Lukechapter 3
38 verses · Luke · about AD 62 · The Gospels
Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Introduction
Luke, The Gospels, Luke Overview.
Luke writes here as a careful historian who wants his reader to be able to check the date. He names the rulers of Rome, of Judea and of the temple before he names the prophet in the wilderness. The chapter then gives one strong voice calling a whole nation to turn back to God. Listen for how plain and practical the prophet's answers are to the people who question him. Listen also for the voice from heaven, and then for the long family line that closes the chapter. Read it as the opening of the public ministry of Jesus.
Context
- Who
- An educated reader who could check a date against public records
- What
- The preaching of John the Baptist, the baptism of Jesus, and the genealogy of Jesus from Joseph back to Adam.
- Where
- The wilderness and the region around the Jordan River.
- When
- The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar, about AD 28 to 29.
- Why
- To set the start of the ministry in public history and to show that Jesus belongs to Israel and to the whole human race.
Historical context
Luke opens this chapter like a historian, not a storyteller. He fixes the year by the reign of Tiberius Caesar, then names Pontius Pilate as governor of Judea, Herod Antipas over Galilee, his brother Philip over the north-eastern territories, Lysanias over Abilene, and Annas and Caiaphas in the high priesthood. Six independent handles, any one of which a contemporary could have checked.
Show the rest of the historical context, 3 more paragraphs
Several of them are confirmed outside the Bible. Pilate's name and title appear on a stone found at Caesarea in 1961; Josephus describes Antipas and Philip and the high priestly family; and an inscription from the region of Abila names a Lysanias as ruler there, a figure critics had once doubted.
Naming two high priests at once is itself accurate reporting. The office was in Rome's gift and changed hands often. Annas had been deposed years earlier but remained the power in the family, with several sons and his son-in-law Caiaphas holding the office in turn.
The practical advice John gives is aimed at the actual occupations in front of him. Tax collectors are told to collect no more than they are authorised to, which is a direct hit on how tax farming made its profit. Soldiers are told not to extort money by threats or file false accusations, both of which were standing abuses by armed men in the provinces.
Significance
Luke is doing something deliberate for a reader like Theophilus: anchoring the story in the public record of the empire. This did not happen once upon a time. It happened in a datable year, under named officials.
Show the rest of the significance, 1 more paragraph
The genealogy that closes the chapter then runs the opposite direction from Matthew's, backwards, past Abraham, to Adam, and to God. The lists differ, and the usual explanations are that one traces legal descent and the other physical, or that one follows Mary's line. Luke's point stands either way: this man belongs not merely to Israel but to the human race.
The heads below are this chapter's scenes. The numbered points under each are its verses.
John Preaches Repentance and Confronts Herod
Luke 3:1-2
In the fifteenth year of: Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene was once called a Lukan error. An inscription from Abila named a later Lysanias as tetrarch in this very period.
Luke 3:1
“The fifteenth year of Tiberius - Reckoning from the time when Angustus made him his colleague in the empire. Herod being tetrarch of Galilee - The dominions of Herod the Great were, after his death, divided into four parts or tetrarchies. This Herod his son was tetrarch of Galilee, reigning over that fourth part of his dominions.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verseWhat preachers and commentators have said about this verse, in their own words.
Luke 3:1
“Now in the fifteenth year - This was the “thirteenth” year of his being sole emperor. He was “two” years joint emperor with Augustus, and Luke reckons from the time when he was admitted to share the empire with Augustus Caesar. See Lardner’s “Credibility,” vol. i. Tiberius Caesar - Tiberius succeeded Augustus in the empire, and began his “sole” reign Aug. 19th, 14 a.d. He was a most infamous character - a scourge to the Roman people.”
Luke 3:1
“The Son of God being about to gather together the Church, commences His work in His servant. And so it is well said, The word of the Lord came to John, that the Church should begin not from man, but from the Word. But Luke, in order to declare that John was a prophet, rightly used these few words, The word of the Lord came to him. He adds nothing else, for they need not their own judgment who are filled with the Word of God. By saying this one thing, he has therefore declared all.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas: Israel had one high priest, yet Luke names two. Barnes explains that Caiaphas held the office while Annas, removed from it, kept the title. Henry notes that the word of God came to John as it came to the prophets.
