SHEPHERDS IN THE FIELD ABIDING: By Carl Bloch
Luke 2: (My translation)
8 And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
ALL DEFINITIONS ARE TAKEN FROM THAYERS GREEK LEXICON:
ποιμήν, ποιμένος, ὁ, רֹעֶה, a herdsman, especially a shepherd;
a. properly; in the parable, he to whose care and control others have committed themselves, and whose precepts they follow, John 10:11, 14.
b. metaphorically, the presiding officer, manager, director, of any assembly:
φυλάσσω; future φυλάξω; שָׁמַר, occasionally for נָצַר (etc.):
1. Active, to guard (Latincustodio); i. e., a. to watch, to keep watch: with φυλακήν, added, Luke 2:8 (see φυλακή, a.).
b. to guard or watch, have an eye upon: τινα, one, lest he escape, Acts 12:4; Acts 28:16; passive, Acts 23:35; Luke 8:29; τί, anything, lest it be carried off: τά ἱμάτια, Acts 22:20.
c. to guard a person (or thing) that he may remain safe, i. e. lest he suffer violence, be despoiled, etc., equivalent to to protect: τ
d. to guard, i. e. to care for, take care not to violate; to observe:
ποίμνη, ποίμνης, ἡ (contracted from ποιμενη; see ποιμήν) (from Homer(Odyssey 9, 122) on), a flock (especially) of sheep: Matthew 26:31; Luke 2:8; 1 Corinthians 9:7; tropically (of Christ's flock i. e.) the body of those who follow Jesus as their guide and keeper, John 10:16.
9 And, lo, the angel/messenger Malach of the Lord appeared/set up on them, and the glory/splendor/brightness of the Lord haloed/illumined them: and they feared with a great fear--mega! Reverence/flight/terror.
ἄγγελος, , ὁ,
1. a messenger, envoy, one who is sent:
2. In the Scriptures, both of the Old Testament and of the New Testament, one of that host of heavenly spirits that, according alike to Jewish and Christian opinion, wait upon the monarch of the universe, and are sent by him to earth, now to execute his purposes
δόξα, δόξης, ἡ (δοκέω (from Homer down), the Sept. most frequent for כָּבוד, several times for הוד, הָדָר, etc.; As a translation of the Hebrew כָּבוד, in a use foreign to Greek writing (Winers Grammar, 32), splendor, brightness;
φοβέω, φόβῳ: passive, present φοβοῦμαι; imperfect ἐφοβούμην; 1 aorist ἐφοβήθην; future φοβηθήσομαι; (φόβος); from Homer down; to terrify, frighten, Wis. 17:9; to put to flight by terrifying (to scare away). Passive:
1. to be put to flight, to flee (Homer).
2. to fear, be afraid; the Sept. very often for יָרֵא; absolutely to be struck with fear, to be seized with alarm: of those who fear harm or injury,
3. to reverence, venerate, to treat with deference or reverential obedience:
10 And the angel said unto them, Do not be terrified: Look! I bring you good tidings of great joy/gladness, which shall be to all people.
11 For unto you is begotten this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is the anointed, the Lord.
σωτήρ, σωτῆρος, ὁ (σῴζω), from Pindar and Aeschylus down, the Sept.for יֶשַׁע , יְשׁוּעָה (מושִׁיעַ ), savior, deliverer; preserver
12 And this shall be a sign/miracle unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped, and placed in a manger/upon an altar.
σημεῖον, σημείου, τό (σημαίνω (or σῆμα)), from Aeschylus and Herodotus down, Hebrew אות, a sign, mark, token;
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude/crowd/assembly of the celestial host/ARMY praising God, and saying,
στρατιά, στρατιᾶς, ἡ (στρατός (cf. στρατεύω)), from Aeschylus and Herodotus down, the Sept. for צָבָא;
1. an army, band of soldiers.
2. sometimes in the poets equivalent to στρατεία, as Aristophanes eqq. 587 (ἐν στρατιαις τέ καί μάχαις), 2 Corinthians 10:4 Tdf. after the best manuscripts ((see his note; cf. Liddell and Scott, under the word II.); Passow, under the word στρατεία, at the end).
3. in the N. T. ἡ οὐράνιος στρατιά, or ἡ στρατιά τοῦ οὐρανοῦ (Hebrew הַשָּׁמַיִם צְבָא), the host of heaven (see δύναμις, f.), i. e.
a. troops of angels (1 Kings 22:19; Nehemiah 9:6): Luke 2:13.
b. the heavenly bodies, stars of heaven (so called on account of their number and their order): Acts 7:42 (2 Chronicles 33:3, 5; Jeremiah 8:2, etc.).
14 Glory to the HIGHEST God, and on earth peace, toward those of God’s chosen--good pleasure/favor/desire.
εἰρήνη, εἰρήνης, ἡ the Sept. chiefly for שָׁלום; (from Homerdown); peace, i. e.
1. a state of national tranquility; exemption from the rage and havoc of war:
2. peace between individuals, i. e. harmony, concord: .
3. after the Hebrew שָׁלום, security, safety, prosperity, felicity, (
4. Specifically, the Messiah's peace:
5. according to a conception distinctly peculiar to Christianity, "the tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and content with its earthly lot, of whatsoerer sort that is":
6. of the blessed state of devout and upright men after death (Wis. 3:3): Romans 2:10.
15 And it came to pass, as the angels were departing from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now journey, pass over/go across NOW to Bethlehem, and see this promise which has taken place, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
REMEMBER THAT Beth Lehem is the house of Bread--House of David--what was David originally? A shepherd!
16 And they came with haste/with great desire, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the infant, set/appointed/destined in a manger/on an altar.
17 And when they had experienced it, they declared/made known--know intimately abroad the saying which was uttered concerning this child.
18 And all they that heard it wondered/marvled at this spoken to them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept to herself, all these things, and brought together in her heart.
καρδία, καρδίας, ἡ, poetic κραδία and καρδιη the Sept. for לֵב and לֵבָב; the heart;
1. properly, that organ in the animal body which is the center of the circulation of the blood, and hence, was regarded as the seat of physical life:
2. universally, καρδία denotes the seat and center of all physical and spiritual life; and a. the vigor and sense of physical life
b. the center and seat of spiritual life, "the soul or mind, as it is the fountain and seat of the thoughts, passions, desires, appetites, affections, purposes, endeavors" (so in English heart, inner man, etc.);
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
ANGELS FROM THE REALMS OF GLORY
Shepherds in the field abiding,
Watching o'er your flocks by night,
God with man is now residing;
Yonder shines the infant Light:
THE FIRST NOEL
The first Noel, the angel did say,
Was to certain poor shepherds in fields as they lay;
In fields where they lay keeping their sheep,
On a cold winter's night that was so deep.
Noel, Noel, Noel, Noel,
Born is the King of Israel.
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