Luke 2:13

Luke 2:13-14. And suddenly there was with the angel, &c. — The welcome news was no sooner published, than a multitude of heavenly beings were heard celebrating, in songs and hymns divine, the praises of God, on account of his unspeakable mercy and love to men; and saying, Glory to God in the highest, &c. — The shouts of a multitude are generally broken into short sentences, and are commonly elliptic; which is the cause of some ambiguity in these words, which may be understood in different senses. Some read them thus: Glory to God in the highest, that is, in heaven, and on earth peace, yea, favour, toward men. Others understand them as signifying, That the good-will, or favour, which was now shown to men, is the Glory of God in the highest, and is the peace and happiness of those who dwell on earth. This is doubtless an important sense, and what the original will very well bear, but it changes the doxology into a kind of proverb, and destroys much of its beauty. As Dr.

Campbell observes; “The most common interpretation of the passage is the most probable.” The words are doubtless to be considered as expressions of rejoicing exclamation, strongly representing the piety and benevolence of these heavenly spirits, and their affectionate good wishes for the prosperity of the Messiah’s kingdom; as if they had said, “Glory be to God in the highest heavens, and let all the angelic legions resound his praises in the most exalted strains, for, with the Redeemer’s birth, peace and all happiness come down to dwell on earth; yea, the overflowings of divine benevolence and favour are now exercised toward sinful men, who through this Saviour become the objects of his complacential delight.” The words, considered in a doctrinal point of view, teach us, what it is of great importance to know, 1st, That the birth of Christ is an event which, above all others, brings glory to God, giving such a display of several of his perfections as had never been made before, particularly of his holiness and justice, in requiring such a sacrifice as was hereby to be prepared for the expiation of human guilt, and his mercy, in providing and accepting it; his wisdom, in devising such a plan for the redemption of lost man, and his power, in executing it. 2d, It brings peace on earth, that is, peace to man, peace with God, through the atonement and mediation of Christ; peace of conscience, as the consequence of knowing that we have peace with God, and peace one with another. 3

Luke 2:13 f. Πλῆθος στρ . οὐρ .] a multitude, of the heavenly host ( צְכָא הַשָּׁמַיִם ), a multitude of angels. The (satellite-) host of the angels surrounds God’s throne, 1 Kings 22:19 ; 2 Chronicles 18:18 ; Psalm 103:21 ; Psalm 148:2 ; Matthew 26:53 ; Revelation 19:14 , al. On γίνεσθαι σύν τινι , to be associated with any one, comp. Xen. Cyr. v. 3. 8. On στρατιά , comp. Plat. Phaedr. p. 246 E: στρατιὰ θεῶν τε καὶ δαιμόνων . δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις κ . τ . λ . According to the reading εὐδοκίας (see the critical remarks, and Nösselt, Exercitatt. p. 171 ff.): Glory (is, comp. 1 Peter 4:11 ) in the heaven to God, and on earth salvation among men who are well-pleasing! The angels declare to the praise of God ( Luke 2:13 ) that on account of the birth of the Messiah God is glorified in heaven (by the angels), and that on the earth there is now salvation among men, to whom in and with the new-born child has been imparted God’s good pleasure.[50] They thus contemplate the Messiah’s work as having already set in with His birth, and celebrate it in a twofold manner in reference to heaven and earth (comp. Isaiah 6:3 ). Their exclamation is not a wish, as it is usually rendered by supplying ἔστω or εἴη , but far stronger,—a triumphant affirmation of the existing blessed state of things. The ἐν ἀνθρώπ . εὐδοκίας (genitive of quality , see Winer, p. 211 f. [E. T. 296 f.]) adds to the scene of the εἰρήνη the subjects , among whom it prevails (comp. Plat.

Symp. p. 197 C); these, namely, are those who believe in the Messiah, designated in reference to God whose grace they possess, as men who are well-pleasing (to Him). Comp. Test. XII. Patr. p. 587: καὶ εὐδοκήσει κύριος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἀγαπητοῖς αὐτοῦ ἕως αἰώνων . Observe, moreover, the correlation which exists (1) between δόξα and εἰρήνη ; (2) between ἐν ὑψίστοις and ἐπὶ γῆς ; and (3) between Θεῷ and ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκίας . By ἐν ὑψίστοις ( in regions, which are the highest of all , Luke 19:38 ) the angels declare what takes place in the highest heaven, whence they have just come down. Comp. Matthew 21:9 ; Wis 9:17 ; Sir 43:9 ; Job 16:19 ; Hebrews 1:3 . By εἰρήνη they mean not only peace (usually understood of the peace of reconciliation), but the entire salvation , of which the new-born child is the bearer; comp. Luke 1:79 . With the Recepta εὐδοκία , the hymn would also consist of only two parts , divided by καί ,[51] which is not for (Bengel, Paulus, Kuinoel, and others, comp. Theophylact), but and . And the second part would consist of two parallel clauses, of which the first lays down the state of things in question after a purely objective manner ( ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ), while the second designates it from the point of view of God’s subjectivity ( ἐν ἀνθρ . εὐδοκία ): on earth is salvation, among men is (God’s) good pleasure ; ἐν ἀνθρ ., namely, would not be in the case of men ( Matthew 3:17 ; so usually), but local , as previously ἐν ὑψίστ . and ἐπὶ γῆς . Fritzsche, ad Rom.

(13) A multitude of the heavenly host. —The phrase, or its equivalent, “the host of heaven,” is common in the later books of the Old Testament, but is there used as including the visible “hosts” of sun, moon, and stars, which were worshipped by Israel ( Jeremiah 8:2 ; Jeremiah 19:13 ; 2Chronicles 33:3 ). In this sense we find it in St. Stephen’s speech ( Acts 7:42 ). Here it is obviously used of the angels of God as forming the armies of the great King. The great name of the Lord of Hosts, the Lord of Sabaoth, was probably intended to include both the seen and the unseen hosts, the stars in the firmament, and the angels in heaven. Its use in the New Testament is confined to these two passages. The Hebrew word is found, in Old Testament quotations, in Romans 9:29 , James 5:4 .