Luke 3

It was the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea. Herod ruled Galilee, his brother Philip ruled Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruled Abilene.

1Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

NoteLuke dates the scene the way a Roman document would, by the reigning emperor and the local officials. The fifteenth year of Tiberius falls around AD 28 or 29, depending on which system of counting regnal years is used. A "tetrarch" was literally a ruler of a fourth part, and came to mean a petty ruler of a district under Roman oversight, a rank below king. The Herod named here is Herod Antipas, a son of the Herod who ruled when Jesus was born. A "governor" of Judaea was a Roman prefect appointed from Rome, with the authority to execute.

2Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At that time, God's word came to John, the son of Zechariah, out in the wilderness.

2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

NoteIsrael was meant to have one high priest at a time, holding office for life. Annas had been deposed by the Romans years earlier but kept enormous influence; Caiaphas, his son in law, held the office at this time. Naming both reflects that split between formal office and real power. "The word of God came unto" is the standard Old Testament formula for the start of a prophet's commission, so Luke is presenting John in the line of the prophets.

3John went all through the country around the Jordan River. He told people to turn away from their sins and be baptized, so their sins would be forgiven.

3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;

NoteRitual washing was familiar to Jewish readers, but it was normally repeated and self administered, for ceremonial uncleanness. John's baptism is a single act, done to a person by someone else, tied to a decision. "Repentance" translates a word meaning a change of mind that turns into a change of direction. "Remission" in 1611 English means release or cancellation, as of a debt.

4This was what the prophet Isaiah wrote in his book: "Someone is calling out in the wilderness: 'Get the road ready for the Lord. Make his paths straight.'"

4As it is written in the book of the words of Esaias the prophet, saying, The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.

Note"Esaias" is the Greek form of Isaiah. The quotation is from Isaiah 40, where the picture is of road crews going ahead of a king to make his route passable. In the Hebrew of Isaiah the phrase "in the wilderness" most likely belongs with "prepare the way"; the Greek version Luke quotes attaches it to the voice instead. Both readings are old.

5"Every valley will be filled in, and every mountain and hill will be leveled. The crooked roads will be made straight, and the rough roads will be made smooth."

5Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be brought low; and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways shall be made smooth;

6"And everyone alive will see the salvation that God brings."

6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.

Note"All flesh" is a Hebrew idiom for every living human being, not a statement about bodies.

7Crowds came out to be baptized by John. He said to them, "You family of snakes! Who warned you to run away from the anger that is coming?"

7Then said he to the multitude that came forth to be baptized of him, O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?

Note"Generation of vipers" means a brood or litter of poisonous snakes, not a period of time. "The wrath to come" is a standard prophetic phrase for the judgment expected at the end of the age; his question has an edge to it, as though he is surprised to see them running.

8"Live in a way that shows you have really turned from your sins. Do not start telling yourselves, 'Abraham is our father.' I tell you, God can make children for Abraham out of these stones."

8Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.

NoteDescent from Abraham was the basis of the claim to belong to God's covenant people, and John's hearers would have regarded it as a guarantee of standing. In Aramaic, the language John would have spoken, the words for "stones" and "children" sound nearly alike, so the saying is also a pun.

9"The axe is already lying at the root of the trees. Every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire."

9And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.

NoteAn axe laid at the root is not a threat about the far future but a picture of the woodsman already in position, tool down and ready to swing.

10The crowds asked him, "Then what should we do?"

10And the people asked him, saying, What shall we do then?

11He answered, "Whoever has two shirts should share with the person who has none. Whoever has food should do the same."

11He answereth and saith unto them, He that hath two coats, let him impart to him that hath none; and he that hath meat, let him do likewise.

NoteThe word translated "coats" is the tunic worn next to the skin. Owning two was ordinary comfort rather than wealth, which is what gives the demand its bite. "Meat" in 1611 English means food of any kind, not flesh specifically.

12Tax collectors came to be baptized too. They asked him, "Teacher, what should we do?"

