Bible Strands
Luke 2:21
When the eight days before His circumcision had passed, He was named Jesus, the name the angel had given Him before He was conceived.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — Luke records a chronological marker in the infant narrative, noting the completion of the eight-day period following Jesus’ birth. The event occurs immediately after the shepherds return from the field and directly precedes the parents’ journey to Jerusalem for purification rites.
The words — The verb ἐπλήσθησαν (eplēsthēsan) translates literally as “were fulfilled,” marking the exact expiration of the prescribed timeframe. The infinitive περιτεμεῖν (peritemein) means “to circumcise,” specifying the ritual action performed on the male child.
The thread — The eight-day circumcision mandate originates in Genesis 17:12 and Leviticus 12:3, which require the practice for every male child. The naming event directly fulfills the angel’s prior instruction recorded in Luke 1:31.
Why it lands — The text demands acknowledgment that Jesus’ family observed established Mosaic regulations without deviation. Readers must first note the precise fulfillment of ritual timing and prophetic naming before drawing theological conclusions.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And when eight days were accomplished for the circumcising of the child, his name was called JESUS, which was so named of the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
Cross-references
- Genesis 17:12 Generation after generation, every male must be circumcised when he is eight days old, including those born in your household and those purchased from a foreigner—even those who are not your offspring.
- Leviticus 12:3 And on the eighth day the flesh of the boy’s foreskin is to be circumcised.
- Luke 1:31 Behold, you will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus.
- Luke 1:59 On the eighth day, when they came to circumcise the child, they were going to name him after his father Zechariah.
- Matthew 1:21 She will give birth to a Son, and you are to give Him the name Jesus, because He will save His people from their sins.”
- Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under the law,
- Matthew 3:15 “Let it be so now,” Jesus replied. “It is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness in this way.” Then John permitted Him.
- Philippians 2:8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death—even death on a cross.
- Matthew 1:25 But he had no union with her until she gave birth to a Son. And he gave Him the name Jesus.