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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 V11 V13 V15 V17 V19 V21 V23 V25 V27 V29 V31 V33 V35 V37 V39 V41 V43 V45 V47 V49 V51
OET (OET-LV) And an_messenger of_the_master approached to_them, and the_glory of_the_master shined_around them, and they_were_afraid with_ great _fear.
OET (OET-RV) A messenger sent by Yahweh approached them, and Yahweh’s radiance shone around them, and they were very frightened.
In this section some shepherds were taking care of their sheep in fields near Bethlehem. An angel came to them and told them that Christ the Savior had been born that night in Bethlehem. He told them that they would find the baby lying in a feeding box for animals. Then other angels came and praised God. After the angels left, the shepherds went to Bethlehem and found the baby, just as the angel had said they would.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
Angels tell shepherds about Jesus’ birth and the shepherds visit him
The Shepherds and the Angels (GNT)
Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them,
Suddenly an angel from the Lord appeared to them,
Suddenly an angel sent from the Lord God appeared to them.
The Lord sent an angel to the shepherds. The angel suddenly came where they could see him.
Just then This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Many English versions translate it that way. Some other versions translate it as “then” to show that this is the next thing that happened in the story. The BSB translates it as Just then to show that this next event happened suddenly. Other English versions do not translate this conjunction.There is a textual issue here. Many Greek manuscripts begin this verse with the word kai, “and.” The textual support for beginning the verse in this way is early and widespread. However, the decision about whether to translate the word explicitly should be based on stylistic considerations. In other Greek manuscripts, the verse begins with the words kai idou, “and behold.” The KJV follows these manuscripts and says “and lo.” This difference also is largely a matter of style.
an angel of the Lord: Here the phrase an angel of the Lord refers to an angel whom God had sent. This same expression occurs in 1:11a.
angel: The Greek word that the BSB translates as angel means “messenger.” It refers here to a spirit-being who serves God. God sent an angel to tell a message to these shepherds. Some ways to translate this term are:
Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:
messenger from God/heaven
good/holy spirit-being
spirit-being servant of God
Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.
In some areas the churches may use a borrowed term or a transliterated word for “angel.” If some people do not understand the right meaning from this word, you may need to indicate the meaning. For example:
an angelos messenger from God
a sacred angelos spirit
Be sure that your term for “angel” is different from your terms for “prophet” and “apostle.” See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
stood before them: In this context, the Greek term that the BSB translates as stood before means that the angel appeared to the shepherds and that the shepherds had not seen him approaching. Many English versions, such as the NIV, the ESV, and the NET, translated this as “appeared.” In some languages, a word such as “suddenly” or “unexpectedly” may help to express this idea. For example:
An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. (GW)
They suddenly saw an angel whom God had sent to them.
before them: The Greek text indicates that the angel appeared to the shepherds, but it does not specify whether the angel appeared in front of the shepherds or beside them. If you say “appeared” in your translation, you may wish to say simply “to.”
and the glory of the Lord shone around them,
and the brightness of the Lord shined with glory/splendor on the place where they were.
The Lord’s light illuminated the place where they were,
glory of the Lord: Here the word glory refers to the Lord’s “majesty” or “greatness.” This “majesty” or “greatness” appeared to the shepherds as brightness like the shining of a very bright light. It was not normal light, but a special type of light.
Some ways to translate the phrase glory of the Lord here are:
majesty/greatness of the Lord
brightness of the Lord
bright light from the Lord
the light of the Lord
See also the word glory, sense A2, in KBT. See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.
shone around them: Some other ways to say shone around them are:
shined over/on them
illuminated/illumined the place where they were
filled the area with light (GW)
and they were terrified.
They were terrified.
and this frightened/scared them.
so that they became very afraid.
they were terrified: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as they were terrified is literally “they feared a great fear.” Some other ways to say this are:
they were very afraid
they feared greatly
this really frightened/scared them
ἄγγελος Κυρίου
˓an˒_angel ˱of˲_˓the˒_Lord
Alternate translation: [a heavenly messenger sent from the Lord]
ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς
approached ˱to˲_them
Alternate translation: [came to the shepherds]
Note 1 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit
δόξα Κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς
˓the˒_glory ˱of˲_˓the˒_Lord shined_around them
The implication is that a bright light appeared at the same time as the angel, expressing the magnificent presence of God that was accompanying his messenger. The glory of God is associated with light in the Bible, for example, “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of Yahweh has risen on you,” [Isaiah 60:1](../isa/60/01.md). If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: [a bright light shone all around them, showing the glorious presence of God]
Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom
ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν
˱they˲_˓were˒_afraid ˱with˲_fear great
This is an idiom. Alternate translation: [they were extremely afraid] or [they were terrified]
OET (OET-LV) And an_messenger of_the_master approached to_them, and the_glory of_the_master shined_around them, and they_were_afraid with_ great _fear.
OET (OET-RV) A messenger sent by Yahweh approached them, and Yahweh’s radiance shone around them, and they were very frightened.
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.
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