Luke 3:23 BSB — MannaFest

Luke 3:23

Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,

BSB

Parallel translations (2) ▾

ASV

And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

KJV

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

⋯

Commentary

3 voices

Ambrose of Milan

Catena Aurea by Aquinas (397)

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.

The record, by era

The Puritans and the Awakening2 voices

John Gill

1697–1771

Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748)

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.

Matthew Henry

1662–1714

Commentary on the Whole Bible (1710)

And some suggest that the supply which our translators all along insert here is not right, and that it should not be read which, that is, which Joseph was the son of Heli, but which Jesus; he was the son of Joseph, of Eli, of Matthat, &c., and he, that is, Jesus, was the son of Seth, of Adam, of God,

The Nineteenth Century1 voice

Albert Barnes

1798–1870

Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)

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.

Voices on this verse

loading…

Original language & word study

15 tagged words

Original	Transliteration	Meaning	Word study
Καὶ	Kai	And	G2532 →
αὐτὸς	autos	Himself	G846 →
ἦν	ēn	was	G1510 →
Ἰησοῦς	Iēsous	Jesus	G2424 →
ἀρχόμενος	archomenos	beginning	G757 →
ὡσεὶ	hōsei	about	G5616 →
ἐτῶν	etōn	years [old]	G2094 →
τριάκοντα	triakonta	thirty	G5144 →
ὢν	ōn	being	G1510 →
υἱός,	huios	son,	G5207 →
ὡς	hōs	as	G5613 →
ἐνομίζετο,	enomizeto	was supposed	G3543 →
Ἰωσὴφ	Iōsēph	of Joseph	G2501 →
τοῦ	tou	<the>	G3588 →
Ἠλὶ	Ēli	of Heli	G2242 →

Rare words are the text's own signal of a deliberate thread: the fewer the occurrences, the more the places it appears belong together.

The walk

The walk8

Where the connections lead

Follow this verse’s cross-references two steps out. Each card is a verse this one points to, and beneath it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several different paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it. Every stop shows its own words, and every stop is a page.

Through
Acts 1:1
In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,
leads to
- Luke 1:3
  Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
- Luke 24:19
  “What things?” He asked. “The events involving Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet, powerful in speech and action before God and all the people.
- Matthew 4:23–24
  Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people.
Through
Matthew 13:55
“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
leads to
- John 6:42
  They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
- Mark 6:3
  Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
John 6:42
They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
leads to
- Luke 4:22
  All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
  Reached by 2 independent paths from here.
Through
Luke 4:22
All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
leads to
- Matthew 13:54–56
  Coming to His hometown, He taught the people in their synagogue, and they were astonished. “Where did this man get such wisdom and miraculous powers?” they asked.
- Psalms 45:2
  You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.

Featured studies on this passage

The Tree of Jesse — Circle of Geertgen tot Sint Jans

On Luke 3:23

The Genealogies of Christ

Two genealogies, two different fathers for Joseph, two different sons of David. Behind the apparent contradiction is some of the most elegant theological architecture in scripture.

Open the study →