Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.
Glory.
Luke 19:38 Saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.
Psalm 69:34,35 Let the heaven and earth praise him, the seas, and every thing that moveth therein…
Psalm 85:9-12 Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory may dwell in our land…
and.
Luke 1:79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
Isaiah 9:6,7 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace…
Isaiah 57:19 I create the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to him that is far off, and to him that is near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him.
good.
John 3:16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.
Ephesians 2:4,7 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, …
2 Thessalonians 2:16 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace,
and on earth peace
The announcement of "peace" on earth signifies the reconciliation between God and humanity through Jesus Christ. This peace is not merely the absence of conflict but a holistic well-being and restoration of relationship with God. In the cultural context of the Roman Empire, "peace" (or Pax Romana) was a significant concept, yet the peace Jesus brings is deeper and eternal. This peace fulfills prophecies like Isaiah 53:5, which speaks of the Messiah bringing peace through His suffering. It also connects to Jesus' own words in John 14:27, where He promises a peace unlike what the world gives.
to men on whom His favor rests!
This phrase highlights the recipients of God's peace—those who are favored by Him. The "favor" of God is often associated with His grace and mercy, extended to those who believe and trust in Him. This echoes the Old Testament concept of God's chosen people, as seen in passages like Deuteronomy 7:6-8, where God's favor is based on His love and promise. In the New Testament, this favor is extended to all who accept Christ, as seen in Ephesians 2:8-9, emphasizing salvation by grace through faith. The phrase underscores the inclusivity of the Gospel, inviting all to experience God's peace through Jesus.
• The angelic chorus begins by lifting every eye upward. God’s glory—His perfect greatness and radiant majesty—is the first and highest reality (Psalm 148:1; Revelation 5:13).
• By announcing Jesus’ birth this way, the angels reveal that the Incarnation is foremost about God’s honor. The Father sent the Son so that heaven and earth would see His character displayed (Ephesians 1:6).
• Our response follows the angels’: worship that exalts God above every earthly concern (Luke 19:38).
• The same event that showcases glory in heaven brings peace on earth. Jesus is “Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9:6-7); His coming answers centuries of longing for true shalom—wholeness, reconciliation, rest.
• This peace is more than an absence of conflict. Through Christ’s atoning work, sinners are reconciled to God, moving from enmity to friendship (Romans 5:1; Colossians 1:20).
• The peace reaches outward: because believers are now “one new man” in Christ, hostility between people can be dismantled (Ephesians 2:14-17).
• Personal peace is promised as well—Jesus later says, “Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you” (John 14:27), offering calm for troubled hearts.
• The peace announced is not automatic for all; it rests on those who receive God’s gracious favor. Earlier, Gabriel greeted Mary as one “highly favored” (Luke 1:28), showing that God’s grace chooses and blesses.
• Favor (grace) is unearned. Salvation comes “by grace…through faith” (Ephesians 2:8-9), never by personal merit.
• Those who trust Christ stand in a new position: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1).
• God’s favor is wide—“For God so loved the world” (John 3:16)—yet specific: it effectively saves all who believe, instructing them “to live sensibly, righteously, and godly” (Titus 2:11-14).
Luke 2:14 harmonizes heaven and earth around the birth of Jesus. The angels spotlight God’s unmatched glory, proclaim the arrival of true peace through the Savior, and announce that this peace belongs to all who receive His gracious favor. Recognizing these truths leads us to worship, to rest in the peace Christ secured, and to live as favored people who spread His glory and peace wherever we go.
(14) Glory to God in the highest.--The words would seem to have formed one of the familiar doxologies of the Jews, and, as such, reappear among the shouts of the multitude on the occasion of our Lord's kingly entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:38). The idea implied in the words "in the highest" (the Greek is plural), is that the praise is heard in the very heaven of heavens, in the highest regions of the universe.On earth peace, good will toward men.--The better MSS. give, "on earth peace among men of good will"--i.e., among men who are the objects of the good will, the approval and love of God. The other construction, "Peace to men of peace," which the Christian Year has made familiar, is hardly consistent with the general usage of the New Testament as to the word rendered "good will." The construction is the same as in "His dear Son," literally, the Son of His Love, in Colossians 1:13. The word is one which both our Lord (Matthew 11:25; Luke 10:21) and St. Paul use of the divine will in its aspect of benevolence, and the corresponding verb appears, as uttered by the divine voice, at the Baptism and Transfiguration (Matthew 3:17; Matthew 17:5). The words stand in the Greek, as in the English, without a verb, and may therefore be understood either as a proclamation or a prayer. The "peace on earth" has not unfrequently been connected, as in Milton's Ode on the Nativity, with the fact that the Roman empire was then at peace, and the gates of the Temple of Janus closed because there was no need for the power of the god to go forth in defence of its armies. It is obvious, however, that the "peace" of the angels' hymn is something far higher than any "such as the world giveth"--peace between man and God, and therefore peace within the souls of all who are thus reconciled. We may see a reference to the thought, possibly even to the words of the angelic song, in St. Paul's way of speaking of Christ as being Himself "our peace (Ephesians 2:14). . . .
Verse 14. - On earth peace. At that juncture, strange to say, the Roman empire was at peace with all the world, and, as was ever the case in these brief rare moments of profound peace, the gates of the temple of Janus at Rome were closed, there being, as they supposed, no need for the presence of the god to guide and lead their conquering armies. Not a few have supposed that the angel choir in these words hymned this earthly peace. So Milton in his 'Ode to the Nativity' -"No war or battle's sound
Was heard the world around
The idle spear and shield were high uphung:
The hooked chariot stood
Unstained with hostile blood,
The trumpet spake not to the armed throng;
And kings sat still with awful eye
As if they surely knew their souvran Lord was by." But the angels sang of something more real and enduring than this temporary lull. The gates of Janus were only too quickly thrown open again. Some seventy years later, within sight of the spot where the shepherds beheld the multitude of the heavenly host, the awful conflagration which accompanied the sack of the holy city and temple could have been plainly seen, and the shrieks and cries of the countless victims of the closing scenes of one of the most terrible wars which disfigure the red pages of history could almost have been heard. Good will toward men. A bare majority of the old authorities read here, "On earth peace among men of good will;" in other words, among men who are the objects of God's good will and kindness. But the Greek text, from which our Authorized Version; was made, has the support of so many of the older manuscripts and ancient versions, that it is among scholars an open question whether or not the text followed in the Authorized Version should not in this place be adhered to.
Parallel Commentaries ...