2:44a

This verse begins with a Greek conjunction that is often translated as “but.” Some English versions, such as the English Standard Version, translate it that way. The Berean Standard Bible has not translated this conjunction, and some other versions such as the New International Version and God’s Word also do not translate it. Connect 2:44a to 2:43c in a way that is natural in your language.

Assuming He was in their company: Joseph and Mary thought that Jesus was traveling with the same group of people that they were traveling with. See the introduction to Section 2:41–52 for more information about how this happened.

in their company: In some languages, the phrase in their company will suggest that Jesus was personally present with Joseph and Mary. This was not the case. To avoid this idea, you could translate the Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as company as:

group
-or-
group of travelers

2:44b

they traveled on for a day: The clause they traveled on for a day indicates that Joseph and Mary left Jerusalem and traveled until the end of that day. They probably camped with the other travelers somewhere near the road, or they may have stayed in a guesthouse. That is when they realized that Jesus was not with them.

2:44c

relatives: The relatives probably included brothers and sisters of Joseph and Mary and the children of these brothers and sisters (Jesus’ cousins).

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