Luke 3:2
“Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests - Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas or Ananias, and it is supposed that they exercised the high priest’s office by turns. It is likely that Annas only was considered as high priest; and that Caiaphas was what the Hebrews termed כהן משנה cohen mishneh, or סגן כהנים sagan cohanim, the high priest’s deputy, or ruler of the temple. See the note on Mat 2:4, and on Joh 18:13. The facts which St. Luke mentions here tend much to confirm the truth of the evangelical history.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:2
“Annas being high priest, and Caiaphas - There could be but one high priest, strictly speaking, at once. Annas was the high priest at that time, and Caiaphas his sagan or deputy.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
Luke 3:2
“One was the high priest, and the other the sagan, as the Jews called him, to officiate for him when he was disabled; or, as others say, one was high priest, and represented Aaron, and that was Caiaphas; Annas, the other, was nasi, or head of the sanhedrim, and represented Moses. But to us there is but one high priest, one Lord of all, to whom all judgment is committed.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Luke 3:3-4
He went into all the: Luke cites Isaiah 40:3, the verse all four Gospels apply to John. A voice in the wilderness places John on the ground where Israel wandered forty years, calling the nation to repent there.
Luke 3:3
But he was the forerunner of Christ, "the voice of one crying in the desert," to a soul not at war; and not just then, but even now the first "burning and shining lamp" comes "preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins," then after him comes "the true light," about which the lamp says, "He must increase, but I must decrease." "And he went into all the region around the Jordan."
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on the Gospel of Luke 21.3patristic
Luke quotes the book of Isaiah and applies it to John in the wilderness. Ambrose calls John the voice that goes before the Word. Clarke cites the custom of sending men ahead of a king to prepare the way and make the paths straight.
Luke 3:4
“Prepare ye the way - It was customary for the Hindoo kings, when on journeys, to send a certain class of the people two or three days before them, to command the inhabitants to clear the ways. A very necessary precaution where there are no public roads. - Ward.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Cross references
Luke 3:4
- QuotingIsaiah 40:3“A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.”
'The voice of one crying in the wilderness' (extended through Isa 40:5, 'all flesh shall see')
Luke 3:5-6
Every valley shall be filled: Matthew and Mark quote Isaiah 40:3 and stop with the call for straight paths. Luke alone carries the quotation on to its close, all humanity will see God’s salvation, reaching past Israel to the Gentiles.
Luke 3:5
“Every they shall be filled - All hinderances shall be taken out of the way: a quotation from the Greek version of Isa 40:4, containing an allusion to the preparations made in rough countries to facilitate the march of mighty kings and conquerors. See the instance produced on Mat 3:3 (note).”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:5
“But it seems rather to be meant of the gospel of Christ, of which that was the introduction. The humble shall by it be enriched with grace: Every valley that lies low and moist shall be filled and be exalted.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Luke carries the words of Isaiah the prophet on to this line, as Jamieson, Fausset and Brown note. Cyril of Alexandria says all humanity means every nation, with Israel. Theophylact says the good news has since gone out to all the earth.
Luke 3:6
“And all flesh did see the salvation of God, even of the Father: for He sent the Son to be our Saviour. And in these words by "flesh," man generally is to be understood, that is, the whole human race. For thus all flesh shall see the salvation of God: no longer Israel only, but all flesh. For the gentleness of the Saviour and Lord of all is not limited, nor did He save one nation merely, but rather embraced within His net the whole world, and has illuminated all who were in darkness.”
Cyril of Alexandria · written before 444 · Commentary on the Gospel of Luke, Sermon VIpatristic
Luke 3:7-9
Then John said to the crowds: The saying out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham likely rests on a Hebrew wordplay. The words for stones and for children share nearly the same consonants.
Luke 3:7
“We see these men through the compassion of God, inspired with prudence to seek repentance of their crimes, dreading with wise devotion the terror of the judgment to come. Or perhaps, according to the precept, Be ye wise as serpents, (Matt. 10:16.) they are shown to have a natural prudence, who perceive what is coming, and earnestly desire help, though they still forsake not what is hurtful.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Produce fruit, then, in keeping with repentance: John demands fruit that matches a changed heart, and Theophylact adds that this means doing good as well as leaving evil. Wesley turns the warning about Abraham against trust in any outward privilege. Bede reads the stones as the Gentiles.
