Luke 2:29

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss^[a] your servant in peace.

Luke 2:29 in Other Translations

29 Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word:

29 "Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word;

29 “Sovereign Lord, now let your servant die in peace, as you have promised.

29 God, you can now release your servant; release me in peace as you promised.

29 Now lettest thou thy servant depart, Lord, According to thy word, in peace;

29 "Now, Lord, you are allowing your servant to leave in peace as you promised.

29 Now, Master, You can dismiss Your slave in peace, according to Your word.

29 "Lord, you are the King over all. Now let me, your servant, go in peace. That is what you promised.

Luke 2:29 Meaning and Commentary

Luke 2:29

Lord, now lettest thou thy servant
He acknowledges him as his Lord, and to have a despotic power over him with respect to life and death; and himself as his servant, which he was, both by creation and grace: and though it expresses humiliation, and a sense of distance and unworthiness, yet to be a servant of the most high God, is a very high and honourable character: what he requests of the Lord is that he might

depart in peace;
signifying his hearty desire to die, and with what cheerfulness he should meet death, having obtained all that he could wish for and desire, in seeing and embracing the Saviour: he expresses his death, by a departure out of the world, as in ( John 13:1 ) ( Philippians 1:21 ) agreeably to the way of speaking of it among the Jews. (See Gill on Philippians 1:21) and by a word, which signifies a loosing of bonds; death being a dissolving the bond of union, between soul and body, and a deliverance, as from prison and bondage; the body being, as it were, a prison to the soul in the present state of things: and he also intimates, that whereas, though he had the strongest assurances of the Messiah's coming, and of his coming before his death, by the revelation of the Holy Ghost, and so most firmly believed it, without fluctuation, and hesitation of mind; yet as hope deferred makes the heart sick, he was anxious and restless in his desire, till it was accomplished; but now being come, he could take his leave of the world, and his entrance into eternity, with the greatest calmness and tranquillity of mind, having nothing to disturb him, nor more to desire: he adds,

according to thy word;
for he seems to have understood by the revelation made to him, that as he should not die before he saw the Messiah, so, when he had seen him, that he should immediately, or in a very short time after, be removed by death; and which he greatly desired, and in which, he sinned not, because his request was according to the word of God: whereas often, desires of death are not only without the word of God, and due resignation to his will, and any regard to his glory, but to be rid of some trouble, or gratify some lust, as pride, revenge

Luke 2:29 In-Context

27 Moved by the Spirit, he went into the temple courts. When the parents brought in the child Jesus to do for him what the custom of the Law required,

28 Simeon took him in his arms and praised God, saying:

29 “Sovereign Lord, as you have promised, you may now dismiss your servant in peace.

30 For my eyes have seen your salvation,

31 which you have prepared in the sight of all nations:

Cross References

• 1. ver 26
• 2. Acts 2:24

Footnotes

• [a]. Or "promised," / "now dismiss"