Section 2:21–40
The baby Jesus at the temple
The events in this section happened some days after Jesus was born.
In 2:21–24, Luke mentioned three ceremonies that were done when Jewish boys were born:
(a) the baby boy was circumcised;
(b) the mother was ritually purified;
(c) the baby boy was presented to God.
In 2:25–38 Luke described two other events that happened while Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were at the temple in Jerusalem. God allowed two righteous people named Simeon and Anna to see Jesus and to thank God for him. Simeon spoke a prophecy about Jesus and Mary.
In 2:39–40 Luke concluded the section. Joseph and Mary took Jesus back to their home in Nazareth, where he grew and became strong and wise. The Gospel of Matthew indicates that before they went to Nazareth, Joseph and Mary took Jesus to Egypt and stayed there for some time. Although Luke does not mention this, you should connect the clauses in 2:39 in a way that does not contradict it.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
Jesus’ Parents Obey Moses’ Teachings (God’s Word)
-or-
Jesus Presented at the Temple (New American Standard Bible)
Some English versions begin new sections at 2:25 and at 2:36. If you decide to do this in your translation, some possible headings are:
Simeon saw Jesus and prophesied about him (2:25)
Anna thanked God for Jesus and told others about him (2:36)
-or-
Simeon’s Prophecy (2:25)
Anna’s Prophecy (2:36)
Paragraph 2:21
2:21a
When the eight days until His circumcision had passed: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as When the eight days until His circumcision had passed indirectly refers to what the Law of Moses required. The Law stated that every baby boy must be circumcised on the eighth day from his birth. In some languages it may be helpful to mention the Law more directly. For example:
On the eighth day from his birth, they circumcised him ⌊as God’s law required⌋
When the eight days: When the Jews counted the days between two events, they started counting with the day that the first event happened. For example, in this context, if Jesus was born on a Friday, they would count that Friday as the first day. Then the Friday of the following week would be the last of the eight days that the law specified. A similar expression occurs in 1:59a. In English, people start counting with the day after the first event happened. For example:
A week later (Good News Translation)
-or-
When Jesus was seven days old
Use the natural way in your language to count the days between events.
circumcision: The act of circumcision means to cut off the skin at the end of a boy’s penis. According to custom, someone would circumcise the boy.
In some cultures, it may be acceptable to explicitly say “cut off the loose skin at the end of a boy’s penis.” In other cultures, it may be necessary to use a euphemism, that is, to describe circumcision in a less direct way. Some examples are:
cut off some of the skin
-or-
mark ⌊him as one of God’s people⌋
-or-
receive the mark
2:21b
He was named Jesus: In Jewish culture at the time of Jesus’ birth, it was the custom for the parents to name their baby boys when they were circumcised. The clause He was named Jesus is passive. In some languages it may be more natural to use an active verb and say who named Jesus. For example:
⌊they⌋ named him Jesus
-or-
⌊his parents⌋ named him Jesus
2:21c–d
the name the angel had given Him before He had been conceived: This part of the verse refers to 1:31. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive and bear a son, he told her that she should name him Jesus.
angel: See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.
before He had been conceived: The word conceived refers to the time when Mary became pregnant. At that time the baby started to grow inside her womb. That happened sometime after the angel had told her what the baby’s name should be. Another way to translate this is:
before his mother became pregnant (God’s Word)
General Comment on 2:21b–d
In some languages, it may be more natural to change the order of some of the parts of 2:21b–d. For example:
21dBefore Mary became pregnant, 21cthe angel had told Mary to name the baby Jesus. 21b⌊So⌋ that is what his parents did.
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