Luke 2:8

The Shepherds’ Visit

2:8 Now ¹  there were shepherds ²  nearby ³  living out in the field, keeping guard ⁴  over their flock at night.

Luke 2:15

2:15 When ⁵  the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go over to Bethlehem ⁶  and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord ⁷  has made known to us.”

Luke 2:18

2:18 and all who heard it were astonished ⁸  at what the shepherds said.

Luke 2:20

2:20 So ⁹  the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising ¹⁰  God for all they had heard and seen; everything was just as they had been told. ¹¹ 

¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

² sn Some argue that shepherds were among the culturally despised, but the evidence for this view of shepherds is late, coming from 5th century Jewish materials. December 25 as the celebrated date of Jesus’ birth arose around the time of Constantine (ca. a.d. 306-337), though it is mentioned in material from Hippolytus (a.d. 165-235). Some think that the reason for celebration on this date was that it coincided with the pagan Roman festival of Saturnalia, and Christians could celebrate their own festival at this time without fear of persecution. On the basis of the statement that the shepherds were living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night it is often suggested that Jesus’ birth took place in early spring, since it was only at lambing time that shepherds stood guard over their flocks in the field. This is not absolutely certain, however.

³ tn Grk “in that region.”

⁴ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”

⁵ tn Grk “And it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁶ map For location see Map5-B1; Map7-E2; Map8-E2; Map10-B4.

⁷ sn Note how although angels delivered the message, it was the Lord whose message is made known, coming through them.

⁸ tn Grk “marveled.” It is a hard word to translate with one term in this context. There is a mixture of amazement and pondering at work in considering the surprising events here. See Luke 1:21, 63; 2:33.

⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

¹⁰ sn The mention of glorifying and praising God is the second note of praise in this section; see Luke 2:13-14.

¹¹ tn Grk “just as [it] had been spoken to them.” This has been simplified in the English translation by making the prepositional phrase (“to them”) the subject of the passive verb.