Exegetical and Hermeneutical Commentary of Luke 2:27
And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
27. by the Spirit ] Rather, in the Spirit.
brought in the child ] The Arabic Gospel of the Infancy (vi.) says that he saw Him shining like a pillar of light in His mother’s arms, which is probably derived from Luk 2:32.
Fuente: The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges
By the Spirit – By the direction of the Spirit.
Into the temple – Into that part of the temple where the public worship was chiefly performed – into the court of the women. See the notes at Mat 21:12.
The custom of the law – That is, to make an offering for purification, and to present him to God.
Fuente: Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
Luk 2:27
Brought in the Child Jesus
Dedicating children to the Lord
When the Duke of Kent was dying, he desired that the little princess Victoria should be placed beside him, and then he offered a very affecting prayer that if ever she became the Queen of England, she might rule in the fear of God.
How many of our noble Queens virtues and good deeds have resulted doubtless from her godly training I In my first Circuit I knew the excellent family of the late eminent Rev. Benjamin Field. At his birth his very godly father solemnly dedicated him to God. He began to preach in his seventeenth year, and by his ministry and by his very good Handbook to Scripture Doctrines, he has been useful to thousands. Holy children generally live to be great in the sight of the Lord, and, if faithful, with Gods blessings, eminently useful. (H. R. Burton.)
Singleness of aim
Parents should have one single object before them regarding their children, and that is, to bring them up for the Lord. To that everything else should give way. The natural tendency is to bring them up very genteelly, very respectably, to educate them for some station where they can make a great deal of money. This is the natural tendency on the part of parents. Well, they may obtain the desire of their hearts, but to the injury of the souls of their children. How I would press this on the hearts of my brethren! Of course I do not at all mean they should not have the best of education, and such an education as will be suitable to their station in life. But everything should give way to this point: my son, my daughter, are to be brought up for the Lord. My son, my daughter, are to become heirs of the kingdom that fadeth not away. Everything ought to give way to this one point. If we do not keep this before us, we shall constantly take wrong steps. Let me give an illustration. A Christian gentleman of good position in life articled his son to a very wicked lawyer, notoriously wicked. This son used to come home on the Saturday afternoons to spend the Lords day with his family. There he attended family prayers. He used to say strong things about his fathers petitions, such as, My father prays for me that God would preserve me in the midst of temptation; he puts me in the lions mouth, and then asks God to preserve me! (George Muller.)
Fuente: Biblical Illustrator Edited by Joseph S. Exell
Verse 27. He came by the Spirit into the temple] Probably he had in view the prophecy of Malachi, Mal 3:1, The Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple. In this messenger of the covenant, the soul of Simeon delighted. Now the prophecy was just going to be fulfilled; and the Holy Spirit, who dwelt in the soul of this righteous man, directed him to go and see its accomplishment. Those who come, under the influence of God’s Spirit, to places of public worship, will undoubtedly meet with him who is the comfort and salvation of Israel.
After the custom of the law] To present him to the Lord, and then redeem him by paying five shekels, Nu 18:15-16, and to offer those sacrifices appointed by the law. See Lu 2:24.
Fuente: Adam Clarke’s Commentary and Critical Notes on the Bible
27, 28. The Spirit guided him tothe temple at the very moment when the Virgin was about to presentHim to the Lord.
Fuente: Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible
And he came by the Spirit into the temple,…. By the same Spirit of God, that revealed the above to him. The Ethiopic version renders it, “the Spirit brought him into the temple”: but Simeon was not brought thither, as this version seems to suggest, in such manner as Ezekiel was brought by the Spirit to Jerusalem.
Eze 8:3 or as Christ was brought by Satan to the holy city and set upon the pinnacle of the temple; but the Spirit of God, who knows and searches all things, even the deep things of God, and could testify beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow, knew the exact time when Jesus would be brought into the temple; and suggested to Simeon, and moved upon him, and influenced and directed him, to go thither at that very time. The Persic version renders the whole verse thus, “when he heard that they brought Christ into the temple, that they might fulfil the law, Simeon went in”; which version spoils the glory of the text, making Simeon’s coming into the temple, to be upon a report heard, and not the motion of the Holy Ghost.
