Lukas 2:27-32

2:27 So ¹  Simeon, ²  directed by the Spirit, ³  came into the temple courts, ⁴  and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, ⁵  2:28 Simeon ⁶  took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, ⁷ 

2:29 “Now, according to your word, ⁸  Sovereign Lord, ⁹  permit ¹⁰  your servant ¹¹  to depart ¹²  in peace.

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ¹³ 

2:31 that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples: ¹⁴ 

2:32 a light, ¹⁵ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ¹⁶  to your people Israel.”

[2:27]  ¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.

[2:27]  ² tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:27]  ³ tn Grk “So in the Spirit” or “So by the Spirit,” but since it refers to the Spirit’s direction the expanded translation “directed by the Spirit” is used here.

[2:27]  ⁴ tn Grk “the temple.”

[2:27]  sn The temple courts is a reference to the larger temple area, not the holy place. Simeon was either in the court of the Gentiles or the court of women, since Mary was present.

[2:27]  ⁵ tn Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22-24.

[2:28]  ⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:28]  ⁷ tn Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.

[2:29]  ⁸ sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.

[2:29]  ⁹ tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despoth").

[2:29]  ¹⁰ sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.

[2:29]  ¹¹ tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.

[2:29]  sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”

[2:29]  ¹² tn Grk “now release your servant.”

[2:30]  ¹³ sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

[2:31]  ¹⁴ sn Is the phrase all peoples a reference to Israel alone, or to both Israel and the Gentiles? The following verse makes it clear that all peoples includes Gentiles, another key Lukan emphasis (Luke 24:47; Acts 10:34-43).

[2:32]  ¹⁵ tn The syntax of this verse is disputed. Most read “light” and “glory” in parallelism, so Jesus is a light for revelation to the Gentiles and is glory to the people for Israel. Others see “light” (1:78-79) as a summary, while “revelation” and “glory” are parallel, so Jesus is light for all, but is revelation for the Gentiles and glory for Israel. Both readings make good sense and either could be correct, but Luke 1:78-79 and Acts 26:22-23 slightly favor this second option.

[2:32]  ¹⁶ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.