Luke 2:10-11

2:10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, ¹  for I proclaim to you good news ²  that brings great joy to all the people: 2:11 Today ³  your Savior is born in the city ⁴  of David. ⁵  He is Christ ⁶  the Lord.

Luke 2:30-32

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ⁷ 

2:31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: ⁸ 

2:32 a light, ⁹ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ¹⁰  to your people Israel.”

[2:10]  ¹ tn Grk “behold.”

[2:10]  ² tn Grk “I evangelize to you great joy.”

[2:11]  ³ 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).

[2:11]  ⁴ tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.

[2:11]  ⁵ tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.

[2:11]  ⁶ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:30]  ⁷ sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

[2:31]  ⁸ sn 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).

[2:32]  ⁹ tn 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.

[2:32]  ¹⁰ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.