1
Ἐν ἔτει δὲ πεντεκαιδεκάτῳ τῆς ἡγεμονίας Τιβερίου Καίσαρος, ἡγεμονεύοντος Ποντίου Πιλάτου τῆς Ἰουδαίας, καὶ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς Γαλιλαίας Ἡρῴδου, Φιλίππου δὲ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ τετρααρχοῦντος τῆς Ἰτουραίας καὶ Τραχωνίτιδος χώρας, καὶ Λυσανίου τῆς Ἀβιληνῆς τετρααρχοῦντος,
In the fifteenth year of the rule of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate governing Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and Philip his brother being tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias being tetrarch of Abilene,
Why this rendering
Luke.3.1 Observation
Syntactic observation
Six rulers stand in one sentence — Tiberius Caesar (in the fifteenth year of his rule), Pontius Pilate, Herod, his brother Philip, Lysanias, and at v.2 Annas and Caiaphas. Of these Τιβέριος, ἡγεμονία (rule), Λυσανίας, Τραχωνῖτις and Ἀβιληνή are unique in the corpus, and τετρααρχέω, to rule as tetrarch, occurs three times within this one verse. **Dating by the regnal year of a Roman emperor happens nowhere else in the four gospels.** Matthew 2:1 says the days of Herod, Mark has no such marking at all, and neither does John. For Luke this is the third such dating, after 1:5 (Herod's days, the division of Abijah) and 2:1-2 (Augustus, Quirinius). And v.2 records what happened after those six names, with a subject that is not a person: ἐγένετο ῥῆμα θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην, the word of God came upon John — the old manner of calling a prophet. The ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως, in the high priesthood, of v.2 is singular while two names follow it, Annas and Caiaphas.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted All six names and titles rendered; “while … was tetrarch”
Basis The names and titles are the substance of the sentence; collapsing τετρααρχέω into ruled would erase the same title repeated three times.
Compress to the year and drop some place names
Basis The place names are unfamiliar and weigh the reading down.
Rejected That Luke sets six side by side is the substance here; compressing hides why he dates so insistently and cuts the line running from 1:5 and 2:1-2.
2
ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἅννα καὶ Καϊάφα, ἐγένετο ῥῆμα θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ζαχαρίου υἱὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.
in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came upon John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
3
καὶ ἦλθεν εἰς ⸀πᾶσαν περίχωρον τοῦ Ἰορδάνου κηρύσσων βάπτισμα μετανοίας εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν,
And he went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins,
4
ὡς γέγραπται ἐν βίβλῳ λόγων Ἠσαΐου τοῦ ⸀προφήτου· Φωνὴ βοῶντος ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ· Ἑτοιμάσατε τὴν ὁδὸν κυρίου, εὐθείας ποιεῖτε τὰς τρίβους αὐτοῦ.
as it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet: “A voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
5
πᾶσα φάραγξ πληρωθήσεται καὶ πᾶν ὄρος καὶ βουνὸς ταπεινωθήσεται, καὶ ἔσται τὰ σκολιὰ εἰς ⸀εὐθείαν καὶ αἱ τραχεῖαι εἰς ὁδοὺς λείας·
Every ravine will be filled and every mountain and hill made low; the crooked will become straight and the rough ways smooth;
6
καὶ ὄψεται πᾶσα σὰρξ τὸ σωτήριον τοῦ θεοῦ.
and all flesh will see the salvation of God.'”
7
Ἔλεγεν οὖν τοῖς ἐκπορευομένοις ὄχλοις βαπτισθῆναι ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ· Γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, τίς ὑπέδειξεν ὑμῖν φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς μελλούσης ὀργῆς;
So he said to the crowds coming out to be baptized by him, “Offspring of vipers, who warned you to flee from the coming wrath?
8
ποιήσατε οὖν καρποὺς ἀξίους τῆς μετανοίας· καὶ μὴ ἄρξησθε λέγειν ἐν ἑαυτοῖς· Πατέρα ἔχομεν τὸν Ἀβραάμ, λέγω γὰρ ὑμῖν ὅτι δύναται ὁ θεὸς ἐκ τῶν λίθων τούτων ἐγεῖραι τέκνα τῷ Ἀβραάμ.
Bear fruits worthy of repentance, then, and do not begin to say among yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as father'; for I say to you that God is able from these stones to raise up children to Abraham.
9
ἤδη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀξίνη πρὸς τὴν ῥίζαν τῶν δένδρων κεῖται· πᾶν οὖν δένδρον μὴ ποιοῦν καρπὸν καλὸν ἐκκόπτεται καὶ εἰς πῦρ βάλλεται.
