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Wednesday, June 4th, 2025
the Seventh Week after Easter
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Read the Bible

The NET Bible®

Luke 2:9

An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified.

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.
Contemporary English Version
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.
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 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 Now there were shepherds nearby living out in the field, keeping guard over their flock at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were absolutely terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, "Do not be afraid! Listen carefully, for I proclaim to you good news that brings great joy to all the people: 11 Today your Savior is born in the city of David. He is Christ the Lord. 12 This will be a sign for you: You will find a baby wrapped in strips of cloth and lying in a manger." 13 Suddenly a vast, heavenly army appeared with the angel, praising God and saying, 14 "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among people with whom he is pleased!" 15 When the angels left them and went back to heaven, the shepherds said to one another, "Let us go over to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, that the Lord has made known to us." 16 So they hurried off and located Mary and Joseph, and found the baby lying in a manger. 17 When they saw him, they related what they had been told about this child,

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 God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed.
Genesis 2:9
The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
Genesis 2:17
but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die."
Genesis 3:3
but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.'"
Deuteronomy 6:25
We will be innocent if we carefully keep all these commandments before the Lord our God, just as he demands."
Proverbs 3:18
She is like a tree of life to those who obtain her, and everyone who grasps hold of her will be blessed.
Proverbs 11:30
The fruit of the righteous is like a tree producing life, and the one who wins souls is wise.
Isaiah 44:25
who frustrates the omens of the empty talkers and humiliates the omen readers, who overturns the counsel of the wise men and makes their advice seem foolish,
Isaiah 47:10
You were complacent in your evil deeds; you thought, ‘No one sees me.' Your self-professed wisdom and knowledge lead you astray, when you say, ‘I am unique! No one can compare to me!'
Ezekiel 31:16
I made the nations shake at the sound of its fall, when I threw it down to Sheol, along with those who descend to the Pit. Then all the trees of Eden, the choicest and the best of Lebanon, all that were well-watered, were comforted in the earth below.

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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