Below is a rough translation of Luke 2:1-14, the birth narrative and the sequence of the angels and shepherds in Luke’s gospel. If you want your birth narrative to be informed by the pageant and not ruined by paging close attention, then keep moving, there’s nothing to see here. If, however, you want to let the story speak for itself, then let’s go there and your comments are always welcomed.
1 Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις ἐξῆλθεν δόγμα παρὰ Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην.
Yet it happened that in those days a dogma went out from Caesar Augustus (that) all the world should be registered.
Ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
ἐξῆλθεν: AAI 3s, ἐξέρχομαι, 1) to go or come forth of
ἀπογράφεσθαι: PMInf, ἀπογράφω, 2) to enter in a register or records
1. The word that is usually translated “decree” is δόγμα, which is transliterated as dogma. While we tend to associate the word “dogma” with a specifically religious use, the Greek term δόγμα has these possible meanings: 1) doctrine, decree, ordinance 1a) of public decrees 1b) of the Roman Senate 1c) of rulers 2) the rules and requirements of the law of Moses; carrying a suggestion of severity and of threatened judgment 3) of certain decrees of the apostles relative to right living.
Within Luke/Acts, this term is in Acts 16:4 with reference to decision reached by Jerusalem Council of apostles; and 17:7 with reference to “decrees of Caesar. (Also in Eph. 2:15, Col 2:14). It is also commonly used in Law Schools to mean “opinions” with authority, such as a Supreme Court precedent. In church history it became a way of speaking about tenets of the church.
2. For the translation that “all the world” should be taxed, the term is
οἰκουμένην, ecumene, which is the root of the word “ecumenical.” It was a reference to the “known world,” but often used – as in this case – to refer to the conquered lands of the Empire. The root οἰκο means “house” or “inhabited space.
3. ἀπογράφεσθαι: This term, used in vv, 1,2,3, and 5, is sometimes translated “registered” and sometimes “taxed.” It refers to entering into a public record the names of men, their property, lineage, and income. Some argue that it was partly used to track connections in order to prevent rebellion. I’ve read elsewhere that Caesar Augustus often used imperial scribes and accountants in order ensure the right locations of troops to maintain order and then collecting taxes to support those troops.
4. The issue of taking a registration or a census puts the finger on a sore spot for the Old Testament. In II Samuel 24 and I Chronicles 21, there is a story of David taking a census (different term in the LXX: ἀριθμῆσαι) which brought about the Lord’s anger and hideous judgment. BUT … notice the critical difference in the first verse of those stories!
5. I’ve read often that Jews were opposed to any kind of census. That seems a little curious given what seems to be a high value on genealogies in the writings.
6. Caesar Augustus = Octavian, who ascended into power particularly after defeating Mark Anthony and Cleopatra in the battle of Actium and finishing it in the battle of Alexandria. “Caesar” was originally a family name of Julius Caesar, which was adopted as a title (Kaiser; Tzar). “Augustus” is a LATIN term transliterated into Greek letters here, meaning “majestic” or “venerable” “imperial” sometimes translated “reverend.” Is translated into Greek as σεβαστός in Acts 25:21, 25:25, and 27:1. Our family once had a cat named Sebastian, but he was named after Sebastian Cabot, not an imperial tyrant.
2 αὕτη ἀπογραφὴ πρώτη ἐγένετο ἡγεμονεύοντος τῆς Συρίας Κυρηνίου.
This first registration happened Quirinius commanding in Syria.
ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
ἡγεμονεύοντος: PAPart gsm, ἡγεμονεύω, 1) to be leader, to lead the way 2) to rule, command
1. Now ἀπογραφὴ, the nominal form of ἀπογράφω. γραφὴ means writing, so this is like a public transcript of some sort. (See Acts 5:37)
2. “governor” - ἡγεμονεύω which transliterates into “hegemony.” Means to rule or command. It’s the title given to Pontius Pilate in Lk 3:1.
