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InterlinearVerse GEN EXO LEV NUM DEU JOB JOS JDG RUTH 1 SAM 2 SAM PSA AMOS HOS 1 KI 2 KI 1 CHR 2 CHR PROV ECC SNG JOEL MIC ISA ZEP HAB JER LAM YNA (JNA) NAH OBA DAN EZE EZRA EST NEH HAG ZEC MAL LAO GES LES ESG DNG 2 PS TOB JDT WIS SIR BAR LJE PAZ SUS BEL MAN 1 MAC 2 MAC 3 MAC 4 MAC YHN (JHN) MARK MAT LUKE ACTs YAC (JAM) GAL 1 TH 2 TH 1 COR 2 COR ROM COL PHM EPH PHP 1 TIM TIT 1 PET 2 PET 2 TIM HEB YUD (JUD) 1 YHN (1 JHN) 2 YHN (2 JHN) 3 YHN (3 JHN) REV
Luke C1 C2 C3 C4 C5 C6 C7 C8 C9 C10 C11 C12 C13 C14 C15 C16 C17 C18 C19 C20 C21 C22 C23 C24
Luke 2 V1 V3 V5 V7 V9 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51
OET (OET-LV) And when eight days were_fulfilled which to_circumcise him, also the name of_him was_called Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa), which having_been_called by the messenger before the time him to_be_conceived in the womb.
OET (OET-RV) When the baby was eight days old and hence the time for his circumcision, he was given the name Yeshua as instructed by God’s messenger even before he was conceived in the womb.
The events in this section happened some days after Jesus was born.
In 2:21–24, Luke mentioned three ceremonies that were done when Jewish boys were born:
the baby boy was circumcised;
the mother was ritually purified;
the baby boy was presented to God.
In 2:25–38 Luke described two other events that happened while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were at the temple in Jerusalem. God allowed two righteous people named Simeon and Anna to see Jesus and to thank God for him. Simeon spoke a prophecy about Jesus and Mary.
In 2:39–40 Luke concluded the section. Joseph and Mary took Jesus back to their home in Nazareth, where he grew and became strong and wise. The Gospel of Matthew indicates that before they went to Nazareth, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt and stayed there for some time. Although Luke does not mention this, you should connect the clauses in 2:39 in a way that does not contradict it.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
Jesus’ Parents Obey Moses’ Teachings (GW)
Jesus Presented at the Temple (NASB)
Some English versions begin new sections at 2:25 and at 2:36. If you decide to do this in your translation, some possible headings are:
Simeon saw Jesus and prophesied about him (2:25)
Anna thanked God for Jesus and told others about him (2:36)
Simeon’s Prophecy (2:25)
Anna’s Prophecy (2:36)
When the eight days until His circumcision had passed,
¶ On the eighth day from the baby’s birth, it was time for his circumcision,
¶ As God’s law requires for baby boys, when seven days had passed, his parents caused someone to cut off some of the skin at the end of his penis.
¶ A week after the baby was born, it was time for them to mark him as one of God’s people. So they cut off his foreskin.
When the eight days until His circumcision had passed: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as When the eight days until His circumcision had passed indirectly refers to what the Law of Moses required. The Law stated that every baby boy must be circumcised on the eighth day from his birth. In some languages it may be helpful to mention the Law more directly. For example:
On the eighth day from his birth, they circumcised him as God’s law required
When the eight days: When the Jews counted the days between two events, they started counting with the day that the first event happened. For example, in this context, if Jesus was born on a Friday, they would count that Friday as the first day. Then the Friday of the following week would be the last of the eight days that the law specified. A similar expression occurs in 1:59a. In English, people start counting with the day after the first event happened. For example:
A week later (GNT)
When Jesus was seven days old
Use the natural way in your language to count the days between events.
circumcision: The act of circumcision means to cut off the skin at the end of a boy’s penis. According to custom, someone would circumcise the boy.
In some cultures, it may be acceptable to explicitly say “cut off the loose skin at the end of a boy’s penis.” In other cultures, it may be necessary to use a euphemism, that is, to describe circumcision in a less direct way. Some examples are:
cut off some of the skin
mark him as one of God’s people
receive the mark
He was named Jesus,
and his parents named him Jesus.
At that time, they named him Jesus.
He was named Jesus: In Jewish culture at the time of Jesus’ birth, it was the custom for the parents to name their baby boys when they were circumcised. The clause He was named Jesus is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb and say who named Jesus. For example:
they named him Jesus
his parents named him Jesus
the name the angel had given Him
This was the name that the angel Gabriel had given him
The angel Gabriel had told Mary to give him this name
before He had been conceived.
before Mary conceived him.
before she became pregnant.
the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived: This part of the verse refers to 1:31. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive and bear a son, he told her that she should name him Jesus.
angel: See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
before He had been conceived: The word conceived refers to the time when Mary became pregnant. At that time the baby started to grow inside her womb. That happened sometime after the angel had told her what the baby’s name should be. Another way to translate this is:
before his mother became pregnant (GW)
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the parts of 2:21b–d. For example:
21dBefore Mary became pregnant, 21cthe angel had told Mary to name the baby Jesus. 21bSo that is what his parents did.
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν
when ˓were˒_fulfilled days (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
The law that God gave to Jewish believers told them to circumcise a baby boy on the eighth day of his life. As in [1:59](../01/59.md), the day on which the baby was born was considered to be the first day. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could translate this expression according to the way your own culture reckons time. Alternate translation: [when the baby was one week old, and according to the Jewish law it was time to circumcise him]
Note 2 topic: writing-newevent
ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ
when ˓were˒_fulfilled days (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
This time reference also introduces a new event. Alternate translation: [after eight days had gone by] or [when the baby was one week old]
Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτὼ
˓were˒_fulfilled days (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [after eight days had gone by] or [when the baby was one week old]
Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς
˓was˒_called (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form, and you could state who did the action. Alternate translation: [his parents Joseph and Mary named him Jesus]
Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐκλήθη τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς
˓was˒_called (Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
As in 1:13, to “call a name” is an idiom that means to give a child a name. Alternate translation: [his parents Joseph and Mary named him Jesus]
Note 6 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive
τὸ κληθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγγέλου
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [which was the name that the angel had told Mary to give him]
Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicitinfo
πρὸ τοῦ συνλημφθῆναι αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ
(Some words not found in SR-GNT: Καί ὅτε ἐπλήσθησαν ἡμέραι ὀκτώ τοῦ περιτεμεῖν αὐτόν καί ἐκλήθη τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἰησοῦς τό κληθέν ὑπό τοῦ ἀγγέλου πρό τοῦ συλλημφθῆναι αὐτόν ἐν τῇ κοιλίᾳ)
In your language, it might seem that the phrase conceived in the womb expresses unnecessary extra information. If so, you could abbreviate it. Alternate translation: [before he was conceived]
2:21 Eight days later . . . circumcised: See study note on 1:59.
OET (OET-LV) And when eight days were_fulfilled which to_circumcise him, also the name of_him was_called Yaʸsous/(Yəhōshūˊa), which having_been_called by the messenger before the time him to_be_conceived in the womb.
OET (OET-RV) When the baby was eight days old and hence the time for his circumcision, he was given the name Yeshua as instructed by God’s messenger even before he was conceived in the womb.
Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.
Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.