Already the axe is laid at the root of the trees; every tree therefore that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into fire.”
10
Καὶ ἐπηρώτων αὐτὸν οἱ ὄχλοι λέγοντες· Τί οὖν ⸀ποιήσωμεν;
And the crowds were asking him, saying, “What then shall we do?”
11
ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ⸀ἔλεγεν αὐτοῖς· Ὁ ἔχων δύο χιτῶνας μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι, καὶ ὁ ἔχων βρώματα ὁμοίως ποιείτω.
And answering he said to them, “Let the one who has two tunics share with the one who has none, and let the one who has food do likewise.”
Why this rendering
Luke.3.11 Observation
Syntactic observation
μεταδίδωμι, to share out, is unique in the corpus. The word for giving here is otherwise δίδωμι (fifty-six times in Matthew, thirty-nine in Mark, seventy-five in John, sixty in Luke); here Luke uses the form with μετα- prefixed — to give from what is one's own. And χιτών, tunic, catches the eye. At Matthew 10:10 and Luke 9:3 Jesus tells the disciples not to take δύο χιτῶνας, two tunics; here John tells the man who has δύο χιτῶνας to share. The same phrase is once what not to carry and once what to give away. χιτών occurs twice in Matthew, twice in Mark, twice in John and three times in Luke — and **Luke's three say three different things**: 3:11 share it, 6:29 if it is taken let the cloak go too, 9:3 do not carry two. One garment, and within one book giving, losing and not carrying. In vv.12-14 tax collectors and soldiers repeat the same question, and the answers have the same texture throughout — what to do or not do with what one has, not what to become.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “let him share” — kept apart from δίδωμι
Basis A different word with a prefix, given a different rendering so that its single occurrence shows.
Render as “give”, matching δίδωμι
Basis The sense is nearly the same.
Rejected δίδωμι occurs two hundred and thirty times in this corpus and this word once; one rendering for both erases that Luke chose a different word only here.
12
ἦλθον δὲ καὶ τελῶναι βαπτισθῆναι καὶ εἶπαν πρὸς αὐτόν· Διδάσκαλε, τί ⸀ποιήσωμεν;
And tax collectors also came to be baptized, and they said to him, “Teacher, what shall we do?”
13
ὁ δὲ εἶπεν πρὸς αὐτούς· Μηδὲν πλέον παρὰ τὸ διατεταγμένον ὑμῖν πράσσετε.
And he said to them, “Exact no more than what is appointed to you.”
14
ἐπηρώτων δὲ αὐτὸν καὶ στρατευόμενοι λέγοντες· ⸂Τί ποιήσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς⸃; καὶ εἶπεν ⸀αὐτοῖς· Μηδένα διασείσητε μηδὲ συκοφαντήσητε, καὶ ἀρκεῖσθε τοῖς ὀψωνίοις ὑμῶν.
And those serving as soldiers were also asking him, saying, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Do not shake anyone down, nor extort by false accusation, and be content with your wages.”
Why this rendering
Luke.3.14 Observation
Syntactic observation
Verses 10-14 are Luke's alone — neither Matthew 3 nor Mark 1 has the question what shall we do or any answer to it. Three groups ask in turn: the crowds (v.10), tax collectors (v.12), soldiers (v.14). And the words of these three answers are Luke's own — στρατεύομαι, to serve as a soldier; διασείω, to shake down; ὀψώνιον, wages, are unique in the corpus, as is μεταδίδωμι, to share, at v.11. συκοφαντέω, to extort by false accusation, occurs twice in Luke, the other at **19:8**, where Zacchaeus says if I have extorted anything from anyone I restore fourfold. So the word given in the answer to tax collectors returns later in a chief tax collector's own mouth. The texture of the answers is striking: none tells the hearer to leave his work, only what not to do within it. Verse 13 tells tax collectors to exact no more than what is appointed, v.14 tells soldiers not to plunder and to be content with their wages.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “Do not shake anyone down, nor extort by false accusation, and be content with your wages” — the two verbs kept apart
Basis διασείω and συκοφαντέω are different words and the latter runs on to 19:8; collapsing them cuts that link.
Render both verbs as “do not extort”
Basis The two words are near in sense.
Rejected Nearness is not sameness; and keeping συκοφαντέω lets the reader see Zacchaeus use the same word.