3. Quirinius (Κυρηνίου KJV: Cyrenius): Thayer’s commentary says that Quirinius was actually the governor of Syria for a different registration, namely the one that is mentioned as an historical event by Gamaliel in Acts 5:37. It says the historical record has Sentius Saturninus as the governor during this registration.
4. Registrations seem to serve as time markers before calendars were fully established.
3 καὶ ἐπορεύοντο πάντες ἀπογράφεσθαι, ἕκαστος εἰς τὴν ἑαυτοῦ πόλιν.
And all went to be registered, each into his own city.
ἐπορεύοντο: IMI 3p, πορεύομαι, 1) to lead over, carry over, transfer 1a) to pursue the journey on which one has entered, to continue on one's journey
ἀπογράφεσθαι: PMInf, ἀπογράφω, 1) to write off, copy (from some pattern) 2) to enter in a register or records
1. Notice the “all” and “each.” We focus on the holy family for many good reasons, but consider the impact of this verse apart from the Christmas story for a moment. This is how life is under the Empire. Books like “Foxe’s Book of Martyrs” convinced us for years that early Christians suffered burnings at the stake, lions in the coliseum, or hanging upside down on a cross. While that may have been true of some of the heroes and more recognizable leaders of the early church, many studies have shown that persecution under the Empire may have been much less dramatic and more rudimentary. Like having to go to the place of your ancestral home to register, so that Rome could keep a ledger of the peoples they had conquered and levy taxes to fund the troops and the next campaign. The words “all” and “each” in this verse give us a sense that the shadow of the Empire was pervasive and invasive. (I wonder if people in “the hill country,” “the wilderness,” or those who “abide in the fields” were less affected.) Those terms throughout Luke’s story may have more significance than I have previously realized.
4 Ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲθ εἰς τὴνἸουδαίαν εἰς πόλιν Δαυὶδ ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλέεμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου
καὶ πατριᾶς Δαυίδ,
Yet also Joseph went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth into Judea in a city of David, which has been called Bethlehem, because he being out of a house and patriarchy of David,
Ἀνέβη: AAI 3s, ἀναβαίνω, 1) ascend 1a) to go up
καλεῖται: PPI 3s καλέω, 1) to call
εἶναι: PAInf, εἰμί, to be
1. The NT often uses the phrase “went up” to refer to a journey that would look as if it were going “down” on a map. It is often because of topology rather than cartography, because one area would be more elevated than the other.
2. Joseph – this is the 2nd mention of him, after 1:27, which also says he was of the “house of David.”
3. There is a great story-link implied in the name of Beth-lehem, which means “House of Bread.” The only other NT mention of Bethlehem outside of the Christmas stories is in John 7:41-42. At a festival, some of the Jews are proclaiming that Jesus must be the Coming One, but others are arguing that he cannot be, because Jesus is a Galilean and the prophet Micah says that the Coming One will be from Bethlehem, which is in the region of Judea. John does not pursue the argument to its conclusion, but that issue is what is behind Luke’s and Matthew’s emphasis on the location of Jesus’ birth. Matthew is explicit in quoting Micah. Luke expects us to know these stirring words from Micah 5:2-5a “But you, Bethlehem-Ephrathah least among the clans of Judah, from you shall come forth for me one who is to be ruler in Israel; Whose origin is from of old, from ancient times. Therefore the Lord will give them up, until the time when she who is to give birth has borne, then the rest of his kindred shall return to the children of Israel. He shall take his place as shepherd by the strength of the LORD, by the majestic name of the LORD, his God; and they shall dwell securely, for now his greatness shall reach to the ends of the earth: he shall be the one of peace.”
3. Luke places Joseph and Mary in Nazareth prior to the birth of Jesus. Matthew has them settling in Nazareth only after a time as refugees in Egypt and only because Archelaeus had taken control of Judea following the death of this father Herod (the Great).
