stood over – Ministry of Grace Church

And having heard the king, they departed; and behold, the star which they saw in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.

Truth to Learn

Let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. (1Chronicles 16:10)

Behind the Words

The words “having heard” are from akouō, which literally means “to hear” or “to listen to.” It is expressed here as an aorist participle, so it literally means “having heard.”

“Departed” is from the verb poreuomai, which means “to go from one place to another.”

Idou is the Greek word translated “behold.” It is an imperative (command) form of horaō, which means “to stare at.” In today’s English, we might say, “Look!”

The words “went before” are from proagō, which is made up of pro, meaning “before” or “forth” and agō, meaning “to lead” or “to go.” Thus proagō means “to lead forth” or “to go before.” It is expressed here in the imperfect tense, indicating continuous action in the past. It could be translated as “it began leading them” or “it was going before them.”

The words “stood over” are translated from the Greek words estathē epanō. Estathē is a form of the verb histēmi, which means “to stand” and epanō means “above” or “over.”

“Child” is translated from the Greek noun paidion, which is derived from pais, meaning “a child.” It denotes a baby, but it is different from the word used in Luke 2:16, where he referred to a brephos, meaning “a new born child.”

Meaning Explained

In this quest for the true King, we find three types of people in this narrative who represent unsaved people even today. If you read verses four through nine, you find Herod, who was opposed to the new born King, the chief priests and the scribes (the “religious” people) who ignored the new born King, and the magi who were zealously seeking the new born King in order to worship Him.

Once the magi knew where to find the King, they immediately set out to find Him. They had left the comforts of their homes and set out on a quest for the true King. God had already spoken to them through scripture (prophesy) and the diligence of their own profession about how to find the King. Upon leaving Herod, they were once again guided by the star, which implies that it was evening or even night when they left Herod.

There has been a lot of speculation as to the nature of the star the magi followed. Some claim it was a comet, while others claim that it was a supernova (a star exploding) or even a conjunction of several planets lining up in the sky. However, none of these fully explain how they could have been guided to a specific spot within the town of Bethlehem. We don’t need a full scientific explanation of what occurred that night. We simply need to believe what the Bible tells us (and not worry about what it doesn’t tell us). What we do know is that God somehow provided just the guidance these seekers needed in order to find the true King.

The same applies today for those who are whole-heartedly searching for the truth. For unsaved people who are searching for truth, God will miraculously guide them to just the right place or person that they need in order to meet our Savior. And — for Christians who are honestly seeking a closer walk with God, He is ever faithful and always available.

Application

Many Christians who have been saved for years have forgotten how exciting it is to have a personal relationship with God. Others are hungry for that close fellowship and walk with God on a daily basis and are diligently seeking Him. So, let me ask you, my friend; Are you like Herod, trying to disprove the truth and destroy faith that others have in Christ, or – are you like the chief priests and scribes, simply ignoring the messages that God is sending you, or – are you like the Magi, diligently seeking Him, eager for a closer walk with your Savior, your God?

In God's service, for His glory,

And an angel of the Lord stood over them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.

Truth to Learn

The shepherds were afraid when the angel appeared to them.

Behind the Words

The words “stood over” are translated from the Greek word ephistēmi, from epi meaning “on, above, over, or against” and histēmi, meaning “to stand.” The most common translation of this word in the New Testament is “stand upon.” In this occurrence, however, most translators give it the meaning of “stand against” or “stand before.” However, given the content of this verse, I believe a more literal translation of “stand over” is reasonable. Hence, rather than standing before the shepherds, this angel was probably above them or over them. That is why the glory of the Lord shone around them – because the angel was in the air over them and his magnificent glory shone all around them.

“Glory” is translated from doxa, a form of dokeō. The root meaning of this word is “to think” or “to suppose.” Therefore, the root meaning of doxa is “thought” or “opinion.” There are a number of secondary uses of this word including, reputation, praise, honor, perfection, light, or splendor. In this verse it is used to indicate “bright visual splendor.”

“Shone around” is from the Greek verb perilampō, which is made up of peri, meaning “around” and lampō, meaning “to give light” or “to shine.” Literally, this word means “to illuminate all around.” Thus, perilampō refers to a light which is shining all around.

The expression “they were greatly afraid” is from the words ephobēthēsan phobon megan. This literally means “they feared great fear.” In Greek, repetition of words indicates emphasis, so saying “they feared fear” would indicate that they were very afraid. In addition, the inclusion of the word megan (mega, meaning “great”) indicates that their fear was extremely great.

Meaning Explained

In the previous verse we learned that shepherds (probably those responsible for the sheep to be used for the Temple sacrifices) were camping out among the sheep. They were “watching watches,” that is, they were taking turns during the night looking around in order to detect any possible dangers to the animals. Shepherds in those days were fully responsible for the protection of their flocks. In fact, they cared so greatly for the animals under their protection that they experienced mourning over the death of even a single lamb.

While these particular shepherds were protecting their flock in the middle of the dark night, a bright and glorious angelic being appeared to them. This angel seems to have suddenly appeared out of nowhere, suspended in mid-air with his glorious brightness lighting up everything around them.

The sudden appearance of this glorious angelic being caused these normally unflappably courageous shepherds to become extremely afraid. They were used to fighting off lions or bears, but they were not prepared for the presence of this angel.

It’s interesting that the announcement of the birth of the Messiah should start out with fear, because the whole purpose of His incarnation was to bring peace. Just as the fear that Adam and Eve experienced after sinning was taken away by the sacrifice of animals, so the fear of all sinners can be removed by faith in the blood of the Lamb of God.

Application

There are many who are afraid even in this season of celebration of the birth of our Savior. It may be fear caused by sickness, financial worries, or fear of physical harm. Look around! Perhaps there is someone around you who is fearful even in the midst of this season of celebration. Is it possible that you can be God’s angel of peace for them? What can you do to relieve their fear?

In God's service, for His glory,

Ministry of Grace Church

Tag: stood over

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