“But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.” Luke 2:10-12
It can often be very insightful to dive into the Hebrew or Aramaic meanings of words in the Bible. Sometimes such exploration helps us understand the nuance of language, and why some translations of the Bible offer slightly different interpretations.
According to Strong’s Concordance of the Bible, the word “great” in verse 10 of the passage is the Aramaic word (a form of the Greek) “meg’as”, which occurs 192 times in the New Testament.
The expanded usage of “meg’as” is:
“big (literally or figuratively, in a very wide application): – – (+fear) exceedingly, great (-est), high, large, loud, mighty, +(be) sore (afraid), strong, X to years.”
Of course, this word is where we get our English word “mega” (see the reference on Merriam Webster website).
So the announcement of the birth of the Savior of the world brought “mega-joy” to the world! With this in mind, I think that the Isaac Watts, writer of “Joy to the World”, really got it right, even without Strong’s Concordance.
If you’re able, stop now and listen to a version of Joy to the World, close your eyes, and imagine sitting with the shepherds in the fields outside Jerusalem that crazy night two thousand years ago.
“Joy to the world the Lord is come
Let earth receive her king
Let every heart prepare Him room
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and Heaven and nature sing”