And when the parents brought in the child Jesus; when Joseph and Mary brought Christ into the temple. The Vulgate Latin, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions read, “his parents”, Mary was his real parent, Joseph is called so, as he is his father in Lu 2:48 because he was supposed, and generally thought to be so, Lu 3:23.
To do for him after the custom of the law; as was used to be done in such a case, according to the appointment of the law: or as the Syriac version renders it, “as is commanded in the law”; namely, to present him to the Lord, and to pay the redemption money for him.
Fuente: John Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible
When the parents brought in the child Jesus ( ). A neat Greek and Hebrew idiom difficult to render into English, very common in the LXX;
In the bringing the Child Jesus as to the parents . The articular infinitive and two accusatives (one the object, the other accusative of general reference).
After the custom of the law ( ). Here the perfect passive participle , neuter singular from (common Greek verb, to accustom) is used as a virtual substantive like in 1:8. Luke alone in the N.T. uses either word save in Joh 19:40, though from , occurs also in Matt 27:15; Mark 10:1.
Fuente: Robertson’s Word Pictures in the New Testament
By the Spirit [ ] . Lit., as Rev., “in the Spirit :” the Holy Spirit prompting him. Indicating rather his spiritual condition, as one who walked with God, than a special divine impulse.
After the custom [ ] . Lit., according to that which was wont to be done. Only here in New Testament; and the kindred words, eqov, custom, and eqw, to be accustomed, occur more frequently in Luke than elsewhere. Very common in medical writings.
Fuente: Vincent’s Word Studies in the New Testament
1) “And he came by the Spirit into the temple:” (kai elthen en to pneumati eis to hieron) “And he came by the Spirit into the temple,” temple area, of His own choice in the Spirit and devotion to God, and the law of the Lord. As a devout and just man he was waiting upon God, expectantly, not knowing that Mary was to be there with the Christ that day, Luk 2:25; Rom 8:14-16.
2) “And when the parents brought in the child Jesus,” (kai en o eisgagein tous goneis to paidion lesoun) “And as his parents brought in the child Jesus,” as Joseph and Mary entered the temple area, Luk 2:22.
3) “To do for him after the custom of the law,” (tou poiesai autous kata to eithisemenon tou nomou peri autou) “For them to do concerning him according to the custom or ethic of the law,” as it related to circumcision, to pay the redemption price, make the offering of two turtle doves and two pigeons, Luk 2:24; Num 18:15-16; Lev 12:8. They were offered as a burnt offering and a sin offering, in order.
Fuente: Garner-Howes Baptist Commentary
(27) He came by the Spirit.Better, as in Rev. 1:10, in the Spiriti.e., in a spiritual state in which the power of the Divine Spirit was the pervading element.
The parents.Here, as in Luk. 2:33; Luk. 2:48, St. Luke does not shrink from reproducing what was obviously the familiar phraseology of the household of Nazareth. In common life it is almost obvious that no other phraseology was possible.
To do for him after the custom of the law.In common practice, the child would have been presented to the priest who offered the two turtle doves on behalf of the parents. In this instance Simeon, though not a priest (there is, at least, nothing but a legend in an Apocryphal Gospel to fix that character on him), takes on himself, standing by the priest, to receive the child as he was presented. This fits in, as far as it goes, with the idea of his having been an Essene, revered as possessing prophetic gifts. (See Notes on Luk. 2:25.)
Fuente: Ellicott’s Commentary for English Readers (Old and New Testaments)
27. Came by the Spirit The Spirit, which was attested by its own self-evidence beyond mistake, led the holy man into the temple at the time that Jesus was being brought. The mature saint and the young Messiah met, and the venerable representative of the old law did profound homage to the infant and divine founder of the new Gospel.
Fuente: Whedon’s Commentary on the Old and New Testaments
‘And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, that they might do concerning him after the custom of the law.’