Luke 3:8
“Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance,.... Or "meet" for it, such as will show it to be true and genuine: "and begin not to say within yourselves": in one of Beza's copies, and in another of Stephens's, it was read, "think not", as in Mat 3:9. the sense is the same.”
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:8
“But although God can alter and change the most diverse natures, yet in my mind a mystery is of more avail than a miracle. For what else than stones were they who bowed down to stones, like indeed to them who made them. It is prophesied therefore that faith shall be poured into the stony hearts of the Gentiles, and through faith the oracles promise that Abraham shall have sons.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Luke 3:8
“Say not within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father - That is, trust not in your being members of the visible Church, or in any external privileges whatsoever: for God now requires a change of heart; and that without delay.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
The axe lies ready at the root of the trees: The axe already lies at the root, so judgment is near for every tree. Cyril of Alexandria says it lay near the root and had yet to cut, for a remnant of Israel would be saved. Chrysostom adds that a tree must produce good fruit.
Luke 3:9
“If the completion of all things had been then already begun, and the end of time close at hand, I should have no question but that the prophecy was given, because at that time it was to be fulfilled. But now that many ages have elapsed since the Spirit spoke this, I think it was prophesied to the people of Israel, because their cutting off was approaching. For to those that went out to him that they should be baptized, he gave this warning among others.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Luke 3:10-11
The crowds asked him: The crowds are the first of three groups in this scene to ask what they should do. John answers with ordinary charity: whoever has two tunics should share. The demand carries the old prophetic concern for the poor that Isaiah 58 had already voiced.
Luke 3:10
“The Baptist gave a fitting response to each kind of people. To the tax collectors he said that they should not exact payment beyond what was appointed. To the soldiers, that they should not make false accusations or rob anyone, by which he meant that their pay was fixed, so that wanting to have more, they could not resort to plunder. These and other precepts are appropriate for all occupations, and the practice of compassion is shared. Thus it is a common precept that the basic necessities of life must be provided for all occupations, all ages and all people.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.77patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:10
“He answereth - It is not properly John, but the Holy Ghost, who teaches us in the following answers, how to come ourselves, and how to instruct other penitent sinners to come to Christ, that he may give them rest. The sum of all this is, Cease to do evil, learn to do well. These are the fruits worthy of repentance.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
John answers the crowd with plain duties of mercy. Henry notes that food and clothing are the two supports of life, and each is to be shared. Barnes sees such giving as the proof that repentance is real.
Luke 3:11
“For other commands of duty have reference only to individuals, mercy has a common application. It is therefore a common commandment to all, to contribute to him that has not. Mercy is the fulness of virtues, yet in mercy itself a proportion is observed to meet the capacities of man's condition, in that each individual is not to deprive himself of all, but what he has to share it with the poor.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Luke 3:12-13
Even tax collectors came to: Tax collectors were despised for collecting more than Rome required and keeping the excess. Collect no more than you are authorized leaves them in their trade, practiced honestly. The instruction looks ahead to Zacchaeus in Luke 19:1-10, another tax collector whose changed life is measured in honest dealing.
Luke 3:12
"Tax collectors also came to be baptized." According to the simple interpretation, he teaches the tax collectors to seek "no more" than the law commands. Those who exact more transgress not John's commandment but that of the Holy Spirit, who spoke through John.…We said all this to show that John taught the tax collectors. Among them there were not only those who collected revenue for the state, but also those who were coming for repentance and were not literally tax collectors. And others were soldiers who were going out to the baptism of repentance.
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on the Gospel of Luke 23.5, 9patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:12
“Then came also publicans - He next instructs the tax-gatherers in the proper discharge of their duty: though it was an office detested by the Jews at large, yet the Baptist does not condemn it. It is only the abuse of it that he speaks against. If taxes be necessary for the support of a state, there must be collectors of them; and the collector, if he properly discharge his duty, is not only a useful, but also a respectable officer.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
John tells the tax collectors to collect only what they are authorized. Barnes notes that he leaves the office itself standing, though the people hated it. Henry reads it as justice between the government and the people.
Luke 3:13
“For I Matthew, one of those twelve which speak to you in this doctrine, am an apostle, having myself been formerly a publican, but now have obtained mercy through believing, and have repented of my former practices, and have been vouchsafed the honour to be an apostle and preacher of the word. And Zacchaeus, whom the Lord received upon his repentance and prayers to Him, was also himself in the same manner a publican at first.”
