God’s Word Translation
Luke 2:9
9An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified.
Luke 2:9 in other versions
- King James Version (KJV)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.
- New International Version (NIV)An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
- English Standard Version (ESV)And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear.
- New King James Version (NKJV)And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
Context of Luke 2:9
7She gave birth to her firstborn son. She wrapped him in strips of cloth and laid him in a manger because there wasn’t any room for them in the inn. 8Shepherds were in the fields near Bethlehem. They were taking turns watching their flock during the night. An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. The glory of the Lord filled the area with light, and they were terrified. 10The angel said to them, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, a message that will fill everyone with joy. 11Today your Savior, Christ the Lord, was born in David’s city.
Read all of Luke 2Luke 2:9 word by word
καὶ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς, καὶ δόξα κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς, καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν.Read the interlinear
Words taken from the KJV.
- ·φόβοςphobos · fearG5401
- Andκαίkai · andG2532
- loὁράωhoraō · to see: seeG3708
- the angelἄγγελοςaggelos · angelG32
- of the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
- came uponἐφίστημιephistēmi · to approachG2186
- themαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
- the gloryδόξαdoxa · gloryG1391
- shone round aboutπεριλάμπωperilampō · to shine aroundG4034
- they wereφοβέωphobeō · to fearG5399
- soreμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
Cross-references for Luke 2:9
- Luke 1:11Then, to the right of the incense altar, an angel of the Lord appeared to him.
- Judges 6:11The Messenger of the Lord came and sat under the oak tree in Ophrah that belonged to Joash from Abiezer’s family. Joash’s son Gideon was beating out wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
- Matthew 1:20Joseph had this in mind when an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. The angel said to him, “Joseph, descendant of David, don’t be afraid to take Mary as your wife. She is pregnant by the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 27:23I know this because an angel from the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood by me last night.
- 1 Timothy 3:16The mystery that gives us our reverence for God is acknowledged to be great: He appeared in his human nature, was approved by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was announced throughout the nations, was believed in the world, and was taken to heaven in glory.
- Exodus 16:7In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard you complaining about him. Why are you complaining about us?”
- Exodus 40:34Then the ⌞column of⌟ smoke covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tent.
- 1 Kings 8:11The priests couldn’t serve because of the cloud. The Lord’s glory filled his temple.
- Isaiah 6:3They called to each other and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of Armies! The whole earth is filled with his glory.”
- Isaiah 35:2Like a lily the land will blossom. It will rejoice and sing with joy. It will have the glory of Lebanon, the majesty of Carmel and Sharon. Everyone will see the glory of the Lord, the majesty of our God.
- Isaiah 40:5Then the Lord’s glory will be revealed and all people will see it together. The Lord has spoken.”
- Isaiah 60:1Arise! Shine! Your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has dawned.
- Ezekiel 3:23I got up and went to the plain. The Lord’s glory was standing there like the glory I saw by the Chebar River, and I immediately bowed down.
- John 12:41Isaiah said this because he had seen Jesus’ glory and had spoken about him.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18As all of us reflect the Lord’s glory with faces that are not covered with veils, we are being changed into his image with ever-increasing glory. This comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 2 Corinthians 4:6We are his servants because the same God who said that light should shine out of darkness has given us light. For that reason we bring to light the knowledge about God’s glory which shines from Christ’s face.
Commentaries on Luke 2:9
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 9The angel of the Lord came upon them - Or, stood over them, . It is likely that the angel appeared in the air at some little distance above them, and that from him the rays of the glory of the Lord shone round about them, as the rays of light are projected from the sun. They were sore afraid - Terrified with the appearance of so glorious a being, and probably fearing that he was a messenger of justice, coming to denounce Divine judgments, or punish them…Read the comment
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 9The glory of the Lord - This is the same as a “great” glory - that is, a splendid appearance or “light.” The word “glory” is often the same as light, 1 Corinthians 15:41; Luke 9:31; Acts 22:11. The words “Lord” and “God” are often used to denote “greatness” or “intensity.” Thus, “trees of God” mean great trees; “hills of God,” high or lofty hills, etc. So “the glory of the Lord” here means an exceedingly great or bright luminous appearance perhaps not…Read the comment
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 8-20Verses 8-20 Angels were heralds of the new-born Saviour, but they were only sent to some poor, humble, pious, industrious shepherds, who were in the business of their calling, keeping watch over their flock. We are not out of the way of Divine visits, when we are employed in an honest calling, and abide with God in it. Let God have the honour of this work; Glory to God in the highest. God's good-will to men, manifested in sending the Messiah, redounds to…Read the comment
- Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 9-10terrified: Like Zechariah and Mary, the angel's presence was both glorious and frightening. The angel told the shepherds, "Do not be afraid!" (compare 1:11–13, 28–30). I bring you good news: This Greek verb (euangelizō, meaning “to bring good news”) comes from the same root as the word euangelion (“good news” or “gospel”). In the Berean Standard Bible, euangelion is often translated as “gospel” (for example, Galatians 2:5, 7, 14). Isaiah’s prophecies…Read the comment
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 99. glory of the Lord--"the brightness or glory which is represented as encompassing all heavenly visions" [Olshausen]. sore afraid--So it ever was (Da 10:7, 8; Lu 1:12; Re 1:17). Men have never felt easy with the invisible world laid suddenly open to their gaze. It was never meant to be permanent; a momentary purpose was all it was intended to serve.Read the comment
Topics related to Luke 2:9
In the dictionaries
Commentaries on Luke 2
- Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
- Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
- Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
- Tyndale Open Study Notes
- Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
- Calvin’s Commentaries
- John Wesley’s Notes
- Catena Aurea
- Illustrated New Testament
- Burkitt’s Expository Notes
- Darby Translation Notes
- Family Bible Notes
- Geneva Bible Translation Notes
- Kingcomments
- John Lightfoot Commentary
- Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
- Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
- Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
- The People’s New Testament
- Robertson’s Word Pictures
- Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
- The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
- Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
- Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
- EGW Writings
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