Luke 2:25–34

Footnotes

1. 68 Grk “And behold.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic. The Greek word ἰδού (idou) at the beginning of this statement has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis ( 1).
2. 69 For location see ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; .
3. 70 Grk “This man was righteous.” The Greek text begins a new sentence here, but this was changed to a relative clause in the translation to avoid redundancy.
4. 71 Or “deliverance,” “consolation.” The restoration of Israel refers to Simeon’s hope that the Messiah would come and deliver the nation (Isa 40:1; 49:13; 51:3; 57:18; 61:2; 44:7).
5. 72 Once again, by mentioning the Holy Spirit, Luke stresses the prophetic enablement of a speaker. The Spirit has fallen on both men (Zechariah, 1:67) and women (Elizabeth, 1:41) in Luke 1–2 as they share the will of the Lord.
6. 73 Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
7. 74 The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kechrēmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).
8. 75 Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).
9. 76 On the grammar of this temporal clause, see §§383.3; 395.
10. 77 Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.” The revelation to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ is yet another example of a promise fulfilled in Luke 1–2. Also, see the note on Christ in .
11. 78 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
12. 79 Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
13. 80 Grk “So in the Spirit” or “So by the Spirit,” but since it refers to the Spirit’s direction the expanded translation “directed by the Spirit” is used here.
14. 81 Grk “the temple.” The temple courts is a reference to the larger temple area, not the holy place. Simeon was either in the court of the Gentiles or the court of women, since Mary was present.
15. 82 Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22–24.
16. 83 Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
17. 84 Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.
18. 85 The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.
19. 86 The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despotēs).
20. 87 This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.
21. 88 Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks. Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
22. 89 Grk “now release your servant.”
23. 90 To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.
24. 91 Is the phrase all peoples a reference to Israel alone, or to both Israel and the Gentiles? The following verse makes it clear that all peoples includes Gentiles, another key Lukan emphasis (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:34–43).
25. 92 The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78–79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78–79 and Acts 26:22–23 slightly favor this second option.
26. 93 In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.
27. 94 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
28. 95 Grk “his”; the referent (the child) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
29. 96 Most ([A] Θ [Ψ] f13 33 𝔐 it) read “Joseph,” but in favor of the reading ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ (ho patēr autou, “his father”) is both external (א B D L W 1 700 1241 sa) and internal evidence. Internally, the fact that Mary is not named at this point and that “Joseph” is an obviously motivated reading, intended to prevent confusion over the virgin conception of Christ, argues strongly for ὁ πατὴρ αὐτοῦ as the authentic reading here. See also the note on “parents” in .
30. 97 The term refers to the amazement at what was happening as in other places in Luke 1–2 (1:63; 2:18). The participle is plural, while the finite verb used in the periphrastic construction is singular, perhaps to show a unity in the parents’ response ( §135.1.d: Luke 8:19).
31. 98 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
32. 99 Grk “behold.”
33. 100 Grk “this one”; the referent (the child) is supplied in the translation for clarity.
34. 101 The phrase the falling and rising of many emphasizes that Jesus will bring division in the nation, as some will be judged (falling) and others blessed (rising) because of how they respond to him. The language is like Isa 8:14–15 and conceptually like Isa 28:13–16. Here is the first hint that Jesus’ coming will be accompanied with some difficulties.
35. 102 Grk “and for a sign of contradiction.”