Lukas 2:30-32

2:30 For my eyes have seen your salvation ¹ 

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

2:32 a light, ³ 

for revelation to the Gentiles,

and for glory ⁴  to your people Israel.”

Lukas 3:6

3:6 and all humanity ⁵  will see the salvation of God.’” ⁶ 

[2:30]  ¹ sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.

[2:31]  ² 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]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn In other words, Jesus is a special cause for praise and honor (“glory”) for the nation.

[3:6]  ⁵ tn Grk “all flesh.”

[3:6]  ⁶ sn A quotation from Isa 40:3-5. Though all the synoptic gospels use this citation from Isaiah, only Luke cites the material of vv. 5-6. His goal may well be to get to the declaration of v. 6, where all humanity (i.e., all nations) see God’s salvation (see also Luke 24:47).