Luke 1:8
Greek (Tischendorf 8th ed.) Luke 1:8 appears in the Greek New Testament. The text above is from the Tischendorf 8th edition. Each word links to its Strong’s number and a concise gloss. Click any word for its full Thayer’s Greek Lexicon entry.Now it happened, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his division,
- 1 hapax legomenon — only here in the Greek New Testament
- 3 first appearances in the Greek New Testament
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Compare translations 3
The same verse in 3 English versions, stacked beneath the original-language interlinear above. Click any original word for its lexicon entry.
Each is an independent rendering of the whole verse — the interlinear is not word-aligned to these translations.
Highlighted words mark where these versions differ — a whole-verse word diff, not a word-by-word alignment.
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World English Bible Public Domain
Now it happened, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his division,
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King James Version Public Domain
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
And it happened that in his performing as priest before God, in the order of his division,
unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult).
Show all 19 translations
Every available English version of this verse, each an independent rendering of the whole verse.
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World English Bible Public Domain
Now it happened, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his division,
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Berean Standard Bible Public Domain
One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
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Majority Standard Bible Public Domain
One day while Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God,
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King James Version Public Domain
And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
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American Standard Version (1901) Public Domain
Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest's office before God in the order of his course,
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Revised Version (1885) Public Domain
Now it came to pass, while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his course,
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Geneva Bible (1599) Public Domain
And it came to passe, as he executed the Priestes office before God, as his course came in order,
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Douay-Rheims (1899) Public Domain
And it came to pass, when he executed the priestly function in the order of his course before God,
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Young's Literal Translation Public Domain
And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his course before God,
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Literal Standard Version CC BY-SA 4.0
And it came to pass, in his acting as priest, in the order of his division before God,
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Unlocked Literal Bible CC BY-SA 4.0
Now it came about that Zechariah was in God's presence, carrying out the priestly duties in the order of his division.
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unfoldingWord Literal Text CC BY-SA 4.0
And it happened that in his performing as priest before God, in the order of his division,
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Darby Bible Public Domain
And it came to pass, as he fulfilled his priestly service before God in the order of his course,
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World Messianic Bible Public Domain
Now while he executed the priest’s office before God in the order of his division
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Webster's Bible Public Domain
And it came to pass, that, while he executed the priests' office before God in the order of his course,
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Free Bible Version CC BY-SA 4.0
While Zechariah was serving as a priest before God, on behalf of his priestly division,
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Bible in Basic English Public Domain
Now it came about that in his turn he was acting as priest before God,
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Text-Critical English NT CC BY 4.0
While Zechariah was serving as a priest before God when his division was on duty,
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Tyndale New Testament (1534) Public Domain
And it cam to passe as he executed the prestes office before god as his course came
Literal Standard Version (2020), Covenant Press — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). Unlocked Literal Bible (unfoldingWord) — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org). unfoldingWord Literal Text — © unfoldingWord, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Word-aligned USFM3 via Door43 (git.door43.org/unfoldingWord/en_ult). Free Bible Version, Dr. Jonathan Gallagher — licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API (eBible.org).
Word by word
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- Appears 1× in the Greek New Testament
- First appears here
- Part of Speech
- Verb
- Tense
- Present
- Voice
- Active
- Mood
- Infinitive
Full Thayer's Definition
- ἐγένετο gínomai G1096 “to become” Verb, Aorist, Middle deponent, Indicative, 3rd person, Singular
- δὲ dé G1161 “but” Conjunction
- ἐν en G1722 “in” Preposition
- τῷ ho G3588 “the” Article, Dative, Singular, Neuter
- ἱερατεύειν hierateúō G2407 “to be priest” Verb, Present, Active, Infinitive
- αὐτὸν autós G846 “he” Personal pronoun, Accusative, Singular, Masculine
- ἐν en G1722 “in” Preposition
- τῇ ho G3588 “the” Article, Dative, Singular, Feminine
- τάξει táxis G5010 “order” Noun, Dative, Singular, Feminine
- τῆς ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- ἐφημερίας ephēmería G2183 “priestly course” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Feminine
- αὐτοῦ autós G846 “he” Personal pronoun, Genitive, Singular, Masculine
- ἔναντι énanti G1725 “before” Adverb
- τοῦ ho G3588 “the” Article, Genitive, Singular, Masculine
- θεοῦ theós G2316 “God” Noun, Genitive, Singular, Masculine
About this verse
These counts appear in no published source. They are computed here, from the morphology-tagged text and Lemma’s own curated glosses. What Lemma adds →
- 15
- words
- 10
- distinct lemmas
- Gospels
- section
Notable vocabulary
1 hapax legomenon — a word that appears only here in the entire Greek New Testament:
- ἱερατεύειν to be priest G2407
First appearance in Scripture
These words make their first canonical appearance in the Greek New Testament here:
Shared distinctive vocabulary
ἐφημερίας priestly course G2183 occurs in 2 verses of the Greek New Testament. Also found in:
Cross-references
15Topical passages linked to Luke 1:8 in the Treasury of Scripture Knowledge — connected by theme and wording, ordered by reader-vote popularity; previews shown in the World English Bible.
- 1 Chronicles 24:19 This was the ordering of them in their service, to come into the house of Yahweh according to the ordinance [given] to them by Aaron their father, as Yahweh, the God of Israel, had commanded him.