5 ἀπογράψασθαι σὺν Μαριὰμ τῇ ἐμνηστευμένῃ αὐτῷ, οὔσῃ ἐγκύῳ.
To be registered with Mary the one who had been engaged to him, who was pregnant.
ἀπογράφεσθαι: PMInf, ἀπογράφω, 1) to write off, copy (from some pattern) 2) to enter in a register or records
ἐμνηστευμένῃ : PPPart dsf, espoused (be) to ask in marriage, to woo. In NT only in passive to be asked in marriage, hence, to be betrothed, affianced.
1. I visited a remote community in Nicaragua recently, where there was a clinic in the middle of the village. Inside were several newsprint posters on the wall. The first was a map identifying each home. The rest were lists of infants, pregnancies, children under 12, elderly, ill, and (my favorite) “fertile women.” I imagine the “registration” was something akin to those posters. They had great utility for some purposes, but also could be used for nefarious purposes in the wrong hands.
2. Isn’t it sobering to think that, within this story, one of the first expressions of “you shall call him Jesus” might have been when his name was registered in Caesar’s census?
3. The word typically translated “pregnant” or “expecting” is ἐγκύῳ, which has the prefix ἐν (in) and the root κύω (to hold, contain).
6 ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐκεῖ ἐπλήσθησαν αἱ ἡμέραι τοῦ τεκεῖν
αὐτήν,
Yet it happened in the being there the days were fulfilled of her to give birth.
Ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
εἶναι: PAInf, εἰμί, to be
ἐπλήσθησαν: API 3p, πίμπλημι, to fill, fill up. Passive to become full of, be satisfied, have enough of;
τεκεῖν: AAInf τίκτω 1) to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from seed) 1a) of a woman giving birth
1. “The days were fulfilled” could be a way of saying that the pregnancy had come full term, but it could also be a double entendre, that Micah’s promise was here because God’s days were fulfilled. πλήθω is the same verb as in the phrase “filled with Holy Spirit”
2. The word “child is implied in vv. 5 and 6.
7καὶ ἔτεκεν τὸν υἱὸν αὐτῆς τὸν πρωτότοκον: καὶ ἐσπαργάνωσεν αὐτὸν καὶ
ἀνέκλινεν αὐτὸν ἐν φάτνῃ, διότι οὐκ ἦν αὐτοῖς τόπος ἐν τῷ καταλύματι.
And she bore her firstborn son; and swaddled him and laid him in a manger, because there was not a place in the inn for them.
ἔτεκεν: AAI 3s, τίκτω 1) to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from seed) 1a) of a woman giving birth
ἐσπαργάνωσεν: AAI 3s, σπαργανόω, 1) to wrap in swaddling clothes 1a) of an infant just born
ἀνέκλινεν: AAI 3s, ἀνακλίνω, 1) to lean against, lean upon 1a) to lay down 1b) to make or bid to recline
ἦν: IAI 3s, εἰμί, to be
1. “Firstborn” πρωτότοκον, πρωτό / τοκον a combination of proto and τίκτω, which is used throughout these stories for bearing a child. Firstborns have a special place and bring special obligations in many of the offerings of the OT.
2. “Swaddled” σπαργανόω, is only used here and 2:12. The nominal version is called a “swathing band” or “bands of cloth” so this verb could be “swathed.” I cannot help but compart this verse to the tragic moment of Lk. 23:53-55.
3. “Laid” ἀνακλίνω, the word often used for sitting to eat, because people tended to recline on a pillow or sit like at a picnic (feeding 5,000) rather than sit upright.
4. “manger” φάτνῃ, can be a crib (think ‘corn crib’). In Lk.13:15 it seems to be a either a feeding trough or a stall of some sort.
5. “place” = τόπος, as in “topography” also the word in “sermon on the plain.” Not “room” specifically, but any marked off or noted place.
