Zechariah 9:16

9:16 On that day the Lord their God will deliver them as the flock of his people, for they are the precious stones of a crown sparkling over his land.

Luke 2:14

2:14 “Glory ¹  to God in the highest,

and on earth peace among people ²  with whom he is pleased!” ³ 

Luke 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ⁴  in those days a decree ⁵  went out from Caesar ⁶  Augustus ⁷  to register ⁸  all the empire ⁹  for taxes.

Luke 2:19

2:19 But Mary treasured up all these words, pondering in her heart what they might mean. ¹⁰ 

[2:14]  ¹ sn Glory here refers to giving honor to God.

[2:14]  ² tn This is a generic use of ἄνθρωπος (anqrwpo") referring to both males and females.

[2:14]  ³ tc Most witnesses (א² B² L Θ Ξ Ψ Ë^1,13 Ï sy bo) have ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία (en anqrwpoi" eudokia, “good will among people”) instead of ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας (en anqrwpoi" eudokia", “among people with whom he is pleased”), a reading attested by א* A B* D W pc (sa). Most of the Itala witnesses and some other versional witnesses reflect a Greek text which has the genitive εὐδοκίας but drops the preposition ἐν. Not only is the genitive reading better attested, but it is more difficult than the nominative. “The meaning seems to be, not that divine peace can be bestowed only where human good will is already present, but that at the birth of the Saviour God’s peace rests on those whom he has chosen in accord with his good pleasure” (TCGNT 111).

[2:1]  ⁴ 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]  ⁵ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ⁶ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ 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]  ⁹ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[2:19]  ¹⁰ tn The term συμβάλλουσα (sumballousa) suggests more than remembering. She is trying to put things together here (Josephus, Ant. 2.5.3 [2.72]). The words “what they might mean” have been supplied in the translation to make this clear. Direct objects were frequently omitted in Greek when clear from the context.