2:3

And This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that introduces more information about the census that Caesar ordered in 2:1. To show that people going to their own towns to register was the next thing that happened after Caesar ordered a census, the Berean Standard Bible translates this conjunction as And. Caesar had ordered people to go to the town where their ancestors had lived in order for officials to register them. Then the officials could write each person’s name as being from that place. Here are some other ways to connect this verse to the context:

• Use a general way to connect events in your language, as the Berean Standard Bible does. The Greek text uses the common connector that is often translated as “And.” For example:

And all went to their own towns to be registered. (New Century Version)

• Some versions do not use a connector. For example:

Everyone went to his own town to be registered. (NET Bible)

• Make it explicit that this verse is a result of 2:1. For example:

Because of this law/order, everyone went to his own town to register.

Connect this verse to the context in a natural way in your language.

everyone went to his own town: This clause describes what Caesar required people to do. The Greek verb form that the Berean Standard Bible translates as went indicates that this action happened over a period of time. People were going to their own towns to be registered. Some other ways to translate this are:

And everyone was on his way…each to his own city. (New American Standard Bible)
-or-
Everyone had to go to their own hometown (Contemporary English Version)

his own town: In this context, the phrase his own town refers to the town where his ancestors had lived. This may not be the town or area where the person was born. It also may not be the town where he was then living. Some other ways to translate this are:

the cities where their ancestors had lived (God’s Word)
-or-
their own ancestral towns (New Living Translation (2004))

to register: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as to register is the same word as in 2:1b. There the Berean Standard Bible translates this word as “census.” As in 2:1b, it means “to register” or “to enroll.” The emperor ordered people to tell officials their names so that the officials could write them in the government’s record book.

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