SEV Biblia, Chapter 2:22
Y cuando se cumplieron los días de su purificacin, conforme a la ley de Moiss, le trajeron a Jerusaln para presentarle al Seor,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 2:22
Verse 22. Days of her purification] That is, thirty-three days after what was termed the seven days of her uncleanness- forty days in all: for that was the time appointed by the law, after the birth of a male child. See Lev. xii. 2, 6. The MSS. and versions differ much in the pronoun in this place: some reading authv, HER purification; others autou, HIS purification; others autwn, THEIR purification; and others autoin, the purification of THEM BOTH. Two versions and two of the fathers omit the pronoun, autwn, their, and autou, his, have the greatest authorities in their support, and the former is received into most of the modern editions. A needless scrupulosity was, in my opinion, the origin of these various readings.
Some would not allow that both needed purification, and referred the matter to Mary alone. Others thought neither could be supposed to be legally impure, and therefore omitted the pronoun entirely, leaving the meaning indeterminate. As there could be no moral defilement in the case, and what was done being for the performance of a legal ceremony, it is of little consequence which of the readings is received into the text.
The purification of every mother and child, which the law enjoined, is a powerful argument in proof of that original corruption and depravity which every human being brings into the world. The woman to be purified was placed in the east gate of the court, called Nicanor's gate, and was there sprinkled with blood: thus she received the atonement. See Lightfoot.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 22. And when the days of purification , etc.] Of the Virgin Mary, the mother of our Lord; though most copies read, of their purification; and so read the Syriac, Persic, and Ethiopic versions, including both Mary and Jesus: and now, though Mary was not polluted by the conception, bearing, and bringing forth of Jesus, that holy thing born of her; yet inasmuch as she was in the account of the law clean; and though Jesus had no impurity in his nature, yet seeing he was made sin for his people, both came under this law of purification, which was for the sake of the son or daughter, as well as for the mother; though our reading, and which is according to the Complutensian edition, best agrees with the Hebrew phrase, hrjj ymy , the days of her purifying or purification, in ( Leviticus 12:4,6) according to the law of Moses , in ( Leviticus 12:1-8). were accomplished ; which for a son were forty days: the seven first days after she gave birth she was unclean; and then she continued three and thirty days in the blood of her purifying, which made forty; (see Leviticus 12:2,4) but though the time of her purifying was upon the fortieth day, yet it was not till the day following that she came to the temple with her offering: for so runs the Jewish canon f117 ; a new mother does not bring her offering on the fortieth day for a male, nor on the eightieth day for a female, but after her sun is set: and she brings her offering on the morrow, which is the forty first for a male, and the eighty first for a female: and this is the day of which it is said, ( Leviticus 12:6) and when the days of her purifying are fulfilled for a son, or for a daughter, she shall bring, etc.
And this was the time when they, Joseph and Mary, brought him, the child Jesus, to Jerusalem, and to the temple there, to present him to the Lord, to the priest his representative; and which was done in the eastern gate, called the gate of Nicanor: for here, they made women, suspected of adultery, to drink, and purified new mothers, and cleansed the lepers.
And here Mary appeared with her firstborn son, the true Messiah; and this was the first time of his coming into his temple, as was foretold, ( Malachi 3:1) Ver. 23. As it is written in the law of the Lord , etc.] In ( Exodus 13:2 Numbers 3:13) every male that openeth the womb, shall be called holy to the Lord; that is, devoted and consecrated to him, and so to be redeemed. The reason of this law was this, when God smote all the firstborn of Egypt, he saved the firstborn of Israel; and therefore claimed a right to them, and obliged their parents, excepting the Levites, to redeem them at the price of five shekels, which were about twelve shillings and six pence of our money, and which was given to the Levites: (see Exodus 13:12-15 Numbers 3:12,13,46,47) ( Numbers 18:15,16) And this law our Lord came under as Mary s firstborn, and as one holy to the Lord; and such a sum of money was now paid for his redemption, who was the great Redeemer of his people: he being made under the law, and in all things subject to it, that he might redeem them from the bondage, curse, and condemnation of it. Now as the tribe of Levi was excepted from this law, it is a clear case, that Mary, though allied to Elisabeth, was not of the tribe of Levi, otherwise her firstborn would not have been subject to it f119 . An Israelite that comes from a priestess, or from a she Levite, is free, (i.e. from the redemption of the firstborn;) for the thing does not depend on the father, but on the mother, as it is said, that openeth the womb in Israel.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 21-24 - Our Lord Jesus was not born in sin, and did not need that mortificatio of a corrupt nature, or that renewal unto holiness, which wer signified by circumcision. This ordinance was, in his case, a pledge of his future perfect obedience to the whole law, in the midst of sufferings and temptations, even unto death for us. At the end of fort days, Mary went up to the temple to offer the appointed sacrifices for her purification. Joseph also presented the holy child Jesus, because as a first-born son, he was to be presented to the Lord, and redeeme according to the law. Let us present our children to the Lord who gav them to us, beseeching him to redeem them from sin and death, and make them holy to himself.
Greek Textus Receptus
και 2532 CONJ οτε 3753 ADV επλησθησαν 4130 5681 V-API-3P αι 3588 T-NPF ημεραι 2250 N-NPF του 3588 T-GSM καθαρισμου 2512 N-GSM {VAR1: αυτων 846 P-GPM } {VAR2: αυτης 846 P-GSF } κατα 2596 PREP τον 3588 T-ASM νομον 3551 N-ASM μωσεως 3475 N-GSM ανηγαγον 321 5627 V-2AAI-3P-ATT αυτον 846 P-ASM εις 1519 PREP ιεροσολυμα 2414 N-ASF παραστησαι 3936 5658 V-AAN τω 3588 T-DSM κυριω 2962 N-DSM
Vincent's NT Word Studies
22. The days of her purification (ai hmerai tou kaqarismou authv). The A.V. follows the reading aujthv, her: but all the best texts read aujtwn, their; the plural including Joseph with Mary as partaking of the ceremonial defilement. The mother of a child was levitically unclean for forty days after the birth of a son, and for eighty days after the birth of a daughter. Women on this errand commonly rode to the temple on oxen; that the body of so large a beast between them and the ground might prevent any chance of defilement from passing over a sepulchre on the road. For details, see Edersheim, "Life and Times of Jesus," i., 195; "The Temple," page 302; Geikie, "Life and Words of Christ," i., 127.To present him to the Lord. The first born son of every household must be redeemed of the priest at the price of five shekels of the sanctuary; about two dollars and fifty cents. Num. xviii. 15, 16; Exod. xiii. 2.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
2:22 {The days of their purification} (hai hemerai tou kaqarismou autwn). The old manuscripts have "their" (autwn) instead of "her" (autes) of the later documents. But it is not clear whether "their" refers to Mary and Joseph as is true of "they brought" or to Mary and the child. The mother was Levitically unclean for forty days after the birth of a son (#Le 12:1-8). {To present him to the Lord} (parastesai twi kuriwi). Every first-born son was thus redeemed by the sacrifice (#Ex 13:2-12) as a memorial of the sparing of the Israelitish families (#Nu 18:15f.). The cost was about two dollars and a half in our money.
