Luke 2:43
in Luke 2When those days were over and they were returning home, the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem, but His parents were unaware He had stayed.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
and when they had fulfilled the days, as they were returning, the boy Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew it not;
KJV
And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and Joseph and his mother knew not of it.
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This verse in Luke 2
Commentary
15 notes on this verseA commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
Had fulfilled the days - The days of the Passover. These were eight days in all - one day for killing the paschal lamb, and seven days for the observance of the feast of unleavened bread, Exo 12:15; Lev 23:5-6.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers2 voices
But as when the Jews plotted against Him He escaped from the midst of them, and was not seen; so now it seems that the Child Jesus remained, and His parents knew not where He was. As it follows, And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him. (John 10:29.)
(cont. Hær. l. ii. hær. 31.) Let Ebion know that at twelve years old, not thirty, Christ is found the astonishment of all men, wonderful and mighty in the words of grace. We can not therefore say, that after that the Spirit came to Him in Baptism He was made the Christ, that is, anointed with divinity, but from His very childhood He acknowledged both the temple and His Father.
The Medieval Church3 voices
(Metaphrastes vel Geometer.) The feast having been celebrated, while the rest returned, Jesus secretly tarried behind. As it follows, And when they had fulfilled the days, as they returned, the child Jesus tarried behind in Jerusalem; and his parents knew not of it. It is said, When the days were accomplished, because the feast lasted seven days. But the reason of His tarrying behind in secret was, that His parents might not be a hindrance to His carrying on the discussion with the lawyers; or perhaps to avoid appearing to despise his parents by not obeying their commands. He remains therefore secretly, that he might neither be kept away nor be disobedient.
And his parents did not know. But assuming that he was in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought him among relatives and acquaintances, and not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for him. Someone might ask how the Son of God, …
But some one will ask, how was it that the Son of God, brought up by His parents with such care, could be left behind from forgetfulness? To which it is answered, that the custom of the children of Israel while assembling at Jerusalem on the feast days, or returning to their homes, was for the women and men to go separately, and the infants or children to go with either parent indiscriminately. And so both Mary and Joseph each thought in turn that the Child Jesus, whom they saw not with them, was returning with the other parent. Hence it follows, But they, supposing him to have been in the company, &c.
9 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church2 voices
Jesus goes to Jerusalem together with His parents, in order to show in everything that He neither opposes God nor resists the requirements of the Law. When they had fulfilled the days, that is, the seven days of Passover, He "remained... in Jerusalem."
And when the days were completed, as they returned, namely to their own homes, according to that passage in Judith chapter sixteen: "When the feast was celebrated, each one returned to his own home." And while all returned, Jesus nevertheless did not: whence it is …
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
He was born in the days of Augustus Cæsar, when the Roman empire extended itself further than ever before or since, including Parthia one way, and Britain another way; so that it was then called Terraram orbis imperium--The empire of the whole earth; and here that empire is called all the world (
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The child Jesus - St. Luke describes in order Jesus the fruit of the womb, chap. i, 42; an infant, chap. ii, 12; a little child, ver. 40; a child here, and afterward a man. So our Lord passed through and sanctified every stage of human life.
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And when they had fulfilled the days,....
The Nineteenth Century4 voices
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
These verses should always be deeply interesting to a reader of the Bible. They record the only facts which we know about our Lord Jesus Christ during the first thirty years of His life on earth, after His infancy. How many things a Christian would like to know about the events of those thirty years, and the daily history of the house at Nazareth! But we need not doubt that there is wisdom in the silence of Scripture on the subject. If it had been good for us to know more — then more would have been revealed.
A commentator
Jamieson, Fausset & Brown1802–1910
Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871)
proposed
as they returned--If the duties of life must give place to worship, worship, in its turn, must give place to them. Jerusalem is good, but Nazareth is good, too; let him who neglects the one, on pretext of attending to the other, ponder this scene. tarried behind . . .
quarantine:debris (2026-07-29) — starts-lowercase
A commentator
J.C. Ryle1816–1900
Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition) (1858)
proposed
These verses should always be deeply interesting to a reader of the Bible. They record the only facts which we know about our Lord Jesus Christ during the first thirty years of His life on earth, after His infancy. How many things a Christian would like to know about the events of those thirty years, and the daily history of the house at Nazareth! But we need not doubt that there is wisdom in the silence of Scripture on the subject. If it had been good for us to know more — then more would have been revealed. Let us first, draw from the passage — a lesson for all married people. We have it in the conduct of Joseph and Mary, here described. We are told that "they went to Jerusalem every year, at the feast of the Passover." They regularly honored God's appointed ordinances — and they honored them together. The distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem was great. The journey, to poor people without any means of conveyance — was, doubtless, troublesome and fatiguing. To leave house and home for some two weeks, was no slight expense. But God had given Israel a command, and Joseph and Mary strictly obeyed it. God had appointed an ordinance for their spiritual good — and they regularly kept it. And all that they did concerning the Passover — they did together. When they went up to the feast, they always went up side by side. So ought it to be with all Christian husbands and wives. They ought to help one another in spiritual things, and to encourage one another in the service of God. Marriage, unquestionably, is not a sacrament , as the Romish Church vainly asserts. But marriage is a state of life which has the greatest effect on the souls of those who enter into it. It helps them upwards or downwards. It leads them nearer to Heaven — or nearer to Hell. We all depend much on the company we keep.