- 2 Chronicles 8:14 He appointed, according to the ordinance of David his father, the divisions of the priests to their service, and the Levites to their offices, to praise, and to minister before the priests, as the duty of every day required; the doorkeepers also by their divisions at every gate: for so had David the man of God commanded.
- 2 Chronicles 31:2 Hezekiah appointed the divisions of the priests and the Levites after their divisions, every man according to his service, both the priests and the Levites, for burnt offerings and for peace-offerings, to minister, and to give thanks, and to praise in the gates of the camp of Yahweh.
- Luke 1:5 There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
- Exodus 29:1 "This is the thing that you shall do to them to make them holy, to minister to me in the priest's office: take one young bull and two rams without blemish,
- Exodus 29:9 You shall dress them with belts, Aaron and his sons, and bind headbands on them: and they shall have the priesthood by a perpetual statute: and you shall consecrate Aaron and his sons.
- Ezra 6:18 They set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses.
- Exodus 28:1 "Bring Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, near to you from among the children of Israel, that he may minister to me in the priest's office, even Aaron, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar, Aaron's sons.
- Exodus 28:41 You shall put them on Aaron your brother, and on his sons with him, and shall anoint them, and consecrate them, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.
- Exodus 29:44 I will sanctify the tent of meeting and the altar: Aaron also and his sons I will sanctify, to minister to me in the priest's office.
- Exodus 30:30 You shall anoint Aaron and his sons, and sanctify them, that they may minister to me in the priest's office.
- 2 Chronicles 11:14 For the Levites left their suburbs and their possession, and came to Judah and Jerusalem: for Jeroboam and his sons cast them off, that they should not execute the priest's office to Yahweh;
- 2 Chronicles 31:19 Also for the sons of Aaron the priests, who were in the fields of the suburbs of their cities, in every city, there were men who were mentioned by name, to give portions to all the males among the priests, and to all who were reckoned by genealogy among the Levites.
- Numbers 18:7 You and your sons with you shall keep your priesthood for everything of the altar, and for that within the veil; and you shall serve: I give you the priesthood as a service of gift: and the stranger who comes near shall be put to death.
- 1 Chronicles 24:2 But Nadab and Abihu died before their father, and had no children: therefore Eleazar and Ithamar executed the priest's office.
Cross-references courtesy of OpenBible.info (CC BY 4.0).
Lesson kit
Teaching starters — assembled from the data on this page, not authored interpretation. Every prompt links to the verse data it draws on. Edit before teaching.
Luke, in the Gospels, opens this verse with 15 words (10 distinct Greek lemmas). Its most distinctive word is hierateúō (“to be priest”). A historical commentator’s framing appears above. Read the whole chapter for the surrounding context.
Discussion questions
- What does “to be priest” (hierateúō) contribute to the verse as a whole?
- This verse holds 1 word here found nowhere else in the Greek New Testament. What might the rare word draw attention to?
- 3 words here appear for the first time in Scripture. What is being introduced at this debut?
- Luke 1:5 shares the word «priestly course» with this verse. How do the two illuminate each other?
- “the” occurs 4× in this one verse. What is the effect of the repetition?
- These translations render this verse differently. What is at stake in choosing one wording over another?
- Reading how The Biblical Illustrator and Tyndale Open Study Notes read this verse, where do the two commentators agree and where do they part?
Things to notice
- 1 word in this verse appears nowhere else in the Greek New Testament.
- 3 words make their first canonical appearance in Scripture here.
- These translations choose different wording for 12 words in this verse.
- “the” occurs 4× in this single verse.
- 10 distinct Greek lemmas span 15 words in this verse.
Commentary
Notes on Luke 1:8 from classic Christian and Jewish commentators (each source and its license shown beneath its notes). The classic Christian expositions comment on the surrounding passage and are grouped to its opening verse, so a note may address several verses; the Jewish commentaries on the Tanakh (Rashi and others) are per-verse, so they appear only where the commentator wrote on this verse.
Lemma curates 59 commentaries, every one of them public domain or Creative Commons licensed, each selected and text-cleaned for this edition rather than reprinted as found. About our sources →
The Biblical Illustrator
Joseph S. Exell
The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale Open Resources
Tyndale Open Study Notes — © Tyndale Open Resources, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Bengel's Gnomon
Johann Albrecht Bengel
Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Meyer's Critical & Exegetical Commentary
Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer
Meyer — Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament — English translation by Peter Christie, edited by Frederick Crombie (T&T Clark, 1880) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Expositor's Greek Testament
ed. W. Robertson Nicoll
The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Godet's Commentaries
Frédéric Louis Godet
Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Adam Clarke's Commentary
Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne
The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
John Gill's Exposition
John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.
Trapp's Complete Commentary
John Trapp
John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible
Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Matthew Poole's English Annotations
Matthew Poole's English Annotations on the Holy Bible (1683–1685) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.
Whedon's Commentary on the Bible
Daniel D. Whedon
Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Kretzmann's Popular Commentary
Paul E. Kretzmann
Paul E. Kretzmann, Popular Commentary of the Bible (1921–1924) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament
William Burkitt
William Burkitt's Expository Notes on the New Testament (1700–1703) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
The People's New Testament
B. W. Johnson
B. W. Johnson's The People's New Testament with Notes (1889–1891) — public domain. Electronic text from the Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) ThML edition.
unfoldingWord translationNotes
Door43 World Missions Community
unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges
Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.
International Critical Commentary
International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.