And the Spirit guided this man into the Temple at the right moment, and when ‘the parents’ (for this is how they would be seen in Israel) brought in the child Jesus, in obedience to the Law, in order to carry out all legal requirements, he recognised through the Spirit Who this child was.
The use of ‘parents’ says nothing about the question of the method of Jesus’ birth. From a Jewish point of view they were His parents regardless of whether He was adopted or begotten.
Fuente: Commentary Series on the Bible by Peter Pett
Luk 2:27 f. ] by virtue of the Holy Spirit, “instigante Spiritu,” Grotius; comp. Mat 22:43 .
The expression (procreators) is not appropriate to the bodily Sonship of God, which Luke narrates, and it betrays an original source resting on a different view. Comp. Luk 2:41 . On the form , see Lobeck, ad Phryn. p. 69.
] According to the custom prescribed by the law.
] also on His part , for the parents had just carried Him in, Luk 2:27 . The reference to the priest, “qui eum Domino sistendum amplexus erat” (Wolf; Kuinoel also mixes up this), is erroneous, since it is in the bringing in that the child is also taken into his arms by Simeon.
Simeon has recognised the Messiah-child immediately through the Spirit . He needed not for this “the august form of the mother” (in opposition to Lange).
Fuente: Heinrich August Wilhelm Meyer’s New Testament Commentary
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
Ver. 27. And he came by the spirit, &c. ] So still, “the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord,” Psa 37:23 . He sets his Spirit as tutor, to direct and convince us into all truth Simeon, likely, had done as Daniel did, Luk 9:2 , found out by diligent search, that the fulness of time was come, and is therefore thus answered from heaven.
Fuente: John Trapp’s Complete Commentary (Old and New Testaments)
Luk 2:27 . : observe the frequent reference to the Spirit in connection with Simeon, vide Luk 2:25-26 . ( ), here only in N. T.: according to the established custom of the law.
Fuente: The Expositors Greek Testament by Robertson
by = in. Greek. en. App-104.
the Spirit. The Holy Spirit Himself. See App-101.
the temple = the Temple courts. Greek. hieron. See notes on Mat 4:5; Mat 23:10.
for = concerning. Greek. peri. App-104.
after = according to. As in Luk 2:22.
Fuente: Companion Bible Notes, Appendices and Graphics
Luk 2:27. , when they were bringing in) For it was afterwards that they went through the ceremony of offering the sacrifice, Luk 2:39. This was by way of a declaration, that it was for no ordinary cause that Jesus was submitting to the law of purification.
Fuente: Gnomon of the New Testament
by: Luk 4:1, Mat 4:1, Act 8:29, Act 10:19, Act 11:12, Act 16:7, Rev 1:10, Rev 17:3
the parents: Luk 2:41, Luk 2:48, Luk 2:51
to: Luk 2:22
Reciprocal: Jer 32:11 – according Hag 2:7 – and the Mat 22:43 – General Luk 2:38 – coming Eph 3:5 – by
Fuente: The Treasury of Scripture Knowledge
7
The Spirit in this verse is the same as the Holy Ghost in the preceding one. It was by this Spirit that Simeon was caused to come into the temple at the same time the parents of Jesus came in.
Fuente: Combined Bible Commentary
Luk 2:27. And he came in the spirit into the temple. His steps were ordered by the Spirit, in the power of which he lived. The Spirit led him thither to meet this child, whom he was enabled, by the same Spirit, to recognize as the Messiah.
Fuente: A Popular Commentary on the New Testament
2:27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the {k} parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law,
(k) Joseph and Mary: and he says “parents” because that is what most of the people then thought.
Fuente: Geneva Bible Notes
The Holy Spirit led Simeon to be present in the temple courtyard when Mary and Joseph arrived to consecrate Jesus to God (cf. Luk 4:1). Again the presence of Jesus became an occasion for joy and praise of God (Luk 1:46-55; Luk 2:14; Luk 2:20). This was consistently the response of the godly to Jesus in Luke’s Gospel.