Matthew 2:2-9

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ¹  and have come to worship him.” 2:3 When King Herod ²  heard this he was alarmed, and all Jerusalem with him. 2:4 After assembling all the chief priests and experts in the law, ³  he asked them where the Christ ⁴  was to be born. 2:5 “In Bethlehem of Judea,” they said, “for it is written this way by the prophet:

2:6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are in no way least among the rulers of Judah,

for out of you will come a ruler who will shepherd my people Israel.’” ⁵ 

2:7 Then Herod ⁶  privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared. 2:8 He ⁷  sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and look carefully for the child. When you find him, inform me so that I can go and worship him as well.” 2:9 After listening to the king they left, and once again ⁸  the star they saw when it rose ⁹  led them until it stopped above the place where the child was.

Luke 1:78

1:78 Because of ¹⁰  our God’s tender mercy ¹¹ 

the dawn ¹²  will break ¹³  upon us from on high

Luke 1:2

1:2 like the accounts ¹⁴  passed on ¹⁵  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ¹⁶  from the beginning. ¹⁷ 

Luke 1:19

1:19 The ¹⁸  angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands ¹⁹  in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring ²⁰  you this good news.

Revelation 22:16

22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to testify to you about these things for the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star!” ²¹ 

[2:2]  ¹ tn Or “in its rising,” referring to the astrological significance of a star in a particular portion of the sky. The term used for the “East” in v. 1 is ἀνατολαί (anatolai, a plural form that is used typically of the rising of the sun), while in vv. 2 and 9 the singular ἀνατολή (anatolh) is used. The singular is typically used of the rising of a star and as such should not normally be translated “in the east” (cf. BDAG 74 s.v. 1: “because of the sg. and the article in contrast to ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν, vs. 1, [it is] prob. not a geograph. expr. like the latter, but rather astronomical…likew. vs. 9”).

[2:3]  ² sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:4]  ³ tn Or “and scribes of the people.” The traditional rendering of γραμματεύς (grammateu") as “scribe” does not communicate much to the modern English reader, for whom the term might mean “professional copyist,” if it means anything at all. The people referred to here were recognized experts in the law of Moses and in traditional laws and regulations. Thus “expert in the law” comes closer to the meaning for the modern reader.

[2:4]  ⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[2:6]  ⁵ sn A quotation from Mic 5:2.

[2:7]  ⁶ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:8]  ⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[2:9]  ⁸ tn Grk “and behold the star.”

[2:9]  ⁹ tn See the note on the word “rose” in 2:2.

[1:78]  ¹⁰ tn For reasons of style, a new sentence has been started in the translation at this point. God’s mercy is ultimately seen in the deliverance John points to, so v. 78a is placed with the reference to Jesus as the light of dawning day.

[1:78]  ¹¹ sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.

[1:78]  ¹² sn The Greek term translated dawn (ἀνατολή, anatolh) can be a reference to the morning star or to the sun. The Messiah is pictured as a saving light that shows the way. The Greek term was also used to translate the Hebrew word for “branch” or “sprout,” so some see a double entendre here with messianic overtones (see Isa 11:1-10; Jer 23:5; 33:15; Zech 3:8; 6:12).

[1:78]  ¹³ tn Grk “shall visit us.”

[1:2]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ¹⁵ tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ¹⁶ sn The phrase eyewitnesses and servants of the word refers to a single group of people who faithfully passed on the accounts about Jesus. The language about delivery (passed on) points to accounts faithfully passed on to the early church.

[1:2]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “like the accounts those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word passed on to us.” The location of “in the beginning” in the Greek shows that the tradition is rooted in those who were with Jesus from the start.

[1:19]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:19]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “the one who is standing before God.”

[1:19]  ²⁰ tn Grk “to announce these things of good news to you.”

[22:16]  ²¹ tn On this expression BDAG 892 s.v. πρωϊνός states, “early, belonging to the morning ὁ ἀστὴρ ὁ πρ. the morning star, Venus Rv 2:28; 22:16.”