Luke 21:27 And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
Luke 21:27 At that time they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory.
And they are going to see with their own eyes the son of the man showing up in a cloud with might and reputation great.
The words here are almost identical to the end of Matthew 24:30, but instead of being "upon the clouds of the sky", the appearance is simply "in a cloud". This is interesting because here in Luke it follows so many unique verses with many unique words.
The Greek word translated as "and" is used as the conjunction "and", but it also is used to add emphasis ("also").
The verb translated as "shall see" means "to see", "to behold", "to perceive", and "to observe." It is a metaphor for mental sight, "to perceive", "to discern", "to see visions", " and "to interview." This verb is in a form where the subject act on or for itself, so "they shall observe for themselves."
The phrase "of the son of man" is Christ's common way of referring to himself. It is discussed in more detail in this article.
The phrase "of the son of man" is the same as the phrase above. It is discussed in more detail in this article.
The word translated as "coming" primarily means "to start out." It indicates movement, especially its beginning, without indicating a direction toward or away from anything, so it works either as "come" or "go," but it is more like our phrase "being underway." It is in the form of an adjective describing someone acting on or for themselves.
The word translated as "in" also means "within", "with," or "among."
"Cloud" is from a word that means "clouds", "mist," and "fog."
"With" is from the Greek word that is almost always translated as "with" or a related concept such as "among" or "by the means of".
"Power" is from a word that describes abilities and capacities, what actions a person can do or has done so "power", "might", "influence", "authority," and "force." This is the "influence" that was shaken in the previous verse when the sun and mood darken and stars fall.
The word translated as "great" means many in number, great in power or worth, and large in size.
"Glory" is a word that means "expectation", "notion", "opinion", "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are found exclusively in translating the Bible. The English word "recognition" seems to fit most consistently with its use in the Gospels.
καὶ "And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
ὄψονται (verb 3rd pl fut ind mid) "Shall see" is from optanomai, which means "to see", "to look", "to aim at", "to look towards", "to have sight", "to take heed," (in transitive) "to behold", "to perceive", "to observe", "to look out for," and "to be seen (passive)." It is a metaphor for mental sight, "to perceive", "to discern", "to see visions", "to appear in visions (passion), and "to interview."
“τὸν υἱὸν (noun sg masc acc) "The Son" is from huios, which means a "son," and more generally, a "child."
τοῦ ἀνθρώπου (noun sg masc gen) "Of man" is from anthropos, which is "man," and, in plural, "mankind." It also means "humanity" and that which is human and opposed to that which is animal or inanimate. -- The Greek word for "of man" in the singular means "person" and "humanity" and "people" and "peoples" in the plural.
ἐρχόμενον (part sg pres mp masc acc) "Coming" is from erchomai, which means "to start," "to set out", "to come", "to go," and any kind of motion. It means both "to go" on a journey and "to arrive" at a place.
ἐν (prep) "In" is en, which means "in", "on", "at", "by", "among", "within", "surrounded by", "in one's hands", "in one's power," and "with".
νεφέλῃ” noun sg fem dat) "Cloud" is from nephelê, which means "clouds", "mist," and "fog."
μετὰ "With" is from meta, which means "with", "in the midst of", "among", "between", "in common", "along with", "by the aid of", "in one's dealings with", "into the middle of", "coming into", "in pursuit of", "after", "behind", "according to," and "next afterward."
δυνάμεως (noun sg fem gen) "Power" is from dynamis (dunamis), which means "power", "might", "influence", "authority", "capacity", "elementary force", "force of a word," and "value of money."
καὶ (conj/adv)"And" is from kai, which is the conjunction joining phrases and clauses, "and," or "but." After words implying sameness, "as" (the same opinion as you). Used in series, joins positive with negative "Not only...but also." Also used to give emphasis, "even", "also," and "just."
δόξης (noun sg fem gen) "Glory" is from doxa, which means "expectation", "notion", "opinion", "repute," and "popular repute." Translations as "glory" or "splendor" are applied to external appearances but are found primarily in translating the Bible. The words "recognition" and "reputation" come closest to capturing the way Christ uses the word, especially if we consider how he uses the verb form.
πολλῆς: (adj sg fem gen) "Great" is from polus, which means "many (in number)", "great (in size or power or worth)," and "large (of space)."