6. “Inn” καταλύματι, inn or “guest chamber.” Not the place where Jesus stops with the 2 travelers in the story of the Road to Emmaus (Lk. 24: ). It is the name of the place where Jesus sends 2 disciples to ask for a room for the last supper (Lk. 22:11). (The verbal form of this word means to “demolish, dissolve, loosen down” OR “to lodge” to ‘be a guest’).
8 Καὶ ποιμένες ἦσαν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ τῇ αὐτῇ ἀγραυλοῦντες καὶ φυλάσσοντες
φυλακὰς τῆς νυκτὸς ἐπὶ τὴν ποίμνην αὐτῶν.
And there were shepherds in that region who were hunting and guarding in the night guard over their flocks.
ἦσαν: IAI 3p, εἰμί, to be
ἀγραυλοῦντες: PAPart npm, ἀγρεύω, 1) to hunt, to take by hunting, catch 2) metaph. to hunt after, pursue eagerly
φυλάσσοντες: PAPart npm, φυλάσσω, 1) to guard 1a) to watch, keep watch 1b) to guard or watch, have an eye upon: lest he escape
1. I know the familiar telling of this story has the shepherds “abiding” and “keeping watch” over their flocks by night calmly and quietly. But, these are action verbs, which show shepherds to be vigilant, aggressively on the prowl for predators, and not just ruddy-faced harpists, snuggling up with the lambs and only occasionally having to ward off a wolf or two.
2. ποιμένες and ποίμνην are related like shepherd and sheep in English. All of Luke’s references to shepherd ποιμήν are here in c.2. This is the only reference to flock ποίμνη in Luke.
2. φυλάσσοντες φυλακὰς – “keeping watch”: the most literal translations of these terms are “to guard” and “prison.” YLT has it ‘keeping the night-watches.’ The term was used to speak about dividing the night into “four watches” (Lk. 12:38 speaks literally of the 2nd or third “watch”)
3. ἀγραυλέω – This is the only use of this term in the NT. From ἀγρός (field) and αὐλή (open-air quarters, like a courtyard; sometimes “palace.”)
9 καὶ ἄγγελος κυρίου ἐπέστη αὐτοῖς καὶ δόξα κυρίου περιέλαμψεν αὐτούς,
καὶ ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον μέγαν.
And an angel/messenger of lord stood by them and glory of lord shone around them, and they were afeared with great fear.
ἐπέστη: ἐφίστημι, 1) to place at, place upon, place over 1a) to stand by, be present
περιέλαμψεν: AAI 3s, περιλάμπω, 1) to shine around
ἐφοβήθησαν: API 3p, φοβέω, to strike with fear, scare, frighten. Middle or passive as here, to be put in fear, take fright.
1. If the shepherds were a tough lot – more like cowboys than choir boys – imagine what this angel/messenger must be like, suddenly appearing in the middle of the watch, to scare the snot out of them. Honestly, my kingdom for a pageant with cowboys/cowgirls and ninjas!
2. The verb ἐφίστημι (stood by or came near) implies closeness or suddenness. It can imply hostility, like “accosted.” That would make the shepherds’ fear more understandable. See (21:34)
3. περιέλαμψεν – to shine around. Peri-lamp, almost like a halo of light.
4. ἐφοβήθησαν φόβον – affrighted with fear, passive verb similar noun, with μέγαν.
4. Why “glory of the Lord” (δόξα κυρίου)? It could be based on the long-standing belief that to see God directly is deadly. So God’s “glory” is an appearance of splendor, but not Godself. It’s almost like a necessary intermediary between God and humanity, because Godself is simply too overwhelmingly glorious for human eyes. We’ll see it again in v.14, “Glory to God in the highest,” where the heavenly host are ascribing Glory, almost like a blessing.