15
Προσδοκῶντος δὲ τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ διαλογιζομένων πάντων ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις αὐτῶν περὶ τοῦ Ἰωάννου, μήποτε αὐτὸς εἴη ὁ χριστός,
And while the people were in expectation and all were reasoning in their hearts about John, whether he might be the Christ,
16
ἀπεκρίνατο ⸂λέγων πᾶσιν ὁ Ἰωάννης⸃· Ἐγὼ μὲν ὕδατι βαπτίζω ὑμᾶς· ἔρχεται δὲ ὁ ἰσχυρότερός μου, οὗ οὐκ εἰμὶ ἱκανὸς λῦσαι τὸν ἱμάντα τῶν ὑποδημάτων αὐτοῦ· αὐτὸς ὑμᾶς βαπτίσει ἐν πνεύματι ἁγίῳ καὶ πυρί·
John answered them all, saying, “I baptize you with water; but one stronger than I is coming, the strap of whose sandals I am not fit to loosen. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.
17
οὗ τὸ πτύον ἐν τῇ χειρὶ αὐτοῦ ⸀διακαθᾶραι τὴν ἅλωνα αὐτοῦ καὶ ⸀συναγαγεῖν τὸν σῖτον εἰς τὴν ἀποθήκην αὐτοῦ, τὸ δὲ ἄχυρον κατακαύσει πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ.
His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and gather the wheat into his barn; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
18
Πολλὰ μὲν οὖν καὶ ἕτερα παρακαλῶν εὐηγγελίζετο τὸν λαόν·
So with many other exhortations he brought good news to the people.
19
ὁ δὲ Ἡρῴδης ὁ τετραάρχης, ἐλεγχόμενος ὑπ’ αὐτοῦ περὶ Ἡρῳδιάδος τῆς γυναικὸς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ καὶ περὶ πάντων ὧν ἐποίησεν πονηρῶν ὁ Ἡρῴδης,
But Herod the tetrarch, exposed by him concerning Herodias his brother's wife and concerning all the evil things Herod had done,
20
προσέθηκεν καὶ τοῦτο ἐπὶ πᾶσιν, ⸀καὶ κατέκλεισεν τὸν Ἰωάννην ⸀ἐν φυλακῇ.
added this also to them all: he shut John up in prison.
21
Ἐγένετο δὲ ἐν τῷ βαπτισθῆναι ἅπαντα τὸν λαὸν καὶ Ἰησοῦ βαπτισθέντος καὶ προσευχομένου ἀνεῳχθῆναι τὸν οὐρανὸν
And it came to pass, when all the people had been baptized and Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, that heaven was opened
22
καὶ καταβῆναι τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον σωματικῷ εἴδει ⸀ὡς περιστερὰν ἐπ’ αὐτόν, καὶ φωνὴν ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ⸀γενέσθαι· Σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα.
and the Holy Spirit came down in bodily form like a dove upon him; and a voice came from heaven: “You are my beloved Son; in you I am well pleased.”
Why this rendering
Luke.3.22 Observation
Syntactic observation
σωματικῷ εἴδει, in bodily form, is Luke's addition — Matthew 3:16 and Mark 1:10 say only ὡς περιστεράν, like a dove, with no bodily form. σωματικός is unique in the corpus. So all three books name the dove and only Luke adds that it was a visible shape. Verse 21 diverges too: only Luke says that Jesus was **praying** (προσευχομένου), and only Luke says it was **after all the people had been baptized**. That John did the baptizing is not said here — at vv.19-20 John has already been shut up in prison. The voice from heaven matches Mark 1:11 word for word (σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός, ἐν σοὶ εὐδόκησα). Matthew 3:17 has οὗτός ἐστιν, this is, in the third person — Mark and Luke say you are, and only Matthew this is.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted “in bodily form like a dove” — the addition rendered
Basis It stands in the base text and is rendered; its absence from Matthew and Mark is recorded in the analysis.
Compress to “in the form of a dove”
Basis The two phrases together read heavily.
Rejected σωματικός is unique in the corpus and is Luke's own addition; compressing hides which of the three books added what.
23
Καὶ αὐτὸς ⸀ἦν Ἰησοῦς ⸂ἀρχόμενος ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα⸃, ὢν ⸂υἱός, ὡς ἐνομίζετο⸃, Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Ἠλὶ
And Jesus himself, when he began, was about thirty years old, being the son — as was supposed — of Joseph, of Heli,
Why this rendering
Luke.3.23 Observation
Syntactic observation
The genealogy diverges from Matthew's at three points. First, **the direction is reversed** — Matthew 1:2 begins at Abraham and comes down; Luke 3:23 begins at Jesus and goes back. Second, **the ends differ** — Matthew stops at Abraham; Luke passes Adam and stops at τοῦ θεοῦ, of God. Ἀδάμ occurs at this one place in the corpus. Third, **the build differs** — Matthew repeats the verb ἐγέννησεν, begot, and counts the generations for himself, fourteen and fourteen and fourteen (1:17); Luke has no verb, only τοῦ … in the genitive again and again, and counts nothing. Hence Matthew 1:1-17 runs to 275 words and Luke 3:23-38 to 165 — Luke reaches further and is shorter. And v.23 carries one clause Matthew has nothing like: ὡς ἐνομίζετο, as was supposed. SBLGNT marks a variant here (⸂⸃): the word order of beginning, about thirty years old divides among the manuscripts.
