2:37a

and then was a widow to the age of eighty-four: This clause implies that:

(a) her husband died (after they had been married for seven years);

(b) she remained a widow, that is, she never married again.

to the age of eighty-four: The Greek text that the Berean Standard Bible translates to the age of eighty-four is literally “until eighty-four years.” Scholars interpret the phrase “until eighty-four years” in two ways:

(1) It refers to Anna’s age at the time of this story. She was eighty-four years old (and had been a widow after having been married for seven years). For example:

She was now eighty-four years old. (New Living Translation (1996))

(Berean Standard Bible, New International Version, Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, New American Standard Bible, Revised English Bible, King James Version, New Living Translation (2004), Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)

(2) It refers to the length of her widowhood. She had been a widow for eighty-four years. This implies that she was over one hundred years old at the time of this story. For example:

She had lived as a widow since then for eighty-four years. (NET Bible)

(NET Bible, New Century Version, God’s Word)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1), as the majority of English versions do.

General Comment on 2:36c–37a

In some languages, it may be more natural to reorder some of the phrases in these verse parts. For example:

36dShe had been married for seven years ⌊and then she became⌋ 37aa widow. 36cShe was now very old: 37aeighty-four years ⌊old⌋.

2:37b

She never left the temple: There are two ways to interpret the clause She never left the temple:

(1) It is hyperbole. That is, it is an exaggerated statement to emphasize how frequently Anna was at the temple. She never missed any of the temple services.

(2) It is literal. This means that Anna never went away from the temple area. She even slept there.

It is recommended that you follow meaning (1). If people will not understand that this clause is hyperbole, you will need to use an expression that indicates that Anna was at the temple very often. For example:

Anna ⌊almost⌋ never left the temple.
-or-
Anna was ⌊almost⌋ always at the temple.
-or-
Anna was ⌊frequently⌋ at the temple.

temple: As in 2:27a, Luke used the word temple here to refer to the temple courtyards. The temple courtyards are the area around the main temple building that was part of the temple compound/land.

2:37c

but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as but worshiped night and day, fasting and praying tells what Anna was doing while she was in the temple. The Berean Standard Bible has supplied the word but because it is natural in English. The Greek text does not have a conjunction here. In many languages, a conjunction may not be needed. Here are examples of other ways to connect this part of the verse to the context:

worshiping with fasting and prayer (NET Bible)
-or-
she worshiped God, fasting and praying (Good News Translation)

worshiped: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as worshiped also means “served.” Anna worshiped or “served” God in the temple by fasting and praying. Be careful that the word you use here does not imply that Anna worked in the temple. Another way to translate this is:

she served God…by praying and often going without eating (Contemporary English Version)

fasting and praying: In this context the word fasting means “to go without food for a period of time for religious reasons.” Anna often did not eat so that she could think only about God and his kingdom and have much time to pray.

praying: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as praying indicates here that Anna spoke or talked to God.

Some languages may use different words to refer to specific kinds of prayer, such as requests, thanks, or praise. Anna probably did all of these. So here you should use a word or expression that has a general meaning. Avoid a term that may imply magical or meaningless words.

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