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Saturday, June 28th, 2025
the Week of Proper 7 / Ordinary 12
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Contemporary English Version

Luke 2:9

All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened.

Bible Study Resources

Concordances:

- Nave's Topical Bible - Angel (a Spirit);   Cloud;   Jesus, the Christ;   Mary;   Shepherd;   Scofield Reference Index - Gospel;   Thompson Chain Reference - Angels;   Appearances;   Glory;   God;   God's;  

Dictionaries:

- American Tract Society Bible Dictionary - Children;   Incense;   Shepherd;   Bridgeway Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Bethlehem;   Glory;   Baker Evangelical Dictionary of Biblical Theology - Heaven, Heavens, Heavenlies;   Messiah;   Presence of God;   Charles Buck Theological Dictionary - Jesus Christ;   Easton Bible Dictionary - Jesus;   Fausset Bible Dictionary - Bartholomew;   Darkness;   Jesus Christ;   Shechinah;   Holman Bible Dictionary - Bethlehem;   Joseph;   Luke, Gospel of;   Shepherd;   Hastings' Dictionary of the Bible - Angel of the Lord (Jahweh);   Glory;   Jesus Christ;   Shekinah;   Vision;   Hastings' Dictionary of the New Testament - Angels;   Angels (2);   Fear ;   Glory;   Glory (2);   Israel, Israelite;   Reverence;   Shekinah ;   Winter ;   Morrish Bible Dictionary - Angels;   Joseph ;   Manger;   People's Dictionary of the Bible - Angel;   Smith Bible Dictionary - Shechi'nah;   Watson's Biblical & Theological Dictionary - Ader;  

Encyclopedias:

- International Standard Bible Encyclopedia - Glory;   Joseph, Husband of Mary;   Papyrus;   Shekinah;   Shine;   Kitto Biblical Cyclopedia - Angels;   The Jewish Encyclopedia - Jesus of Nazareth;   Shekinah;  

Devotionals:

- Every Day Light - Devotion for November 27;  

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
King James Version (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.
King James Version
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.
English Standard Version
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 American Standard Bible
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
New Century Version
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them. The glory of the Lord was shining around them, and they became very frightened.
Amplified Bible
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord flashed and shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.
New American Standard Bible (1995)
And an angel of the Lord suddenly stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Legacy Standard Bible
And an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them; and they were terribly frightened.
Berean Standard Bible
Just then, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Complete Jewish Bible
when an angel of Adonai appeared to them, and the Sh'khinah of Adonai shone around them. They were terrified;
Darby Translation
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.
Easy-to-Read Version
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord was shining around them. The shepherds were very afraid.
Geneva Bible (1587)
And loe, the Angel of the Lord came vpon them, and the glorie of the Lord shone about them, and they were sore afraide.
George Lamsa Translation
And behold, the angel of God came to them, and the glory of the Lord shone on them; and they were seized with a great fear.
Good News Translation
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone over them. They were terribly afraid,
Lexham English Bible
And an angel of the Lord stood near them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terribly frightened.
Literal Translation
And, behold, an angel of the Lord came on them. And the glory of the Lord shone around them. And they feared with a great fear.
American Standard Version
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Bible in Basic English
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.
Hebrew Names Version
Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
International Standard Version
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.Luke 1:12;">[xr]
Etheridge Translation
And, behold, the angel of Aloha came to them, and the glory of the Lord shone upon them; and they feared with great fear.
Murdock Translation
And lo, the angel of God came to them, and the glory of the Lord shone upon them: and they feared with great fear.
Bishop's Bible (1568)
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.
English Revised Version
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
World English Bible
Behold, an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Wesley's New Testament (1755)
And lo an angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were sore afraid.
Weymouth's New Testament
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.
Wycliffe Bible (1395)
And lo! the aungel of the Lord stood bisidis hem, and the cleernesse of God schinede aboute hem; and thei dredden with greet drede.
Update Bible Version
And an angel of the Lord stood by them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were very afraid.
Webster's Bible Translation
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.
New English Translation
An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.
New King James Version
And behold, [fn] an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
New Living Translation
Suddenly, an angel of the Lord appeared among them, and the radiance of the Lord's glory surrounded them. They were terrified,
New Life Bible
The angel of the Lord came to them. The shining-greatness of the Lord shone around them. They were very much afraid.
New Revised Standard
Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
And, a messenger of the Lord, stood over them, and, a glory of the Lord, shone round about them; and they feared, a great fear.
Douay-Rheims Bible
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.
Revised Standard Version
And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear.
Tyndale New Testament (1525)
And loo: the angell of ye lorde stode harde by the and the brightnes of ye lorde shone rounde aboute them and they were soare afrayed.
Young's Literal Translation
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.
Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
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.
Mace New Testament (1729)
when all of a sudden an angel of the Lord appear'd to them, and a heavenly light shone about them, at which they were greatly affrighted.
Simplified Cowboy Version
An angel appeared to them, and they were scared to death.