12Then came also publicans to be baptized, and said unto him, Master, what shall we do?

Note"Publicans" were not innkeepers. They were locals who bought or held the right to collect Rome's tolls and taxes, and they made their living on whatever they could take above the required amount. They were despised both as extortioners and as collaborators with an occupying power. "Master" here translates the ordinary word for teacher.

13He told them, "Do not collect any more money than you are ordered to collect."

13And he said unto them, Exact no more than that which is appointed you.

NoteThe system itself allowed the collector to keep the surplus, so John is not abolishing the job, he is removing the profit margin that made it hateful.

14Soldiers also asked him, "And what should we do?" He told them, "Do not take money from anyone by force, and do not accuse anyone falsely. Be satisfied with your pay."

14And the soldiers likewise demanded of him, saying, And what shall we do? And he said unto them, Do violence to no man, neither accuse any falsely; and be content with your wages.

NoteThese are probably soldiers in the service of Herod Antipas rather than Roman legionaries. "Do violence to no man" renders a verb meaning to shake someone down, to extort by intimidation. "Accuse falsely" renders a word for bringing a trumped up charge in order to squeeze money out of the accused. Both were standard abuses by armed men who were rarely held to account.

15The people were waiting and hoping, and everyone was wondering privately whether John might be the Christ.

15And as the people were in expectation, and all men mused in their hearts of John, whether he were the Christ, or not;

Note"Christ" is not a name but a title, the Greek for "anointed one," the same word as the Hebrew "Messiah." Kings and priests were anointed with oil at their installation, and the term had come to mean the deliverer many expected.

16John answered them all, "I baptize you with water. But someone stronger than I am is coming, and I am not good enough to untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."

16John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

Note"Latchet" is the strap of a sandal. Untying and carrying a man's sandals was slaves' work, and Jewish teaching held that a disciple could be required to do almost anything for his teacher except this. John is placing himself below even that line. "Holy Ghost" in 1611 English simply means Holy Spirit; "ghost" then meant spirit, without the modern sense of an apparition.

17"His winnowing fork is in his hand, ready to clean off his threshing floor completely. He will gather the wheat into his barn, but he will burn the chaff with a fire that cannot be put out."

17Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

NoteA "fan" here is a winnowing fork or shovel, not a device for moving air. Threshed grain was tossed into the wind from a flat, hard "floor" of packed earth or stone; the heavy kernels fell back and the light husks, the "chaff," blew aside to be swept up and burned. "Throughly purge" means thoroughly clear, and "garner" means granary or barn.

18John said many other things like this as he urged the people and told them the good news.

18And many other things in his exhortation preached he unto the people.

NoteThe verb behind "preached" is the one meaning to announce good news, which sits deliberately alongside the harsh warnings just quoted.

19But John had spoken against Herod the ruler for taking Herodias, his brother's wife, and for all the other evil things Herod had done.

19But Herod the tetrarch, being reproved by him for Herodias his brother Philip’s wife, and for all the evils which Herod had done,

NoteHerodias had been married to a half brother of Antipas. Antipas divorced his own wife to marry her, and Jewish law forbade marrying a brother's wife while the brother lived. The offense John names is therefore a legal one, not merely a scandal. Some manuscripts name the brother Philip, as the King James does, though this Philip is not the tetrarch of verse 1.

20So Herod added one more evil thing to all the rest: he locked John up in prison.

20Added yet this above all, that he shut up John in prison.

21When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. While he was praying, heaven opened up,

21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,

22and the Holy Spirit came down on him in a bodily form, like a dove. A voice came from heaven and said, "You are my Son, whom I love. I am very pleased with you."

22And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.

NoteA voice from heaven declaring sonship echoes two Old Testament lines the audience would recognize, the enthronement words of Psalm 2 addressed to the king and the opening of Isaiah 42 addressed to God's chosen servant. "In thee I am well pleased" translates a verb of settled approval, not a passing mood.

23Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his work. People thought he was the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli,

23And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

NoteThe Greek phrasing behind "began to be about thirty years of age" is loose, and can be read either as a statement of his age or as saying that he was about thirty when he began his public work. Thirty was the traditional age for entering full service, as in the case of priests and of David's accession. "As was supposed" flags that the line which follows traces legal, not biological, descent. Luke's list differs substantially from the genealogy in Matthew 1; the differences have never been resolved with certainty, and ancient genealogies routinely recorded legal or adoptive links rather than strict biology.

24who was the son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Jannai, the son of Joseph,

24Which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi, which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Janna, which was the son of Joseph,

NoteThe names in the King James are in their Greek forms, which is why familiar figures look unfamiliar: Zorobabel is Zerubbabel, Booz is Boaz, Juda is Judah, Noe is Noah, Sem is Shem, Thara is Terah. Luke's list also runs backward, from Jesus toward the beginning, the reverse of the usual Old Testament pattern.

25the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum, the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,

25Which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Amos, which was the son of Naum, which was the son of Esli, which was the son of Nagge,

26the son of Maath, the son of Mattathias, the son of Semein, the son of Josech, the son of Joda,

26Which was the son of Maath, which was the son of Mattathias, which was the son of Semei, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Juda,

27the son of Joanan, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,

27Which was the son of Joanna, which was the son of Rhesa, which was the son of Zorobabel, which was the son of Salathiel, which was the son of Neri,

NoteShealtiel and Zerubbabel are known from the return from exile in Babylon in the late sixth century BC; Zerubbabel led the rebuilding of the temple. They are the one fixed point where Luke's list and Matthew's touch between David and Joseph.

28the son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmadam, the son of Er,

28Which was the son of Melchi, which was the son of Addi, which was the son of Cosam, which was the son of Elmodam, which was the son of Er,

29the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,

29Which was the son of Jose, which was the son of Eliezer, which was the son of Jorim, which was the son of Matthat, which was the son of Levi,

30the son of Simeon, the son of Judah, the son of Joseph, the son of Jonam, the son of Eliakim,

30Which was the son of Simeon, which was the son of Juda, which was the son of Joseph, which was the son of Jonan, which was the son of Eliakim,

31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,

31Which was the son of Melea, which was the son of Menan, which was the son of Mattatha, which was the son of Nathan, which was the son of David,

NoteLuke traces the line through Nathan, another son of David, while Matthew traces it through Solomon and the royal succession. This is the largest single divergence between the two lists.

32the son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nahshon,

32Which was the son of Jesse, which was the son of Obed, which was the son of Booz, which was the son of Salmon, which was the son of Naasson,

33the son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,

33Which was the son of Aminadab, which was the son of Aram, which was the son of Esrom, which was the son of Phares, which was the son of Juda,

NoteThe manuscripts differ here. Some read one name, Ram or Aram, between Amminadab and Hezron; others insert two, Admin and Arni. The plain rendering follows one of the shorter readings.

34the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,

34Which was the son of Jacob, which was the son of Isaac, which was the son of Abraham, which was the son of Thara, which was the son of Nachor,

35the son of Serug, the son of Reu, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,

35Which was the son of Saruch, which was the son of Ragau, which was the son of Phalec, which was the son of Heber, which was the son of Sala,

36the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,

36Which was the son of Cainan, which was the son of Arphaxad, which was the son of Sem, which was the son of Noe, which was the son of Lamech,

NoteThis Cainan, between Arphaxad and Shelah, appears in the Greek version of Genesis that Luke used but not in the Hebrew text, which is why he is absent from Genesis 11 in most English Bibles.

37the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel, the son of Cainan,

37Which was the son of Mathusala, which was the son of Enoch, which was the son of Jared, which was the son of Maleleel, which was the son of Cainan,

38the son of Enosh, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

38Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God.

NoteEnding at Adam rather than at Abraham gives the list a different reach from Matthew's, which stops at Abraham. Calling Adam "the son of God" uses the same phrase applied to Jesus in verse 22, here in the sense of one who came directly from God rather than from a human parent.