Luke 2:25

And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel; and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

Simeon ... This man has been identified as the son of the famous Hillel, father of Gamaliel, and president of the Sanhedrin.[24] Spence noted that the Mishna (part of the Talmud), which preserved the record of sayings of great rabbis, has no word from Simeon, "perhaps owing to the hatred incurred because of his belief in Jesus of Nazareth."[25]

Righteous and devout ... The Greek word for "devout" means "circumspect or cautious,"[26] and thus Simeon was not a man to make rash or unconsidered judgments. The word also means "God-fearing."[27]

Looking for the consolation of Israel ... He longed for the coming of the Messiah; and the Spirit prepared his heart to recognize him.

And the Holy Spirit was upon him ... indicates that it was directly under the influence of the Holy Spirit that Simeon was told to go into the temple, thus making this a supplementary revelation to the one already received regarding the promise that he should live to see the Messiah.

[24] Adam Clarke, op. cit., p. 374.

[25] H. D. M. Spence, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1962), Vol. 16, Luke, p. 40.

[26] H. Leo Boles, op. cit., p. 60.

[27] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 743.