LUKE 2:11 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=minor/spelling Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, pink:genitive/possessor, cyan:dative/indirect object.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For today has been born for you in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord!

UST They will rejoice because today, in Bethlehem, King David’s hometown, the person was born who will save you from your sins! He is the Messiah, the Lord!

BLB For today in the City of David a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ the Lord.

AICNT for today a Savior has been born to you, who is Christ[fn] the Lord, in the city of David.

2:11, Christ: The Greek word for Christ is defined by BDAG as: (1) fulfiller of Israelite expectation of a deliverer, the Anointed One, the Messiah, the Christ, (2) the personal name ascribed to Jesus, Christ. (BDAG, Χριστός)

OEB This day there has been born to you, in the town of David, a Saviour, who is Christ and Lord.

2DT because today a Deliverer, who is Lord Christos, has been birthed for you in Dauid’s city.

WEBBE For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Saviour, who is Christ[fn] the Lord.

2:11 “Christ” means “Anointed One”.

WMBB For there is born to you today, in David’s city, a Saviour, who is Messiah[fn] the Lord.

2:11 “Messiah” means “Anointed One”.

NET Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord.

LSV because today in the city of David a Savior was born to you, who is Christ the LORD!

FBV The Savior has been born to you today, here in David's city. He is the Messiah, the Lord.

TCNT For to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

T4T The message is that today a baby has been born in Bethlehem, the town where King David grew up. That baby will eventually save you from the guilt of your sins! He is the Messiah, your Lord!

LEB that today a Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born for you in the city of David.

TLB The Savior—yes, the Messiah, the Lord—has been born tonight in Bethlehem!*

BBE For on this day, in the town of David, a Saviour has come to birth, who is Christ the Lord.

Moff To-day you have a saviour born in the town of David, the Lord messiah.

Wymth For a Saviour who is the Anointed Lord is born to you to-day, in the town of David.

ASV for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.

DRA For, this day, is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

YLT because there was born to you to-day a Saviour — who is Christ the Lord — in the city of David,

Drby for to-day a Saviour has been born to you in David's city, who is Christ [the] Lord.

RV for there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

SLT For this day a Saviour was born to you, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

Wbstr For to you is born this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.

KJB-1769 For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

KJB-1611 For vnto you is borne this day, in the citie of Dauid, a Sauiour, which is Christ the Lord.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from punctuation)

Bshps For vnto you is borne this daye, in the citie of Dauid, a sauiour, which is Christ the Lorde.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Gnva That is, that vnto you is borne this day in the citie of Dauid, a Sauiour, which is Christ the Lord.
(That is, that unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. )

Cvdl for vnto you this daye is borne ye Sauioure, eue Christ ye LORDE, in the cite of Dauid.
(for unto you this day is born ye/you_all Saviour, eve/even Christ ye/you_all LORD, in the cite of David.)

TNT for vnto you is borne this daye in the cite of David a saveoure which is Christ the lorde.
(for unto you is born this day in the cite of David a savioure which is Christ the lorde. )

Wycl For a sauyoure is borun to dai to you, that is Crist the Lord, in the citee of Dauid.
(For a savioure is born to day to you, that is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.)

Luth denn euch ist heute der Heiland geboren, welcher ist Christus, der HErr, in der Stadt Davids.
(because/than you is today the/of_the saviour born, which is Christ, the/of_the LORD, in the/of_the city David's.)

ClVg quia natus est vobis hodie Salvator, qui est Christus Dominus, in civitate David.
(because born it_is to_you(pl) today/at_this_time Salvator, who/which it_is Christ/Messiah Master, in/into/on city David. )

UGNT ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον Σωτὴρ, ὅς ἐστιν Χριστὸς, Κύριος, ἐν πόλει Δαυείδ.
(hoti eteⱪthaʸ humin saʸmeron Sōtaʸr, hos estin Ⱪristos, Kurios, en polei Daueid.)

SBL-GNT ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτὴρ ὅς ἐστιν χριστὸς κύριος ἐν πόλει Δαυίδ·
(hoti eteⱪthaʸ humin saʸmeron sōtaʸr hos estin ⱪristos kurios en polei Dawid;)

RP-GNT ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ὅς ἐστιν χριστὸς κύριος, ἐν πόλει Δαυίδ.
(hoti eteⱪthaʸ humin saʸmeron sōtaʸr, hos estin ⱪristos kurios, en polei Dawid.)

TC-GNT ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτήρ, ὅς ἐστι Χριστὸς Κύριος, ἐν πόλει [fn]Δαυίδ.
(hoti eteⱪthaʸ humin saʸmeron sōtaʸr, hos esti Ⱪristos Kurios, en polei Dawid. )

2:11 δαυιδ ¦ δαβιδ HF TR ¦ δαυειδ TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, orange:accents differ, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

TTN Tyndale Theme Notes:

The Birth of Christ

The accounts of the birth of Jesus (Matt 1:18–2:12; Luke 2:1-20) are a study in contrasts. On the one side is the lowliness of the birth. A poor peasant couple makes their way to their ancestral home of Bethlehem to register for a census imposed on them by the oppressive Roman Empire. Their journey is a long and hard one from Galilee, and when they arrive they can find no place of lodging. They are consigned to a place reserved for animals. There is a sense of poverty, rejection, and obscurity. At the birth of the child, announcements are sent not to great kings or to the rich and powerful, but to lowly shepherds watching their flocks in a field.

