Translation
And answering, the angel said to him, “I am GABRIEL
Go to footnote numberand I stand before God;
Go to footnote numberI was sent to speak to you and give you these glad tidings.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
By way of an answer the messenger said to him, “I am
THE MIGHT OF GOD,” I am always ready to receive a command from God and do it; I was sent to speak to you and share this “Good News” with you.
Footnotes
1
Gabriel means either “mighty man of God, mighty warrior for God, mighty for God,” or simply “the might of God.” In light of what Zachariah needed to hear, it is the latter that makes the most sense.
2: “before God”
There were two primary reasons one would stand before a powerful ruler: one was to hear a judgment and receive either the blessing or the punishment decided upon, and the other was to await an order and then rush to obey it. For the angel it was obviously the latter. The name of the angel and his words “I stand before God,” both point to the same thing; they work together to communicate the following: “It is unwise for you to question my words. I have been on many missions for God and He considers me a valuable member of His ranks. I would never tell you something that did not come directly from Him. In fact, my entire job is to wait before Him until He gives me a task to fulfill, and then go and do it. Did you think I just made this up? Did you think this is coming from me and not from God?”
3: “glad tidings”
This is the same Greek word from which we get the word Gospel and Evangelize. This is not just some good news, this is The Good News.