10 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄγγελος, Μὴ φοβεῖσθε, ἰδοὺ γὰρ εὐαγγελίζομαι ὑμῖν
χαρὰν μεγάλην ἥτις ἔσται παντὶ τῷ λαῷ,
And the angel said to them, “Do not be afeared, for behold I am announcing great joy to you which will be to all the people:
εὐαγγελίζομαι: PMI 1s, εὐαγγελίζω, 1) to bring good news, to announce glad tidings 1a) used in the OT of any kind of good news
ἰδοὺ: AMImp of εἶδον, a form of ὁράω, 1) to see with the eyes
εἶπεν: AAI 3s, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak
1. “Do not be afraid” – same words to Zechariah (1:13) and Mary (1:30). Again, “afraid” is a passive verb, not an adjective.
2. The angel/messenger’s language is excessive in a good way. The verb εὐαγγελίζω (evangelize) already implies an object of ‘good news’ within it (the εὐ means ‘good’). Then there is an object of ‘great joy’ in the accusative case. It could be either “I am good newsing great joy” or “I am announcing good news of great joy” with the accusative being treated as a genitive.
3. “Behold” is one of those verbs (which takes on the sense of a particle in Greek) that I believe defies the categories that we have built up around verbs. It is an imperative in the middle voice, so strictly speaking it is neither active nor passive – or, rather, it is both active and passive. One actively beholds by paying attention; one is passively beholden by what appears. I would call it a “participatory” verb, if I were making up a new category for grammar. And it seems more appropriate when it comes to the glory of the Lord, which is not so much an object that one can know or control as an eternal subject that one can only behold.
4. I am following the NRSV by putting a colon at the end of this sentence, implying that the next verse is the good new itself.
11 ὅτι ἐτέχθη ὑμῖν σήμερον σωτὴρ ὅς ἐστιν Χριστὸς κύριος ἐν πόλει Δαυίδ:
‘To you is born today a savior who is Christ lord in a city of David;’
ἐτέχθη: API 3s, τίκτω 1) to bring forth, bear, produce (fruit from seed) 1a) of a woman giving birth
ἐστιν: PAI 3s, εἰμί, to be
1. Savior – 1:47 and 2:11 are the only uses of σωτὴρ “savior” in Luke. According to Thayer’s lexicon, the name was given by the ancients to deities, especially tutelary deities, to princes, kings, and in general to men who had conferred signal benefits upon their country, and in the more degenerate days by way of flattery to personages of influence. There are many related terms that Luke uses, such as salvation, to save, etc.
2. A big difference between Mark and Luke is that Luke has not apparent “messianic secret.” (I think this phrase about Mark is a misnomer, but that’s for another day. Also, don’t be fooled by Mark 1:1, where the title seems to have been added later.) This is the first use of Christ in Luke, and it will recur many times, as well as become a point of contention many times, including on the cross, “If you are the Christ …”
3. Lord – Luke has used this term 17 times before now to refer to God. But, in v. 1:43, Elizabeth refers to Mary as “the mother of my lord” and in 1;76 Zechariah says that John will go before the lord to prepare his way. This looks like the 3rd reference to Jesus using this term mixed in with 17 references to God using it. This may show an evolution of theological language regarding how what we have said of God can be said of Jesus.
4. NERD STUFF: What to do with the ὅτι? We have the KJV decision to translate this as “for” stuck in our minds forever because of the Hallelujah Chorus, “For unto us a child is born.” ὅτι can mean “that” or “because” and sometimes seems to function as the beginning of a quote, like quotation marks. That is how I am interpreting it here. Verse 11 is the “great joy” that the angel evangelizes to the shepherds. This is why I think the NRSV colon was a good judgment. Instead of beginning this sentence with “for” as if this explains the cause, they are making this sentence the announcement itself.
12καὶ τοῦτο ὑμῖν τὸ σημεῖον, εὑρήσετε βρέφος ἐσπαργανωμένον καὶ
κείμενον ἐν φάτνῃ.
And this to you the sign, you will find a baby who is swaddled and lying in a manger.
