Revelation 2:28

2:28 just as I have received the right to rule ¹  from my Father – and I will give him the morning star. ² 

Numbers 24:17

24:17 ‘I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not close at hand. ³ 

A star ⁴  will march forth ⁵  out of Jacob,

and a scepter ⁶  will rise out of Israel.

He will crush the skulls ⁷  of Moab,

and the heads ⁸  of all the sons of Sheth. ⁹ 

Matthew 2:2

2:2 saying, “Where is the one who is born king of the Jews? For we saw his star when it rose ¹⁰  and have come to worship him.”

Matthew 2:7-10

2:7 Then Herod ¹¹  privately summoned the wise men and determined from them when the star had appeared. 2:8 He ¹²  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 ¹³  the star they saw when it rose ¹⁴  led them until it stopped above the place where the child was. 2:10 When they saw the star they shouted joyfully. ¹⁵ 

Luke 1:78

1:78 Because of ¹⁶  our God’s tender mercy ¹⁷ 

the dawn ¹⁸  will break ¹⁹  upon us from on high

Luke 1:2

1:2 like the accounts ²⁰  passed on ²¹  to us by those who were eyewitnesses and servants of the word ²²  from the beginning. ²³ 

Luke 1:19

1:19 The ²⁴  angel answered him, “I am Gabriel, who stands ²⁵  in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring ²⁶  you this good news.

[2:28]  ¹ tn What has been received is not specified in the Greek text, but must be supplied from the context. In the light of the two immediately preceding verses about rulership or dominion, it seems that the implied direct object of δώσω (dwsw) is “the right to rule” (i.e., ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν ποιμάνειν, ecein exousian poimanein), although many modern translations supply the word “authority” here (so NAB, NRSV, NLT).

[2:28]  ² 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.”

[24:17]  ³ tn Heb “near.”

[24:17]  ⁴ sn This is a figure for a king (see also Isa 14:12) not only in the Bible but in the ancient Near Eastern literature as a whole. The immediate reference of the prophecy seems to be to David, but the eschatological theme goes beyond him. There is to be a connection made between this passage and the sighting of a star in its ascendancy by the magi, who then traveled to Bethlehem to see the one born King of the Jews (Matt 2:2). The expression “son of a star” (Aram Bar Kochba) became a title for a later claimant to kingship, but he was doomed by the Romans in a.d. 135.

[24:17]  ⁵ tn The verb is the perfect tense with vav (ו) consecutive; it is equal to the imperfect expressing the future. The verb דָּרַךְ (darakh), related to the noun “way, road,” seems to mean something like tread on, walk, march.”

[24:17]  ⁶ sn The “scepter” is metonymical for a king who will rise to power. NEB strangely rendered this as “comet” to make a parallel with “star.”

[24:17]  ⁷ tn The word is literally “corners,” but may refer to the corners of the head, and so “skull.”

[24:17]  ⁸ tc The MT reads “shatter, devastate.” Smr reads קֹדְקֹד (qodqod, “head; crown; pate”). Smr follows Jer 48:45 which appears to reflect Num 24:17.

[24:17]  ⁹ sn The prophecy begins to be fulfilled when David defeated Moab and Edom and established an empire including them. But the Messianic promise extends far beyond that to the end of the age and the inclusion of these defeated people in the program of the coming King.

[2:2]  ¹⁰ 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”).

[2:7]  ¹¹ sn See the note on King Herod in 2:1.

[2:8]  ¹² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[2:9]  ¹³ tn Grk “and behold the star.”

[2:9]  ¹⁴ tn See the note on the word “rose” in 2:2.

[2:10]  ¹⁵ tn Grk “they rejoiced with very great joy.”

[1:78]  ¹⁶ 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]  ¹⁷ sn God’s loyal love (steadfast love) is again the topic, reflected in the phrase tender mercy; see Luke 1:72.

[1:78]  ¹⁸ 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]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “shall visit us.”

[1:2]  ²⁰ tn Grk “even as”; this compares the recorded tradition of 1:1 with the original eyewitness tradition of 1:2.

[1:2]  ²¹ tn Or “delivered.”

[1:2]  ²² 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]  ²³ 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]  ²⁴ tn Grk “And the.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[1:19]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the one who is standing before God.”

[1:19]  ²⁶ tn Grk “to announce these things of good news to you.”