Discovery BoxLuke 2:26-30 
Context2:26 It 1 had been revealed 2 to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not die 3 before 4 he had seen the Lord’s Christ. 5 2:27 So 6 Simeon, 7 directed by the Spirit, 8 came into the temple courts, 9 and when the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what was customary according to the law, 10 2:28 Simeon 11 took him in his arms and blessed God, saying, 12
2:29 “Now, according to your word, 13 Sovereign Lord, 14 permit 15 your servant 16 to depart 17 in peace.
1 tn Grk “And it.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
2 tn The use of the passive suggests a revelation by God, and in the OT the corresponding Hebrew term represented here by κεχρηματισμένον (kecrhmatismenon) indicated some form of direct revelation from God (Jer 25:30; 33:2; Job 40:8).
3 tn Grk “would not see death” (an idiom for dying).
4 tn On the grammar of this temporal clause, see BDF §§383.3; 395.
5 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn The revelation to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Lord’s Christ is yet another example of a promise fulfilled in Luke 1-2. Also, see the note on Christ in 2:11.
6 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
7 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
8 tn Grk “So in the Spirit” or “So by the Spirit,” but since it refers to the Spirit’s direction the expanded translation “directed by the Spirit” is used here.
9 tn Grk “the temple.”
sn The temple courts is a reference to the larger temple area, not the holy place. Simeon was either in the court of the Gentiles or the court of women, since Mary was present.
10 tn Grk “to do for him according to the custom of the law.” See Luke 2:22-24.
11 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Simeon) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
12 tn Grk “and said.” The finite verb in Greek has been replaced with a participle in English to improve the smoothness of the translation.
13 sn The phrase according to your word again emphasizes that God will perform his promise.
14 tn The Greek word translated here by “Sovereign Lord” is δεσπότης (despoth").
15 sn This short prophetic declaration is sometimes called the Nunc dimittis, which comes from the opening phrase of the saying in Latin, “now dismiss,” a fairly literal translation of the Greek verb ἀπολύεις (apolueis, “now release”) in this verse.
16 tn Here the Greek word δοῦλος (doulos, “slave”) has been translated “servant” since it acts almost as an honorific term for one specially chosen and appointed to carry out the Lord’s tasks.
sn Undoubtedly the background for the concept of being the Lord’s slave or servant is to be found in the Old Testament scriptures. For a Jew this concept did not connote drudgery, but honor and privilege. It was used of national Israel at times (Isa 43:10), but was especially associated with famous OT personalities, including such great men as Moses (Josh 14:7), David (Ps 89:3; cf. 2 Sam 7:5, 8) and Elijah (2 Kgs 10:10); all these men were “servants (or slaves) of the Lord.”
17 tn Grk “now release your servant.”
18 sn To see Jesus, the Messiah, is to see God’s salvation.
