What kind of peace?

Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God and saying:

14 “ Glory to God in the highest,

And on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”


2:13 host. A term used to describe an army encampment. Christ also used military imagery to describe the angels in Matt. 26:53. Revelation 5:11 suggests that the number of the angelic host may be too large for the human mind to fathom. Note that here the heavenly army brought a message of peace and goodwill (v. 14).

2:14 the highest. i.e., heaven.

peace. This is not to be taken as a universal declaration of peace toward all humanity. Rather, peace with God is a corollary (a natural consequence or result) of justification.

goodwill toward men. The Greek word for “goodwill” is also used in Luke 10:21. The verb form of the same word is used in Luke 3:22; Luke 12:32. In each case, it refers to God’s sovereign good pleasure. So a better rendering here might be “peace toward men on whom God’s sovereign pleasure rests.” God’s peace is not a reward for those who have good will, but a gracious gift to those who are the objects of His good will.
MacArthur, John Jr: The MacArthur Study Bible. electronic ed. Nashville : Word Pub., 1997, c1997, S. Lk 2:13