εὑρήσετε: FAI 2p, εὑρίσκω, 1) to come upon, hit upon, to meet with 1a) after searching, to find a thing sought
ἐσπαργανωμένον: PPPart asm, σπαργανόω, 1) to wrap in swaddling clothes 1a) of an infant just born
κείμενον: PMPart asn, κεῖμαι, 1) to lie 1a) of an infant 1b) of one buried 1c) of things that quietly cover some spot
1. There is no verb in the first phrase.
2. THIS IS THE SIGN. Not a star. Not a halo. Not a stable. Not an angel choir. THE SIGN IS A SWADDLED BABE IN A MANGER.
13καὶ ἐξαίφνης ἐγένετο σὺν τῷ ἀγγέλῳ πλῆθος στρατιᾶς οὐρανίου
αἰνούντων τὸν θεὸν καὶ λεγόντων,
And suddenly there was with the angel a plethora of heavenly troops who were praising the God and saying,
ἐξαίφνης: [Neither greekbible.com or greattreasures.org had a definition for this word. Suddenly?]
Ἐγένετο: AMI 3s, γίνομαι, 1) to become, i.e. to come into existence, begin to be, receive being
αἰνούντων: PAPart gpm, αἰνέω, 1) to praise, extol, to sing praises in honor to God 2) to allow, recommend 3) to promise or vow
λεγόντων: PAPart gpm, λέγω, 1) to say, to speak 1a) affirm over, maintain
1. I think it is time to drop the phrase “heavenly host” because that phrase has become a “Christmas story” phrase, usually evoking the image of an angel choir. “Hosts” is often a military phrase, or at least a phrase that describes the kind of ordered masses that one would see most often in military regiments. The primary meaning of στρατιᾶς is “troop” and when it is paired with οὐρανίου, “heavenly,” it could refer to (1) a heavenly troop or (2) the orderliness of the heavenly bodies, such as stars planets, etc. Because of v.15 (the plural use of angels), we know that it means the former, not the latter. The only other use of this phrase “heavenly host” is in Acts 7:42, where Stephen is preaching just before becoming the church’s first martyr, and he recounts how Israel has been unfaithful to God by worshiping the golden calf in the wilderness and God gave them over to worship the “hosts of heaven.” NIV translates it “sun, moon, and stars” there. However, Luke will interepret the ‘heavenly hosts’ as ‘angels” in v. 15.
2. Honestly, this story feels a lot more like “Star Wars” than “It’s a Wonderful Life.”
3. My favorite trivia quiz question for the Christmas story is “What did the angels sing?” Of the options I list, “nothing” is correct, since Luke has them “saying.” That’s ruin someone ‘s life in a hurry. Nonetheless, I do feel that it is appropriate to recognize Luke’s four “songs” in his story – Mary’s Magnificat, Zechariah’s Benedictus, the angels’ Gloria, and Simeon’s Nunc Dimittus. (Sounds like an Advent theme!)
14 Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας.
“Glory in highest to God and on earth peace to people of good will.”
1. No verbs.
2. Now “glory” takes on a different connotation, a form of offering praise.
3. “Good will” = εὐ/δοκία or “good opinion/will.” Could be “pleased”
4. There are some textual variations of the end of this verse. And so, the KJV has given us the memorable, “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will toward men.” “Peace” εἰρήνη and “good will” εὐδοκία are being treated as two separate nouns. Peace is related to earth; good will is related to men. NRSV says, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors.” They are interpreting εὐδοκία as an intention of God (with an annotation). MD: I’m not sure if my translation works. If the variant εὐδοκίας is correct, it is genitive and singular and feminine, like εἰρήνη, so I have it modifying “peace.” If it is εὐδοκία it is a noun in its own right, perhaps modifying God’s disposition. Or modifying human disposition. I don’t know.
I had read somewhere that shepherds were not trusted as witnesses...not able to testify in court...similar to women. God’s irony at play that he should use them as witnesses of the birth.
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