Yet beside this humble lowliness is a message of unspeakable power and grandeur. The child who is laid in a manger is the Messiah, the long-awaited descendant of King David. He will reign triumphant over the people of Israel and his kingdom will never end. He is the one spoken about by all the prophets. All of history has been pointing forward to its climax in him. A group of wise men from the East come to pay homage to him. And an army of mighty angels comes from heaven to announce his birth.

These contrasts are a foretaste of things to come. In Jesus, the God of Israel and Lord of all the earth has come to visit and to save his people. The Divine One reaches down to meet them where they are. Throughout the Gospels, Jesus will show special concern for the lowly, the poor, the outcast, and sinners. These are the ones he has come to save because they recognize their need for him. They receive the message of salvation with joy and rejoicing.

The contrast between lowliness and exaltation also relates to Jesus’ mission. Though wicked people reject him and put him to death, Jesus is vindicated at his resurrection and exalted to the right hand of God, where he reigns as Lord and Messiah. From there he pours out the Spirit of God to guide and direct his church. Through his life, death, resurrection, and exaltation, Jesus provides forgiveness of sins and eternal life to all those who respond in faith to him.

Passages for Further Study

Matt 1:18–2:12; Luke 2:1-20

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 2:8–20: Angels announced to shepherds that the Savior was born

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)

2:11a

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you.

Today in David’s town a Savior has been born for you.
This good news is that he who will save you has been born here tonight in King David’s home town.
Today a woman has borne a child in David’s home town. This child is the one who will save/rescue you.

In Greek, 2:11 begins with a word that connects 2:10 to 2:11–12. The BSB does not translate this word. There are two ways to interpret the word in this context:

It indicates that 2:11 is the content of the angel’s announcement. Most English versions that do not translate this word are probably following this interpretation. For example:
^10bI bring you good news…. ^11aToday there has been born… (REB) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NJB, NET, REB, GW, NLT, CEV, JBP, NCV)
It indicates that 2:11 is the reason that all the people will have great joy. This meaning can be translated in English as “because/for.” For example:
^10bI bring you good news…^11afor today…there has been born… (NASB) (RSV, NASB, KJV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).

Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you: In Greek this is a passive clause. Use a natural way in your language to announce a birth. Another way to translate this is:

This very day in David's town your Savior was born (GNT)

Today: To the Jews, each new day began at sunset, about 6:00 p.m. Verse 8 indicates that the angel spoke to the shepherds at night. When the angel announced that Jesus had been born, the angel said Today. Because a new day had begun at 6:00 p.m., it is clear that Jesus was born at night after the sun had already set. For this reason, it may be more natural in some languages to say “tonight” rather than Today. For example:

The Savior…has been born tonight. (NLT96)

the city of David: The shepherds understood that the city of David referred to the town that was called Bethlehem, where David was born. Another way to translate this phrase is:

the hometown of David

the town where David was born

This phrase, the city of David, also occurs in 2:4b. You may translate it the same way in both places.

Savior: The word Savior means “someone who saves/rescues (others) from harm or danger.” This same word occurs in 1:47. Other ways to translate this are:

he who will save you

deliverer (REB)

one who will rescue you

If you must indicate from what he will save, you can say:

he who will save you from your sins

See save in the Glossary (see the note on Savior).

born to you: The pronoun you is plural. It refers to the shepherds, but in this context it also applies to “all the people” in 2:10b. The phrase born to you indicates that the Savior’s birth would benefit them. Some ways to translate this include:

born for you

born for your benefit

born to help you

If you have translated the word “Savior” as a clause such as “he who will save you,” you may not need to repeat the idea to you. For example, you may be able to translate “a Savior has been born to you” as:

he who will save you has been born

2:11b

He is Christ the Lord!

He is the Christ/Messiah, and he is the Lord.
He is the Christ/Deliverer. He is the Lord.
He is the Christ/Rescuer whom God promised to send. He is the Lord.

Christ the Lord: Both the word Christ and the word Lord are descriptive titles. If it is not natural in your language to put two titles together like this, you may be able to say:

he is the Christ, he is the Lord

Christ: Here the word Christ is used as a title. It is not just one of Jesus’ names. The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as King and Savior. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning.

Some ways to translate Christ are:

Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:
Messiah
Promised Deliverer
the Rescuer-King whom God sent
Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:
Karisiti, the appointed one
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send
Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:
the Kirisita

You may want to explain the meaning of Christ in a footnote or in a glossary. For example:

The word/title “Christ” refers to the King and Savior whom God had promised to send.

Parallel LUKE 2:11

Section 2:8–20: Angels announced to shepherds that the Savior was born

2:11a

2:11b