What Does Luke 2:40 Mean?
And the child grew, and grew strong in breath, being filled with wisdom, and the favor of God was upon him.
Key words are shown with the Hebrew or Greek and what each word meant.
Selah Decoded Version The Selah Decoded Version renders what the Hebrew and Greek words meant to the people who first heard them.
King James wording
King James Version
And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.THE KEY
God’s favor rests on the child within the very process of growing, strengthening in breath, and filling with wisdom.
THE MEANING
The verse meets you in the middle of becoming: growth and strengthening are still unfolding as wisdom fills the child, while God’s favor is already present. Favor appears within the process of growth, not only at its imagined finish.
WHAT THIS UNDOES
You do not have to finish growing before God’s favor can rest on you.
THE ROOT
πνεύματι
pneumati
GROWS FROM
πνέω
pneō
to breathe or blow
The word translated “spirit” is πνεῦμα (pneuma, breath), from the family of πνέω (pneō, breathe or blow), so breath and spirit belong to one word-field here. The child’s strength is described within that breath-language as wisdom fills him.
ALSO GROWS
pneuma: breath, wind; spirit
πνεῦμα
This is the word in the verse: his strengthening is described in the language of breath.
pnoē: breath, blowing
πνοή
Acts 2:2 uses this word for a forceful wind, showing how the same breath-word family can also name moving air.
χάρις
charis
GROWS FROM
χαρ-
char-
favor or gracious giving; the related word family also carries the sense of rejoicing
The word translated “grace” also means favor, and its word family reaches toward joy and freely extended kindness. Here God’s favor rests on the child as growth and wisdom unfold.
ALSO GROWS
chara: joy, gladness
χαρά
Its association with the charis word family lets favor carry the shade of joy, not only an abstract status.
charizomai: show favor, grant freely; forgive
χαρίζομαι
This verb gives the family’s favor an active shape: kindness extended to someone.
THE PATTERN
God’s favor appears alongside growth in wisdom and stature, rather than waiting until a life is complete.
And the child Samuel walked and grew, and was good both with the LORD and also with men.So you find favor and good insight in the eyes of God and of humankind.And Jesus cut his way forward in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and humankind.THE THREAD
So you find favor and good insight in the eyes of God and of humankind.The Greek Septuagint renders “favour” here with χάρις (charis, favor), the same Greek word used for God’s “grace” in Luke 2:40. Proverbs describes favor as found in the sight of God and people; Luke describes it resting upon the growing child.
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