Had fulfilled the days - Eight days in the whole: one was the passover, and the other seven, the days of unleavened bread. See on Mat 26:2 (note).
How the passage was read
On Luke 2:41-52On Luke 2:41-52
Why a boy from Galilee was in Jerusalem
The Law asked every Israelite male to appear in Jerusalem three times a year, Passover chief among them (Deuteronomy 16:16). Galilean families like Joseph's traveled in large caravans of relatives and neighbors: several days on the road each way. That is why Jesus' parents could travel a full day assuming He was “in the company”: a caravan was a moving village. The Mishnah's tractate on the festival visit opens with exactly who was obligated to make this trip (Chagigah 1:1): men were bound, women and children came freely, and Mary came.
This section is reception history: how the passage was read and kept in the Jewish tradition. Where a reading parts from an essential of the Christian faith, the section says so at that point.
Sources: Deuteronomy 16:16 (the pilgrimage command) · Mishnah Chagigah 1:1 (who must appear)
The words behind it
20 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | and | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| τελειωσάντων | teleiosanton | when having completed | G5048 → | |
| τὰς | tas | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ἡμέρας | hemeras | days | G2250 → | 389 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| τῷ | to | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| ὑποστρέφειν | hupostrephein | returning | G5290 → | 35 times |
| αὐτοὺς | autous | of them | G846 → | 5565 times |
| ὑπέμεινεν | hupemeinen | remained behind | G5278 → | |
| Ἰησοῦς | iesous | Jesus | G2424 → | 908 times |
| ὁ | ho | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| παῖς | pais | boy | G3816 → | 24 times |
| ἐν | en | in | G1722 → | 2738 times |
| Ἰερουσαλήμ, | ierousalem | Jerusalem, | G2419 → | 76 times |
| καὶ | kai | But | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| οὐκ | ouk | not | G3756 → | 1664 times |
| ἔγνωσαν | egnosan | knew | G1097 → | 221 times |
| οἱ | hoi | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| γονεῖς | goneis | parents | G1118 → | 20 times |
| αὐτοῦ. | autou | of Him. | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶand
kaiG2532 →9120 times
τελειωσάντωνwhen having completed
teleiosantonG5048 →
τὰςthe
tasG3588 →19766 times
ἡμέραςdays
hemerasG2250 →389 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
τῷthe
toG3588 →19766 times
ὑποστρέφεινreturning
hupostrepheinG5290 →35 times
αὐτοὺςof them
autousG846 →5565 times
ὑπέμεινενremained behind
hupemeinenG5278 →
ἸησοῦςJesus
iesousG2424 →908 times
ὁthe
hoG3588 →19766 times
παῖςboy
paisG3816 →24 times
ἐνin
enG1722 →2738 times
Ἰερουσαλήμ,Jerusalem,
ierousalemG2419 →76 times
καὶBut
kaiG2532 →9120 times
οὐκnot
oukG3756 →1664 times
ἔγνωσανknew
egnosanG1097 →221 times
οἱthe
hoiG3588 →19766 times
γονεῖςparents
goneisG1118 →20 times
αὐτοῦ.of Him.
autouG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Exodus 12:15For seven days you must eat unleavened bread. On the first day you are to remove the leaven from your houses. Whoever eats anything leavened from the first day through the seventh must be…
it leads to
- Deuteronomy 16:3
You must not eat leavened bread with it; for seven days you are to eat with it unleavened bread, the bread of affliction, because you left the land of Egypt in haste—so that you…
- Genesis 17:14
But if any male is not circumcised, he will be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.”
- Exodus 23:15
You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread as I commanded you: At the appointed time in the month of Abib you are to eat unleavened bread for seven days, because that was…
- Exodus 34:18
You are to keep the Feast of Unleavened Bread. For seven days at the appointed time in the month of Abib, you are to eat unleavened bread as I commanded you. For in the…
- Deuteronomy 16:8
For six days you must eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day you shall hold a solemn assembly to the LORD your God, and you must not do any work.
- Deuteronomy 16:3
Through
2 Chronicles 25:17Then Amaziah king of Judah took counsel and sent word to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
it leads to
- 2 Kings 14:8–14
Then Amaziah sent messengers to the king of Israel Jehoash son of Jehoahaz, the son of Jehu. “Come, let us meet face to face,” he said.
- Proverbs 20:3
It is honorable for a man to resolve a dispute, but any fool will quarrel.
- 2 Chronicles 25:13
Meanwhile the troops that Amaziah had dismissed from battle raided the cities of Judah, from Samaria to Beth-horon. They struck down 3,000 people and carried off a great deal of plunder.
- 2 Kings 14:8–14
Where this verse is studied
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About Luke
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1 name in this verse with a page on the site.
This page draws on 14 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ancient Greek Expositor, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 2; Epiphanius of Salamis, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; J.C. Ryle, Expository Thoughts on the Gospels: Luke (lightly modernized text, Grace Gems edition); Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; 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, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke.