2:11a
In Greek, 2:11 begins with a word that connects 2:10 to 2:11–12. The Berean Standard Bible does not translate this word. There are two ways to interpret the word in this context:
(1) It indicates that 2:11 is the content of the angel’s announcement. Most English versions that do not translate this word are probably following this interpretation. For example:
10bI bring you good news…. 11aToday there has been born… (Revised English Bible)
(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, Revised English Bible, God’s Word, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English, New Century Version)
(2) It indicates that 2:11 is the reason that all the people will have great joy. This meaning can be translated in English as “because/for.” For example:
10bI bring you good news…11afor today…there has been born… (New American Standard Bible)
(Revised Standard Version, New American Standard Bible, King James Version)
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
Today in the city of David a Savior has been born to you: In Greek this is a passive clause. Use a natural way in your language to announce a birth. Another way to translate this is:
This very day in David’s town your Savior was born (Good News Translation)
Today: To the Jews, each new day began at sunset, about 6:00 p.m. Verse 8 indicates that the angel spoke to the shepherds at night. When the angel announced that Jesus had been born, the angel said Today. Because a new day had begun at 6:00 p.m., it is clear that Jesus was born at night after the sun had already set. For this reason, it may be more natural in some languages to say “tonight” rather than Today. For example:
The Savior…has been born tonight. (New Living Translation (1996))
the city of David: The shepherds understood that the city of David referred to the town that was called Bethlehem, where David was born. Another way to translate this phrase is:
the hometown of David
-or-
the town where David ⌊was born⌋
This phrase, the city of David, also occurs in 2:4b. You may translate it the same way in both places.
Savior: The word Savior means “someone who saves/rescues (others) from harm or danger.” This same word occurs in 1:47. Other ways to translate this are:
he who will save you
-or-
deliverer (Revised English Bible)
-or-
one who will rescue you
If you must indicate from what he will save, you can say:
he who will save you ⌊from your sins⌋
See save in the Glossary (see the note on Savior).
born to you: The pronoun you is plural. It refers to the shepherds, but in this context it also applies to “all the people” in 2:10b. The phrase born to you indicates that the Savior’s birth would benefit them. Some ways to translate this include:
born for you
-or-
born for your benefit
-or-
born to help you
If you have translated the word “Savior” as a clause such as “he who will save you,” you may not need to repeat the idea to you. For example, you may be able to translate “a Savior has been born to you” as:
he who will save you has been born
2:11b
Christ the Lord: Both the word Christ and the word Lord are descriptive titles. If it is not natural in your language to put two titles together like this, you may be able to say:
he is ⌊the⌋ Christ, he is the Lord
Christ: Here the word Christ is used as a title. It is not just one of Jesus’ names. The Jews used this title to refer to the person whom God had appointed and promised to send as King and Savior. The title Christ is the Greek translation of the Hebrew word “Messiah,” and the two words have the same meaning.
Some ways to translate Christ are:
• Use a title or a descriptive phrase in your language that has the same meaning as Christ. For example:
Messiah
-or-
Promised Deliverer
-or-
the Rescuer-King whom God sent
• Transliterate Christ and include a phrase that explains the meaning. For example:
Karisiti, the appointed one
-or-
Cristo, the Savior whom God promised to send
• Transliterate Christ and indicate in some way that it is a title. For example:
the Kirisita
You may want to explain the meaning of Christ in a footnote or in a glossary. For example:
The word/title “Christ” refers to the King and Savior whom God had promised to send.
See also Christ in the Glossary.
the Lord: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as the Lord was one of the terms that the Jews used to refer to God. Its basic meaning in Greek was “master” or “one who has authority over others.” Use a term from your language that is appropriate for this context. See Lord, Context 2 in the Glossary.
© 2009, 2010, 2013 by SIL International®
Made available under the terms of a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License (CC BY-SA) creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0.
All Scripture quotations in this publication, unless otherwise indicated, are from The Holy Bible, Berean Standard Bible.
BSB is produced in cooperation with Bible Hub, Discovery Bible, OpenBible.com, and the Berean Bible Translation Committee.