Apostolic Constitutions · written before 380 · Constitutions of the Holy Apostles Book 2patristic
Then some soldiers asked him: The soldiers were likely local troops in Herod's service, since this scene unfolds in a client kingdom. Be content with your wages leaves them in their calling, as Peter and Paul would later leave soldiers in theirs.
Luke 3:14
“The soldiers likewise demanded of him - He, thirdly, instructs those among the military. They were either Roman soldiers, or the soldiers of Herod or Philip. Use no violence to any, μηδενα διασεισητε, do not extort money or goods by force or violence from any. This is the import of the words neminein concutite, used here by the Vulgate, and points out a crime of which the Roman soldiers were notoriously guilty, their own writers being witnesses. Concussio has the above meaning in the Roman law. See Raphelius in loco.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:14
“Teaching thereby that wages were affixed to military duty, lest men seeking for gain should go about as robbers.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
Luke 3:14
“And thus the "fruits" which would evidence their repentance were just resistance to the reigning sins, particularly of the class to which the penitent belonged, and the manifestation of an opposite spirit.”
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown · Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)reformed
Luke 3:15-17
The people were waiting expectantly: He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire points ahead to the fire of Pentecost in Acts 2. The harvest picture that follows shows the same fire as judgment on the chaff.
Luke 3:15
“And as the people were in expectation, of the coming of the Messiah; Daniel's seventy weeks being now accomplished, the sceptre being departed from Judah, and the Romans having the government in their hands, from whom they hoped for a deliverance by Christ; and all men mused in their hearts of John; whether he were the Christ, or no; about which they had many reasonings and debates: some doubting of it, others ready to believe it, from his extraordinary birth, the singular holiness of his life, the power and efficacy of his doctrine, the new ordinance he administered, the restoration…”
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:15
“In expectation - Expecting the Messiah. Margin, “suspense.” That is, they were not certain whether John was not himself the Messiah. They confidently “expected” his appearing, and there minds were in “suspense,” or they were in a state of doubt whether he had not already come, and whether John was not the Messiah. Mused in their hearts of John - Thought of his character, his preaching, and his success, and anxiously inquired whether he did not do the things which were expected of the Messiah.”
Luke 3:15
“Now what could be more absurd than that he who was fancied to be in another should not be believed in his own person? He whom they thought to have come by a woman, is not believed to have come by a virgin; while in fact the sign of the Divine coming was placed in the childbearing of a virgin, not of a woman.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire: John answers the question of verse 15, whether he might be the Christ. Jamieson, Fausset and Brown see his humility in counting himself unworthy of the lowest service. Bede reads the fire as cleansing and testing by the Holy Spirit.
Luke 3:16
“By the words, Whose shoes I am not worthy to bear, he shows that the grace of preaching the Gospel was conferred upon the Apostles, who were shod for the Gospel. (Eph. 6:15.) He seems however to say it, because John frequently represented the Jewish people.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:16
“John was a prophet, yea more than a prophet, more so than any of the Old-Testament prophets; but Christ was a prophet more than John, for it was both by the Spirit of Christ, and of the grace of Christ, that all the prophets prophesied, and John among the rest, 1 Pet. i.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
Luke 3:16
IT was not John's business to attract followers to himself but to point them to Jesus, and he very faithfully discharged his commission. His opinion of his Master, of whom he was the herald, was a very high one. He reverenced Him as the Anointed of the Lord, the King of Israel, and, consequently, he was not tempted into elevating himself into a rival. He rejoiced to declare, "He must increase but I must decrease."
His winnowing fork is in His hand: The winnowing fork tossed grain into the wind so that the chaff blew away from the heavier wheat. Ambrose takes it as the Lord's power of judgment. Theophylact warns that baptism gives no exemption from the fire that follows.
Luke 3:17
“Through the sign of the fan, the Lord is said to have the right to distinguish merits. When the grain is winnowed on the threshing floor, the full grain is separated from the empty, the fruitful is separated from the worthless, as if by a weighing of a blowing breeze. So through this comparison, the Lord is manifest, because on the day of judgment, he separates the merits and fruits of solid virtue from the unfruitful shallowness of worthless ostentation and inadequate deeds, before he establishes the people of perfect merit in a heavenly home.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 2.82patristic
Luke 3:18-20
With these and many other: Luke tells of John's arrest here to close his story before the baptism of Jesus, though that baptism came first. Ancient historians often grouped a character's story together in this way.
