζαχαρίας (Zacharias)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 2197: Of Hebrew origin; Zacharias, the name of two Israelites.

asked
εἶπεν (eipen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 2036: Answer, bid, bring word, command. A primary verb; to speak or say.

the
τὸν (ton)
Article - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 3588: The, the definite article. Including the feminine he, and the neuter to in all their inflections; the definite article; the.

angel.
ἄγγελον (angelon)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Singular
Strong's 32: From aggello; a messenger; especially an 'angel'; by implication, a pastor.

“I
ἐγὼ (egō)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Nominative 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

am
εἰμι (eimi)
Verb - Present Indicative Active - 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1510: I am, exist. The first person singular present indicative; a prolonged form of a primary and defective verb; I exist.

an old man,
πρεσβύτης (presbytēs)
Noun - Nominative Masculine Singular
Strong's 4246: An old man, an ambassador. From the same as presbuteros; an old man.

and
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

my
μου (mou)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Genitive 1st Person Singular
Strong's 1473: I, the first-person pronoun. A primary pronoun of the first person I.

wife
γυνή (gynē)
Noun - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 1135: A woman, wife, my lady. Probably from the base of ginomai; a woman; specially, a wife.

is well along
προβεβηκυῖα (probebēkuia)
Verb - Perfect Participle Active - Nominative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4260: To go forward, advance. From pro and the base of basis; to walk forward, i.e. Advance.

in
ἐν (en)
Preposition
Strong's 1722: In, on, among. A primary preposition denoting position, and instrumentality, i.e. A relation of rest; 'in, ' at, on, by, etc.

years.”
ἡμέραις (hēmerais)
Noun - Dative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2250: A day, the period from sunrise to sunset.


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NT Gospels: Luke 1:18 Zacharias said to the angel How can (Luke Lu Lk)
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