68:17 God has countless chariots;
they number in the thousands. 1
The Lord comes from Sinai in holy splendor. 2
68:18 You ascend on high, 3
you have taken many captives. 4
You receive tribute 5 from 6 men,
including even sinful rebels.
Indeed the Lord God lives there! 7
2:14 “Glory 26 to God in the highest,
and on earth peace among people 27 with whom he is pleased!” 28
3:1 For this reason I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus 39 for the sake of you Gentiles –
1 tn Heb “thousands of [?].” The meaning of the word שִׁנְאָן (shin’an), which occurs only here in the OT, is uncertain. Perhaps the form should be emended to שַׁאֲנָן (sha’anan, “at ease”) and be translated here “held in reserve.”
2 tc The MT reads, “the Lord [is] among them, Sinai, in holiness,” which is syntactically difficult. The present translation assumes an emendation to אֲדֹנָי בָּא מִסִּינַי (’adonay ba’ missinay; see BHS note b-b and Deut 33:2).
3 tn Heb “to the elevated place”; or “on high.” This probably refers to the Lord’s throne on Mount Zion.
4 tn Heb “you have taken captives captive.”
5 tn Or “gifts.”
6 tn Or “among.”
7 tn Heb “so that the
8 tn Grk “and behold, angels.” The Greek word ἰδού (idou) has not been translated because it has no exact English equivalent here, but adds interest and emphasis (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
9 tn Or “the angel of the Lord.” See the note on the word “Lord” in 1:20.
10 sn The forty days may allude to the experience of Moses (Exod 34:28), Elijah (1 Kgs 19:8, 15), or David and Goliath (1 Sam 17:16).
11 tn Grk “And he.”
12 tn Grk “were serving him,” “were ministering to him.”
13 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
14 sn Mark does not explicitly identify the young man dressed in a white robe as an angel (though the white robe suggests this), but Matthew does (Matt 28:2).
15 tn Grk “behold.”
16 tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”
17 sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).
18 tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.
19 tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.
20 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
21 tn Grk “And this.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
22 sn The sign functions for the shepherds like Elizabeth’s conception served for Mary in 1:36.
23 tn Or “a feeding trough,” see Luke 2:7.
24 tn Grk “And suddenly.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
25 tn Grk “a multitude of the armies of heaven.”
26 sn Glory here refers to giving honor to God.
27 tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") referring to both males and females.
28 tc Most witnesses (א2 B2 L Θ Ξ Ψ Ë1,13 Ï sy bo) have ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία (en anqrwpoi" eudokia, “good will among people”) instead of ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας (en anqrwpoi" eudokia", “among people with whom he is pleased”), a reading attested by א* A B* D W pc (sa). Most of the Itala witnesses and some other versional witnesses reflect a Greek text which has the genitive εὐδοκίας but drops the preposition ἐν. Not only is the genitive reading better attested, but it is more difficult than the nominative. “The meaning seems to be, not that divine peace can be bestowed only where human good will is already present, but that at the birth of the Saviour God’s peace rests on those whom he has chosen in accord with his good pleasure” (TCGNT 111).
29 tn Grk “And it happened that while.” 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.
30 tn Or “bewildered.” The term refers to a high state of confusion and anxiety.
31 tn Grk “behold.”
32 sn The brilliantly shining clothing (dazzling attire) points to the fact that these are angels (see 24:23).
33 tn Grk “And as.” Because of the difference between Greek style, which often begins sentences or clauses with “and,” and English style, which generally does not, καί (kai) has not been translated here.
34 tn Grk “behold.”
35 tn The word “here” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
36 tc Codex Bezae (D) and several other witnesses lack the words εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν (ei" ton ouranon, “into heaven”) here, most likely by way of accidental deletion. In any event, it is hardly correct to suppose that the Western text has intentionally suppressed references to the ascension of Christ here, for the phrase is solidly attested in the final clause of the verse.
37 tn Grk “that.” Verse 10 is a subordinate clause to the verb “enlighten” in v. 9.
38 tn Or “manifold wisdom,” “wisdom in its rich variety.”
39 tc Several early and important witnesses, chiefly of the Western text (א* D* F G [365]), lack ᾿Ιησοῦ (Ihsou, “Jesus”) here, while most Alexandrian and Byzantine
40 tn Or “who had already hoped.”
41 tn Or “the Messiah.”