# his mouth was opened ... his tongue was freed

These two phrases are word pictures that together emphasize that Zechariah was suddenly able to speak. (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-idiom]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-parallelism]])

# his mouth was opened and his tongue was freed

These phrases can be stated in active form. AT: "God opened his mouth and freed his tongue" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# Fear came on all who lived around them

"All who lived around Zechariah and Elizabeth were afraid." It may be helpful to state clearly why they were afraid. AT: "All who lived around them were in awe of God because he had done this to Zechariah" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-explicit]])

# all who lived around them

The word "all" here is a generalization. AT: "those who lived around them" or "many who lived in that area" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-hyperbole]])

# All these matters were spread throughout all the hill country of Judea

The phrase "these matters were spread" is a metaphor for people talking about them. The passive verb here can also be translated in active form. AT: "All these matters were talked about by people throughout all the hill country of Judea" or "People throughout the hill country of Judea talked about all these matters" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]] and [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-activepassive]])

# All who heard them

"All who heard about these matters"

# stored them in their hearts

Thinking often about things that have happened is spoken of as putting those things safely in their hearts. AT: "thought carefully about these matters" or "thought a lot about these events" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metaphor]])

# hearts, saying

"hearts. They asked"

# What then will this child become?

"What kind of great person will this baby grow up to be?" It is also possible that this question was meant to be a statement of their surprise at what they had heard about the baby. AT: "What a great man this child will be!" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-rquestion]])

# the hand of the Lord was with him

The phrase "the hand of the Lord" refers to the Lord's power. AT: "the Lord's power was with him" or "the Lord was working in him powerfully" (See: [[rc://en/ta/man/translate/figs-metonymy]])

# translationWords

* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/praise]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/god]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/fear]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/names/judea]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/other/hand]]
* [[rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/lord]]