Luke 3:18
“And many other thing's,.... Relating to the person and office of the Messiah, to the nature of his kingdom, the Gospel dispensation, and to faith in him; for he pointed him out to the people, and exhorted them to believe in him, and expressed much joy and pleasure on the hearing of his success and increase; and these, with others beside, in his "exhortation", or whilst he was exhorting, or "comforting", preached he unto the people: publishing the Gospel, the good news, and glad tidings of the Messiah's being come, and of life, righteousness, and salvation by him.”
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:18
“Fourthly, He was an evangelical preacher, for so the word here used signifies, euengelizeto -- he preached the gospel to the people; in all his exhortations, he directed people to Christ, and excited and encouraged their expectations of him. When we press duty upon people, we must direct them to Christ, both for righteousness and strength.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
he rebuked Herod the tetrarch: Luke tells of John's arrest here, ahead of its time, to finish his story before the baptism of Jesus, as Henry explains. Herodias was the wife of Herod's brother Philip, still living, John Gill notes. John rebuked Herod's other evils too.
Luke 3:19
“But Herod the tetrarch being reproved by him,.... By John, as the Syriac, Arabic, and Persic versions add: for Herodias his brother Philip's wife; for taking her to wife, whilst his brother Philip was living. The account, which the Jewish chronologer (x) gives, of this Herod, and of this fact of his, and John's reproving him for it, and the consequence of it, perfectly agrees with this of the evangelist.”
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:19
“But we marvel at John, because among them that are born of women there was not a greater than he, for by his good deeds he had been exalted to so high a fame for virtue, that by many he was supposed to be Christ. But what is much more marvellous he feared not Herod, nor dreaded death, as it follows, But Herod the tetrarch being reproved by him.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
He locked John up in prison: Herod locked John up later, and Wesley explains that Luke tells it here so the account of Jesus can follow. John Gill names the prison as the fortress of Machaerus. Origen notes that John kept teaching his disciples in prison.
Luke 3:20
“Added yet this above all,.... This sin to all other sins, and which was of a more flagitious nature; and attended with more aggravating circumstances, especially in the issue of it: that he shut up John in prison; in the castle of Machaerus, by the instigation of Herodias; See Gill on Mat 14:3.”
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:20
“Notice that even while in prison he is teaching. For he also had his disciples in that place. Why did they stay there, unless John exercised the office of teacher even in prison and taught them with divine words? In the course of these words, a question about Jesus arose. John sends some of his disciples and asks, "Are you he who is to come, or do we wait for another?" The disciples return and announce to the teacher what the Savior had bidden them to say. With Jesus' words, John was armed for battle.”
Origen of Alexandria · written before 253 · Homilies on the Gospel of Luke 27.4patristic
Baptized, and the Spirit Descends
Luke 3:21-22
When all the people were: Luke alone notes that Jesus was praying as heaven was opened. This prayer is the first of those that mark each turning point in this Gospel.
Luke 3:21
“Jesus praying, the heaven was opened - It is observable, that the three voices from heaven, see chap. ix, 29, 35; John xii, 28; by which the Father bore witness to Christ, were pronounced either while he was praying, or quickly after it.”
John Wesley · Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament (1755)evangelical
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:21
“See the notes at Mat 3:13-17. “Jesus being baptized;” or, Jesus “having been” baptized. This took place after the baptism, and not “during” its administration, Mat 3:16. Praying - This circumstance is omitted by the other evangelists; and it shows, 1. That Jesus was in the habit of prayer. 2. That it is proper to offer up special prayer at the administration of the ordinances of religion. 3. That it is possible to pray in the midst of a great multitude, yet in secret. The prayer consisted, doubtless, in lifting up the heart silently to God.”
Luke 3:21
“What was promised to Christ, he must obtain by prayer: Ask of me and I will give thee, &c. Thus he would put an honour upon prayer, would tie us to it, and encourage us in it. When he prayed, the heaven was opened.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
a bodily form like a dove: Bede explains that the Spirit took bodily form so that mortals could see him. The dove fits the Spirit, who flees deceit. Theophylact says the descent teaches that the Spirit comes on believers at their baptism.
Luke 3:22
“Over the waters of baptism, recognising as it were His primeval seat, He reposes: (He who) glided down on the Lord "in the shape of a dove," in order that the nature of the Holy Spirit might be declared by means of the creature (the emblem) of simplicity and innocence, because even in her bodily structure the dove is without literal gall.”
