Malachi 4:2

4:2 But for you who respect my name, the sun of vindication ¹  will rise with healing wings, ²  and you will skip about ³  like calves released from the stall.

Luke 2:32

2:32 a light, ⁴ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ⁵  to your people Israel.”

Luke 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ⁶  in those days a decree ⁷  went out from Caesar ⁸  Augustus ⁹  to register ¹⁰  all the empire ¹¹  for taxes.

Luke 4:14

The Beginning of Jesus’ Ministry in Galilee

4:14 Then ¹²  Jesus, in the power of the Spirit, ¹³  returned to Galilee, and news about him spread ¹⁴  throughout the surrounding countryside. ¹⁵ 

[4:2]  ¹ tn Here the Hebrew word צְדָקָה (tsÿdaqah), usually translated “righteousness” (so KJV, NIV, NRSV, NLT; cf. NAB “justice”), has been rendered as “vindication” because it is the vindication of God’s people that is in view in the context. Cf. BDB 842 s.v. צְדָקָה 6; “righteousness as vindicated, justification, salvation, etc.”

[4:2]  ² sn The point of the metaphor of healing wings is unclear. The sun seems to be compared to a bird. Perhaps the sun’s “wings” are its warm rays. “Healing” may refer to a reversal of the injury done by evildoers (see Mal 3:5).

[4:2]  ³ tn Heb “you will go out and skip about.”

[2:32]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Grk “Now it happened that.” 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.

[2:1]  ⁷ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ⁸ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ⁹ sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

[2:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “that all the empire should be registered for taxes.” The passive infinitive ἀπογράφεσθαι (apografesqai) has been rendered as an active in the translation to improve the English style. The verb is regarded as a technical term for official registration in tax lists (BDAG 108 s.v. ἀπογράφω a).

[2:1]  ¹¹ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[4:14]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[4:14]  ¹³ sn Once again Jesus is directed by the Spirit. Luke makes a point about Jesus’ association with the Spirit early in his ministry (3:22, 4:1 [2x]; 4:18).

[4:14]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “went out.”

[4:14]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “all the surrounding region.”