Luke 2:21-27
Context2:21 At 1 the end of eight days, when he was circumcised, he was named Jesus, the name given by the angel 2 before he was conceived in the womb.
2:22 Now 3 when the time came for their 4 purification according to the law of Moses, Joseph and Mary 5 brought Jesus 6 up to Jerusalem 7 to present him to the Lord 2:23 (just as it is written in the law of the Lord, “Every firstborn male 8 will be set apart to the Lord” 9 ), 2:24 and to offer a sacrifice according to what is specified in the law of the Lord, a pair of doves 10 or two young pigeons. 11
2:25 Now 12 there was a man in Jerusalem 13 named Simeon who was righteous 14 and devout, looking for the restoration 15 of Israel, and the Holy Spirit 16 was upon him. 2:26 It 17 had been revealed 18 to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die 19 before 20 he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 21 2:27 So 22 Simeon, 23 directed by the Spirit, 24 came into the temple courts, 25 and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, 26
[2:21] 1 tn Grk “And when eight days were completed.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[2:21] 2 sn Jesus’ parents obeyed the angel as Zechariah and Elizabeth had (1:57-66). These events are taking place very much under God’s direction.
[2:22] 3 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.
[2:22] 4 tc The translation follows most
[2:22] 5 tn Grk “they”; the referents (Joseph and Mary) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:22] 6 tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:22] 7 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:23] 8 tn Grk “every male that opens the womb” (an idiom for the firstborn male).
[2:23] 9 sn An allusion to Exod 13:2, 12, 15.
[2:24] 10 sn The offering of a pair of doves or two young pigeons, instead of a lamb, speaks of the humble roots of Jesus’ family – they apparently could not afford the expense of a lamb.
[2:24] 11 sn A quotation from Lev 12:8; 5:11 (LXX).
[2:25] 12 tn 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 (BDAG 468 s.v. 1).
[2:25] 13 map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.
[2:25] 14 tn 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.
[2:25] 15 tn Or “deliverance,” “consolation.”
[2:25] 16 sn 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.
[2:26] 17 tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
[2:26] 18 tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kecrhmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).
[2:26] 19 tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).
[2:26] 20 tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.
[2:26] 21 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
[2:27] 22 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
[2:27] 23 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
[2:27] 24 tn 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.
[2:27] 25 tn Grk “the temple.”
[2:27] 26 tn Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22-24.