Luke 1:10

1:10 Now ¹  the whole crowd ²  of people were praying outside at the hour of the incense offering. ³ 

Luke 2:13

2:13 Suddenly ⁴  a vast, heavenly army ⁵  appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,

Luke 23:27

23:27 A great number of the people followed him, among them women ⁶  who were mourning ⁷  and wailing for him.

[1:10]  ¹ tn Grk “And,” but “now” better represents the somewhat parenthetical nature of this statement in the flow of the narrative.

[1:10]  ² tn Grk “all the multitude.” While “assembly” is sometimes used here to translate πλῆθος (plhqo"), that term usually implies in English a specific or particular group of people. However, this was simply a large group gathered outside, which was not unusual, especially for the afternoon offering.

[1:10]  ³ tn The “hour of the incense offering” is another way to refer to the time of sacrifice.

[2:13]  ⁴ tn Grk “And suddenly.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “a multitude of the armies of heaven.”

[23:27]  ⁷ sn The background of these women is disputed. Are they “official” mourners of Jesus’ death, appointed by custom to mourn death? If so, the mourning here would be more pro forma. However, the text seems to treat the mourning as sincere, so their tears and lamenting would have been genuine.

[23:27]  ⁸ tn Or “who were beating their breasts,” implying a ritualized form of mourning employed in Jewish funerals. See the note on the term “women” earlier in this verse.