Just then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified.
9. And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them He says, that the glory of the Lord “La clarte du Seigneur;” — “the brightness of the Lord.” shone around the shepherds, by which they perceived him to be an angel.
The meanest circumstances of Christ's humiliation were all along attended with some discoveries of his glory, to balance them, and take off the offence of them; for even when he humbled himself God did in some measure exalt him and give him earnests of his future exaltation.
Commenting on Luke 2:8-20
And lo, the angel of the Lord,.... It may be Gabriel, who had brought the tidings of the conception of the Messiah to the virgin, and now the birth of him to the shepherds: came upon them; on a sudden, unexpectedly, at once, and stood by them, as some versions read; or rather, stood over them, over their heads, just above them; so that he...