Tertullian · written before 220 · On Baptismpatristic
The Line Traced Back to Adam
Jesus Himself was about thirty: Luke names Joseph's father as Heli, while Matthew 1:16 names him as Jacob. Two old explanations stand: a levirate marriage made Joseph the legal heir of both men, or Luke traces Mary's line through her father Heli.
Luke 3:23
“And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age,.... Or Jesus, when he was baptized and began his public ministry, was about thirty years of age: an age at which the priests, under the law, who were typical of Christ, entered on their work, Num 4:23 The word, "began", is left out in the Syriac and Persic versions: and is often indeed redundant, as in Luk 3:8 and frequently in Mark's Gospel.”
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:23
“Jesus began to be ... - This was the age at which the priests entered on their office, Num 4:3, Num 4:47; but it is not evident that Jesus had any reference to that in delaying his work to his thirtieth year. He was not subjected to the Levitical law in regard to the priesthood, and it does not appear that prophets and teachers did not commence their work before that age. As was supposed - As was commonly thought, or perhaps being legally reckoned as his son.”
Luke 3:23
“Rightly as was supposed, since in reality He was not, but was supposed to be so, because Mary who was espoused to Joseph was His mother. But we might doubt why the descent of Joseph is described rather than that of Mary, (seeing that Mary brought forth Christ of the Holy Spirit, while Joseph seemed to be out of the line of our Lord's descent,) were we not informed of the custom of the Holy Scripture, which always seeks the origin of the husband, and especially in this case, since in Joseph's descent we also find that of Mary.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
ConnectionsMatthew 1:16
Luke 3:24-27
the son of Matthat: From Matthat and Levi on, Luke's names are absent from Matthew's record, so two distinct lines are traced. The two touch briefly at Zerubbabel and Shealtiel, which sets both lines among the families of the return from exile.
Luke 3:24
“See, on this genealogy, the notes at Mat. 1:1-16.”
the son of Mattathias, the son of Amos: These sons stand between Zerubbabel in verse 27 and Joseph in verse 23. John Gill reads the names beside a writer he calls Philo, who gives each son a surname and a reign. Mattathias rules ten years there.
Luke 3:25
“Which was the son of Mattathias,.... Surnamed Siloah, by the same Philo, who governed ten years: which was the son of Amos; whose surname, according to the same author, was Sirag; or, as some, Syrach, or Shyrach, who governed fourteen years: which was the son of Naum; who was called Mesalut, or Maslot, who governed seven years: which was the son of Esli; or Eli, surnamed Haggai, who governed eight years; which was the son of Nagge: with Philo he is called Nagid Artasat, or Artaxat, and said to govern ten years.”
the son of Maath: John Gill again follows his Philo source, which gives Maath the surname Aser and nine years of rule. Josech appears there as Joseph the first. The line runs back toward Zerubbabel in the next verse.
Luke 3:26
“Which was the son of Maath,.... Surnamed Aser, who governed nine years: which was the son of Mattathias; called Eli Matathias, who governed twelve years: which was the son of Semei; and named Abner Semei, who governed eleven years: which was the son of Joseph; called Joseph the first, who governed seven years: which was the son of Juda; who, according to the same writer, must be Judas, surnamed Hyrcanus the first, who governed fourteen years.”
the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel: Zerubbabel and Shealtiel also appear in Matthew. John Gill takes Shealtiel, the son of Neri, as the same man, while Jamieson, Fausset and Brown think the two may differ. Henry, on verse 38, says the legal right passed from the line of Solomon to Shealtiel, of the house of Nathan.
Luke 3:27
“Which was the son of Joanna,.... Johannes, or John, the son of Rhesa Mesullam, who governed fifty three years: which was the son of Rhesa, called, by the above writer, Rhesa Mesullam; 1Ch 3:19 and said, by him, to govern sixty six years: which was the son of Zorobabel who governed fifty eight years: which was the son of Salathiel; the same with Shealthiel; See Gill on Mat 1:12. which was the son of Neri; the same with Jechonias, according to the Alexandrian, chronicle; See Gill on Mat 1:12.”