Rendering options · 2
Adopted Render the chain of genitives as son of, son of, and keep as was supposed
Basis Luke has no verb, so begot is not supplied — supplying it would impose Matthew's build on Luke; and ὡς ἐνομίζετο stands in the text and is rendered.
Unfold as begot, reading like Matthew
Basis A bare chain of genitives reads monotonously.
Rejected The monotony is in the Greek too; and that the two genealogies are built differently is what shows when they are set side by side — matching them erases it.
24
τοῦ Μαθθὰτ τοῦ Λευὶ τοῦ Μελχὶ τοῦ Ἰανναὶ τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ
of Matthat, of Levi, of Melchi, of Jannai, of Joseph,
25
τοῦ Ματταθίου τοῦ Ἀμὼς τοῦ Ναοὺμ τοῦ Ἑσλὶ τοῦ Ναγγαὶ
of Mattathias, of Amos, of Nahum, of Esli, of Naggai,
26
τοῦ Μάαθ τοῦ Ματταθίου τοῦ Σεμεῒν τοῦ ⸀Ἰωσὴχ τοῦ Ἰωδὰ
of Maath, of Mattathias, of Semein, of Josech, of Joda,
27
τοῦ Ἰωανὰν τοῦ Ῥησὰ τοῦ Ζοροβαβὲλ τοῦ Σαλαθιὴλ τοῦ Νηρὶ
of Joanan, of Rhesa, of Zerubbabel, of Shealtiel, of Neri,
28
τοῦ Μελχὶ τοῦ Ἀδδὶ τοῦ Κωσὰμ τοῦ Ἐλμαδὰμ τοῦ Ἢρ
of Melchi, of Addi, of Cosam, of Elmadam, of Er,
29
τοῦ ⸀Ἰησοῦ τοῦ Ἐλιέζερ τοῦ Ἰωρὶμ τοῦ Μαθθὰτ τοῦ Λευὶ
of Jesus, of Eliezer, of Jorim, of Matthat, of Levi,
30
τοῦ Συμεὼν τοῦ Ἰούδα τοῦ Ἰωσὴφ τοῦ Ἰωνὰμ τοῦ Ἐλιακὶμ
of Simeon, of Judah, of Joseph, of Jonam, of Eliakim,
31
τοῦ Μελεὰ τοῦ Μεννὰ τοῦ Ματταθὰ τοῦ Ναθὰμ τοῦ Δαυὶδ
of Melea, of Menna, of Mattatha, of Nathan, of David,
32
τοῦ Ἰεσσαὶ τοῦ Ἰωβὴλ τοῦ Βόος τοῦ ⸀Σαλὰ τοῦ Ναασσὼν
of Jesse, of Obed, of Boaz, of Sala, of Nahshon,
33
τοῦ ⸂Ἀμιναδὰβ τοῦ Ἀδμὶν τοῦ Ἀρνὶ⸃ τοῦ Ἑσρὼμ τοῦ Φαρὲς τοῦ Ἰούδα
of Amminadab, of Admin, of Arni, of Hezron, of Perez, of Judah,
34
τοῦ Ἰακὼβ τοῦ Ἰσαὰκ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ τοῦ Θάρα τοῦ Ναχὼρ
of Jacob, of Isaac, of Abraham, of Terah, of Nahor,
35
τοῦ Σεροὺχ τοῦ Ῥαγαὺ τοῦ Φάλεκ τοῦ Ἔβερ τοῦ Σαλὰ
of Serug, of Reu, of Peleg, of Eber, of Shelah,
36
τοῦ Καϊνὰμ τοῦ Ἀρφαξὰδ τοῦ Σὴμ τοῦ Νῶε τοῦ Λάμεχ
of Cainan, of Arphaxad, of Shem, of Noah, of Lamech,
37
τοῦ Μαθουσαλὰ τοῦ Ἑνὼχ τοῦ Ἰάρετ τοῦ Μαλελεὴλ τοῦ Καϊνὰμ
of Methuselah, of Enoch, of Jared, of Mahalalel, of Cainan,
38
τοῦ Ἐνὼς τοῦ Σὴθ τοῦ Ἀδὰμ τοῦ θεοῦ.
of Enos, of Seth, of Adam, of God.