His father, Zacharias, was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying,
The twelve verses recording Zacharias' words could be briefly summarized as a thanksgiving for the arrival of the times of the Messiah.  It was God's blessing and mercy manifested by his fulfilling at last the ancient prophecies of the Old Testament, his breaking the centuries of silence after Malachi, and his establishing the promised reality of the covenant with Abraham that dominated the major part of Zacharias' prophecy.  Not until the last four verses did he speak of his precious son and the share he would have in such a glorious fulfillment of God's word.