Contextual Overview

8 That night in the fields near Bethlehem some shepherds were guarding their sheep. 9 All at once an angel came down to them from the Lord, and the brightness of the Lord's glory flashed around them. The shepherds were frightened. 10 But the angel said, "Don't be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. 11 This very day in King David's hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord. 12 You will know who he is, because you will find him dressed in baby clothes and lying on a bed of hay." 13 Suddenly many other angels came down from heaven and joined in praising God. They said: 14 "Praise God in heaven! Peace on earth to everyone who pleases God." 15 After the angels had left and gone back to heaven, the shepherds said to each other, "Let's go to Bethlehem and see what the Lord has told us about." 16 They hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and they saw the baby lying on a bed of hay. 17 When the shepherds saw Jesus, they told his parents what the angel had said about him.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

lo: Luke 1:11, Luke 1:28, Judges 6:11, Judges 6:12, Matthew 1:20, Acts 27:23, 1 Timothy 3:16

and the: Exodus 16:7, Exodus 16:10, Exodus 40:34, Exodus 40:35, 1 Kings 8:11, Isaiah 6:3, Isaiah 35:2, Isaiah 40:5, Isaiah 60:1, Ezekiel 3:23, John 12:41, 2 Corinthians 3:18, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Revelation 18:1

and they: Luke 1:12, Isaiah 6:4, Isaiah 6:5, Acts 22:6-9, Acts 26:13, Acts 26:14, Hebrews 12:21, Revelation 20:11

Reciprocal: Genesis 28:17 - he was John 1:51 - and the Hebrews 1:6 - And let Hebrews 1:14 - ministering

Cross-References

Genesis 2:8
The Lord made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God placed all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees in the garden. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life—the other gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong.
Genesis 2:17
except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!"
Genesis 3:3
except the one in the middle. He told us not to eat fruit from that tree or even to touch it. If we do, we will die."
Proverbs 3:18
Wisdom is a life-giving tree, the source of happiness for all who hold on to her.
Proverbs 11:30
Live right, and you will eat from the life-giving tree. And if you act wisely, others will follow.
Isaiah 44:25
I make liars of false prophets and fools of fortunetellers. I take human wisdom and turn it into nonsense.
Isaiah 47:10
You hid behind evil like a shield and said, "No one can see me!" You were fooled by your wisdom and your knowledge; you felt sure that you alone were in full control.
Ezekiel 31:16
This tree will crash to the ground, and I will send it to the world below. Then the nations of the earth will tremble. The trees from Eden and the choice trees from Lebanon are now in the world of the dead, and they will be comforted when this tree falls.
Ezekiel 31:18
King of Egypt, all these things will happen to you and your people! You were like this tree at one time—taller and stronger than anyone on earth. But now you will be chopped down, just as every tree in the garden of Eden must die. You will be sent down to the world of the dead, where you will join the godless and the other victims of violent death. I, the Lord God, have spoken.

Gill's Notes on the Bible

And lo, the angel of the Lord,.... It may be Gabriel, who had brought the tidings of the conception of the Messiah to the virgin, and now the birth of him to the shepherds:

came upon them; on a sudden, unexpectedly, at once, and stood by them, as some versions read; or rather, stood over them, over their heads, just above them; so that he was easily and perfectly seen by them;

and the glory of the Lord shone round about them; or a very glorious and extraordinary light shone with surprising lustre and brightness all around them; by which light, they could discern the illustrious form of the angel that was over them:

and they were sore afraid; at the sight of such a personage, and at such unusual light and glory about them: they were not used to such appearances, and were awed with the majesty of God, of which these were symbols, and were conscious to themselves of their own sinfulness and frailty.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

The 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 unlike what Paul saw on the way to Damascus.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Luke 2:9. The angel of the Lord came upon them — Or, stood over them, επεστη. 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 protected 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 immediately, for sins with which their consciences would not fail, on such an occasion, to reproach them.


 
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