2:9a

Just then This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “and.” Many English versions translate it that way. Some other versions translate it as “then” to show that this is the next thing that happened in the story. The Berean Standard Bible translates it as Just then to show that this next event happened suddenly. Other English versions do not translate this conjunction.

an angel of the Lord: Here the phrase an angel of the Lord refers to an angel whom God had sent. This same expression occurs in 1:11a.

angel: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as angel means “messenger.” It refers here to a spirit-being who serves God. God sent an angel to tell a message to these shepherds. Some ways to translate this term are:

• Use a descriptive word or phrase. For example:

messenger ⌊from God/heaven⌋
-or-

⌊good/holy⌋ spirit-being
-or-
spirit-being servant of God

• Use a local term that fits the biblical meaning.

• In some areas the churches may use a borrowed term or a transliterated word for “angel.” If some people do not understand the right meaning from this word, you may need to indicate the meaning. For example:

an angelos messenger ⌊from God⌋
-or-
a sacred angelos spirit

Be sure that your term for “angel” is different from your terms for “prophet” and “apostle.” See angel, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

stood before them: In this context, the Greek term that the Berean Standard Bible translates as stood before means that the angel appeared to the shepherds and that the shepherds had not seen him approaching. Many English versions, such as the New International Version, the English Standard Version, and the NET Bible, translated this as “appeared.” In some languages, a word such as “suddenly” or “unexpectedly” may help to express this idea. For example:

An angel from the Lord suddenly appeared to them. (God’s Word)
-or-
They suddenly saw an angel whom God had sent to them.

before them: The Greek text indicates that the angel appeared to the shepherds, but it does not specify whether the angel appeared in front of the shepherds or beside them. If you say “appeared” in your translation, you may wish to say simply “to.”

2:9b

glory of the Lord: Here the word glory refers to the Lord’s “majesty” or “greatness.” This “majesty” or “greatness” appeared to the shepherds as brightness like the shining of a very bright light. It was not normal light, but a special type of light.

Some ways to translate the phrase glory of the Lord here are:

majesty/greatness of the Lord
-or-
brightness of the Lord
-or-
bright light from the Lord
-or-
the light of the Lord

See also the word glory, sense A2, in Key Biblical Terms. See Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

shone around them: Some other ways to say shone around them are:

shined over/on them
-or-
illuminated/illumined the place where they were
-or-
filled the area with light (God’s Word)

2:9c

they were terrified: The Greek clause that the Berean Standard Bible translates as they were terrified is literally “they feared a great fear.” Some other ways to say this are:

they were very afraid
-or-
they feared greatly
-or-

⌊this⌋ really frightened/scared them

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