ConnectionsMatthew 1:12
Luke 3:28-31
the son of Melchi: Luke reaches David through Nathan, while Matthew's list follows Solomon. Jeremiah 22:30 says no descendant of Jeconiah, of Solomon's line, would prosper on David's throne. One long-held reading takes Luke's line as a blood descent from David that never passes under that curse.
the son of Joshua, the son of Eliezer: John Gill, writing on verse 28, places the names of this verse before the exile, in the house of David through Nathan. None of them appears in the Old Testament. Henry explains on verse 38 that this line leaves out the kings of Judah.
the son of Simeon, the son of Judah: Simeon, Judah and Joseph repeat names from the sons of Jacob. John Gill, on verse 28, counts these sons of Nathan among those who lived before the exile. Scripture records nothing more of Jonam or Eliakim.
the son of Nathan, the son of David: The line reaches David through Nathan, the son of David, where Matthew runs through Solomon. Gregory of Nazianzus rejects the view that both Gospels give one line. Augustine says this Nathan differs from the prophet who rebuked David.
Connections2 Samuel 5:14, Matthew 1:6
Luke 3:32-34
the son of Jesse: Luke leaves out the four women Matthew includes, Tamar, Rahab, Ruth and Bathsheba. Where Matthew stops at Abraham, Luke presses on to Terah and Nahor.
Luke 3:32
“Which was the son of Jesse,.... The order of the persons from Jesse to Abraham, as Obed, Boaz, Salmon, Naasson, Aminadab, Aram, or Ram, Esrom, (for Joram, which the Arabic version here inserts, is to be rejected,) Phares, Judah, Jacob, Isaac, Abraham, perfectly agrees with the genealogy of Matthew, and the accounts of the Old Testament: which was the son of Thara; the same with Terah, Gen 11:26 called by the Septuagint, Tharra: which was the son of Nachor;, the same with Nahor, Gen 11:24 called there, by the Septuagint, as here.”
the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah: From Jesse back to Abraham, John Gill, on verse 32, finds the order in agreement with Matthew. Judah, Perez and Hezron lead to the sons of Jacob. The Glossa reads Amminadab as the people being willing and Judah as confessing.
the son of Abraham, the son of Terah: Matthew begins with Abraham, and Luke passes the son of Abraham and climbs on to Terah and Nahor. Ambrose, on verse 38, says Luke traced the origin of Jesus back to God. The Glossa reads Nahor as the light rested.
Luke 3:35-38
the son of Serug: Luke runs the line on to the son of Adam, the son of God, so Christ's kinship reaches every child of Adam. The Cainan before Arphaxad is found in the Greek Septuagint of Genesis 11 and absent from the Hebrew text.
Luke 3:35
“Which was the son of Saruch,.... The Septuagint call him Serouch, the same with Serug, Gen 11:22 which was the son of Ragau; so the Septuagint, the same with Reu, Gen 40:20 which was the son of Phaleg; the same with Peleg, Gen 11:18 the Septuagint reads as here: "which was the son of Heber", or Eber, Gen 11:16 which was the son of Sala, or Salah, Gen 11:14 the Septuagint there call him Sala.”
the son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad: Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, stands in no Hebrew list of the sons of Shem, where Arphaxad is the father of Shelah. Bede and Henry trace this Cainan to the Greek Septuagint. Clarke also weighs the problem.
Luke 3:36
“The name and generation of Cainan, according to the Hebrew reading, is found neither in Genesis, nor in the Chronicles, (dierum Vulg. verbis.) but Arphaxad is stated to have begot Sala his son, without any one intervening. Know then that Luke borrowed this generation from the Septuagint, where it is written, that Arphaxad at a hundred and thirty-five years old begot Cainan, but he at a hundred and thirty years begot Sala. It follows, Who was the son of Arphaxad.”
Bede · written before 735 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
2 more voices on this verse
Luke 3:36
“Of Cainan - This Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, and father of Sala, is not found in any other Scripture genealogy. See Gen 10:24; Gen 11:12; 1Ch 1:18, 1Ch 1:24, where Arphaxad is made the father of Sala, and no mention at all made of Cainan. Some suppose that Cainan was a surname of Sala, and that the names should be read together thus, The son of Heber, the son of Salacainan, the son of Arphaxad, etc. If this does not untie the knot, it certainly cuts it; and the reader may pass on without any great scruple or embarrassment.”
