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 15:13

15:13 After ⁵  a few days, ⁶  the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered ⁷  his wealth ⁸  with a wild lifestyle.

Luke 15:15

15:15 So he went and worked for ⁹  one of the citizens of that country, who ¹⁰  sent him to his fields to feed pigs. ¹¹ 

Luke 21:21

21:21 Then those who are in Judea must flee ¹²  to the mountains. Those ¹³  who are inside the city must depart. Those ¹⁴  who are out in the country must not enter it,

[2:8]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:8]  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.

[2:8]  ³ tn Grk “in that region.”

[2:8]  ⁴ tn Grk “living in the field (see BDAG 15 s.v. ἀγραυλέω) and guarding their flock.”

[15:13]  ⁵ tn Grk “And after.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[15:13]  ⁶ tn Grk “after not many days.”

[15:13]  ⁷ tn Or “wasted.” This verb is graphic; it means to scatter (L&N 57.151).

[15:13]  ⁸ tn Or “estate” (the same word has been translated “estate” in v. 12).

[15:15]  ⁹ tn Grk “joined himself to” (in this case an idiom for beginning to work for someone).

[15:15]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “and he.” Here the conjunction καί (kai) and the personal pronoun have been translated by a relative pronoun to improve the English style.

[15:15]  ¹¹ sn To a Jew, being sent to the field to feed pigs would be an insult, since pigs were considered unclean animals (Lev 11:7).

[21:21]  ¹³ sn Fleeing to the mountains is a key OT image: Gen 19:17; Judg 6:2; Isa 15:5; Jer 16:16; Zech 14:5.

[21:21]  ¹⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[21:21]  ¹⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.