Bible Strands
Luke 2:9
Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — An angel of the Lord stands before shepherds who are keeping watch over their flocks by night in the nearby fields. The event occurs immediately after their nighttime vigil and directly precedes the angel’s command not to be afraid.
The words — ἰδοὺ (idou) translates literally to “behold” or “look,” signaling a sudden divine interruption. δόξα (doxa) means “glory” or “radiance,” describing the visible manifestation that envelops the shepherds.
The thread — The shining glory of the Lord appears in 1 Kings 8:11 when it fills the temple, in Isaiah 60:1 as light rises upon Israel, and in 2 Corinthians 3:18 as believers reflect the Lord’s glory.
Why it lands — The text records that the shepherds were terrified when divine presence became visible, requiring the angel to immediately command them not to fear. It asks the reader to recognize that encounters with God’s manifested presence demand attention and obedience rather than retreat.
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, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.
Cross-references
- Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.
- 2 Corinthians 3:18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
- 1 Kings 8:11 so that the priests could not stand there to minister because of the cloud. For the glory of the LORD filled the house of the LORD.
- Acts 27:23 For just last night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve stood beside me
- Revelation 18:1 After this I saw another angel descending from heaven with great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his glory.
- Acts 26:13 About noon, O king, as I was on the road, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and my companions.
- Exodus 40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle.
- Judges 6:11 Then the angel of the LORD came and sat down under the oak in Ophrah that belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, where his son Gideon was threshing wheat in a winepress to hide it from the Midianites.
- Matthew 1:20 But after he had pondered these things, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to embrace Mary as your wife, for the One conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit.
- Luke 24:4 While they were puzzling over this, suddenly two men in radiant apparel stood beside them.