Adam Clarke · Commentary on the Bible (1810-1826)evangelical
Luke 3:36
“But, as to that, it is sufficient to say that the Seventy Interpreters, who, before our Saviour's time, translated the Old Testament into Greek, for reasons best known to themselves inserted that Cainan; and St. Luke, writing among the Hellenist Jews, was obliged to make use of that translation, and therefore to take it as he found it.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
the son of Enoch: Methuselah, Enoch, Jared, Mahalalel and Cainan come from Genesis 5, spelled as in the Septuagint, John Gill notes. Bede counts Enoch as the seventy-seventh step from Jesus up to God. Enoch was taken without death.
Luke 3:37
“Which was the son of Mathusala,.... The same with Methuselah; and so he is called by the Septuagint in Gen 5:25 which was the son of Enoch, Gen 5:21 which was the son of Jared Gen 5:18, which was the son of Maleleel; the same with Mahalaleel; who is also so called by the seventy interpreters, in Gen 5:15 as here; which was the son of Cainan, Gen 5:12.”
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:37
“But rightly rising up from the baptized Son of God to God the Father, he places Enoch in the seventy-seventh step, who, having put off death, was translated unto Paradise, that he might signify that those, who by the grace of adoption of sons are born again of water and the Holy Spirit, are in the mean time (after the dissolution of the body) to be received into eternal rest, for the number seventy, because of the seventh of the sabbath, signifies the rest of those who, the grace of God assisting them, have fulfilled the decalogue of the aw.”
Bede · written before 735 · Catena Aurea by Aquinaspatristic
the son of Adam, the son of God: The list ends at Adam, made by God and so called his son. Ambrose sees the list begin and end with a son of God, the first made in God's image and the second the Son himself. Henry traces this line through Nathan.
Luke 3:38
“Therefore Luke also thought that his origin should be traced back to God. Because God is the true Father of Christ, either the Father according to the true generation or the Author of the mystical gift—according to the regeneration of baptism. Furthermore, he did not start by describing his generation but first set forth his baptism. He desired to show him as God, the Author of all, weaving everything together through baptism.”
Ambrose of Milan · written before 397 · Exposition of the Gospel of Luke 3.11patristic
1 more voice on this verse
Luke 3:38
“Matthew draws the pedigree from Solomon, whose natural line ending in Jechonias, the legal right was transferred to Salathiel, who was of the house of Nathan, another son of David, which line Luke here pursues, and so leaves out all the kings of Judah.”
Matthew Henry · Commentary on the Whole Bible (1707-1721)puritan
ConnectionsMatthew 1:1
How this psalm is built
The form: A genealogy that runs upward from Joseph to Adam and to God, set beside Matthew's list that runs downward from Abraham, as Hippo classes it.
The patterns in this chapter
| Device | What it does | Where to see it |
|---|---|---|
| The family line drawn upward | Verses 23 to 38 name the generations from Joseph back to Adam in one chain. The words the son of stand seventy-seven times in the Berean text, and the chain closes with Adam, the son of God. Augustine contrasts Matthew, who keeps the word begat from Abraham down to Joseph, with the way Luke goes upward, and he reads the difference as the line of begetting beside the line of adoption.Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Thomas Aquinas, on Luke 3:23. | Luke 3:23, Luke 3:31, Luke 3:34, Luke 3:38 |
How this chapter is built
1 more paragraph on the patterns
The chapter has three parts. Verses 1 to 20 give the date and the preaching of John, with his answers to the crowds, the tax collectors and the soldiers. Verses 21 and 22 give the baptism of Jesus and the voice from heaven. Verses 23 to 38 give the family line, which counts seventy-seven times the son of in the Berean text and ends with Adam, the son of God. Augustine and Eusebius, both cited in the Catena Aurea on Luke 3:23, read Luke's upward list beside Matthew's downward list and hold that the two record different lines of descent.
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Sources for this chapter
The summary
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory; John Calvin, Commentaries; John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the New Testament and Matthew Henry, Complete Commentary.
The form and classifications
Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Thomas Aquinas, on Luke 3:23 and Eusebius of Caesarea, Catena Aurea by Thomas Aquinas, on Luke 3:23.
The exposition
Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ambrose of Milan, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Augustine of Hippo, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede; Cyril of Alexandria; Glossa Ordinaria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Gregory of Nazianzus, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; John Chrysostom, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, HOMILIES ON THE GOSPEL OF LUKE 27.4 and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke.