LUKE 2:9 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, 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 And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear.

UST Suddenly they saw an angel from the Lord standing in front of them. A glorious light from the Lord shone all over them. They became very afraid.

BSB Just then an angel of [the] Lord stood before them, and [the] glory of [the] Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

BLB And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared with great fear.

AICNT And [[behold]][fn] an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory [of the Lord][fn] shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

2:9, behold: Some manuscripts include. A(02) D(05) BYZ TR ‖ Absent from ℵ(01) B(03) W(032) NA28 SBLGNT THGNT.

2:9, of the Lord: Absent from some manuscripts. D(05) Latin(b ff²). ‖ Some manuscripts read “God.” Latin(e)

OEB when an angel of the Lord suddenly stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were seized with fear.

2DT and Lord’s envoy stood over them and Lord’s splendor shone around them, and they were awed with great awe.

WEBBE Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.

LSV and behold, a messenger of the LORD stood over them, and the glory of the LORD shone around them, and they feared [with] a great fear.

FBV An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone all around them. They were scared out of their wits!

TCNT And [fn]behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.

2:9 behold, ¦ — CT

T4T An angel from God appeared to them. A great light ◄from the Lord/from God► shone on them and around them. So they became very afraid.

LEB And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and _⌊they were terribly frightened_⌋.[fn]

2:9 Literally “they were afraid with great fear”

BBE And an angel of the Lord came to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining round about them: and fear came on them.

Moff and an angel of the Lord flashed upon them, the glory of the Lord shone all round them. They were terribly afraid,

Wymth when suddenly an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round them; and they were filled with terror.

ASV And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

DRA And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the brightness of God shone round about them; and they feared with a great fear.

YLT and lo, a messenger of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they feared a great fear.

Drby And lo, an angel of [the] Lord was there by them, and [the] glory of [the] Lord shone around them, and they feared [with] great fear.

RV And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

SLT And, behold, a messenger of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them: and they fear a great fear.

Wbstr And lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were in great fear.

KJB-1769 And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

KJB-1611 And loe, the Angel of the Lord came vpon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps And loe, the Angel of the Lorde stoode harde by them, and the glorie of the Lorde shone rounde about them, & they were sore afrayde.
(And lo, the Angel of the Lord stood hard by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.)

Gnva And loe, the Angel of the Lord came vpon them, and the glorie of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraide.
(And lo, the Angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraid. )

Cvdl And beholde, ye angell of the LORDE stode by the, and ye brightnes of the LORDE shone rounde aboute them, and they were sore afrayed.
(And behold, ye/you_all angel of the LORD stood by them, and ye/you_all brightness of the LORD shone round about them, and they were sore afraid.)

TNT And loo: the angell of the lorde stode harde by the and the brightnes of the lorde shone rounde aboute them and they were soare afrayed.
(And loo: the angel of the lord stood hard by the and the brightness of the lord shone round about them and they were soare afraid. )

Wycl And lo! the aungel of the Lord stood bisidis hem, and the cleernesse of God schinede aboute hem; and thei dredden with greet drede.
(And lo! the angel of the Lord stood besides hem, and the cleerness of God schinede about hem; and they dreaded with great dread.)

Luth und siehe des HErr’s Engel trat zu ihnen, und die Klarheit des HErr’s leuchtete um sie, und sie fürchteten sich sehr.
(and see/look the LORD’s angel stepped to/for to_them, and the Klarheit the LORD’s leuchtete around/by/for they/she/them, and they/she/them feared itself/yourself/themselves very.)

ClVg Et ecce angelus Domini stetit juxta illos, et claritas Dei circumfulsit illos, et timuerunt timore magno.[fn]
(And behold messenger/angel Master he_stood next_to those, and claritas of_God circumfulsit those, and they_were_afraid with_fear great/highly. )

2.9 Et ecce angelus Domini. ID. Et concipiendum, et conceptum, et natum Dominum, cœli cives testantur, ut et mortales sufficienter imbuant, et suum auctori servitium impendant.

2.9 And behold messenger/angel Master. ID. And concipiendum, and conceptum, and born the_Master, heavens citizen testantur, as and mortales sufficienter imbuant, and his_own authori servitium impendant.

UGNT καὶ ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς, καὶ δόξα Κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν.
(kai angelos Kuriou epestaʸ autois, kai doxa Kuriou perielampsen autous, kai efobaʸthaʸsan fobon megan.)

SBL-GNT ⸀καὶ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς καὶ δόξα κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν·
(⸀kai angelos kuriou epestaʸ autois kai doxa kuriou perielampsen autous, kai efobaʸthaʸsan fobon megan;)

RP-GNT Καὶ ἰδού, ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς, καὶ δόξα κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν.
(Kai idou, angelos kuriou epestaʸ autois, kai doxa kuriou perielampsen autous; kai efobaʸthaʸsan fobon megan.)

TC-GNT Καὶ [fn]ἰδού, ἄγγελος Κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς, καὶ δόξα Κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς· καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν.
(Kai idou, angelos Kuriou epestaʸ autois, kai doxa Kuriou perielampsen autous; kai efobaʸthaʸsan fobon megan. )

2:9 ιδου ¦ — CT

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, 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)

2:9a

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.”

2:9b

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)

2:9c

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

UTN uW Translation Notes:

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]

Parallel LUKE 2:9

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

2:9a

2:9b

2:9c