Section 3:1–20
John the Baptizer prepared the way for Jesus
The last event in Luke 2 describes Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. This section begins about eighteen years later. At the beginning of chapter 3, both Jesus and John the Baptizer were about thirty years old. Both men were ready to begin public ministry.
It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:
The Preaching of John (New Century Version)
-or-
John the Baptist and Jesus (Revised English Bible)
-or-
John the Baptizer tells people to prepare themselves for the Messiah
Parts of Luke 3:1–20 are basically the same as verses in Matthew 3:1–12. But Luke 3:1–2, 10–14, and 19–20 are not in Matthew.
Paragraph 3:1–3
This paragraph introduces John the Baptizer and gives historical background. The information about the government and religious leaders in 3:1–2 shows the time period when John began his work. John is the main person in this section. In some languages it may be helpful to introduce John before giving the information about leaders in that time period. See the General Comment on 3:1–2 at the end of the notes on 3:2b for specific suggestions.
In some languages, the difference between background information and the main part of a story is shown by using certain verbs or other markers. If this is true in your language, you should try to show these differences here in 3:1 and 3:2.
3:1a
In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar: The phrase the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar refers to the fifteenth year that Tiberius Caesar had been emperor. He ruled the Roman Empire from the city of Rome. This fifteenth year was somewhere around A.D. 26 to 28.
Tiberius had completed fourteen years of rule, and the events in this chapter began during his fifteenth year of ruling. So in some languages it may be natural to translate this as:
Tiberius had already been emperor of Rome for fourteen years. During his fifteenth year….
reign: The word reign refers to the period of time that a king rules over a country or empire. Tiberius ruled the entire Roman Empire, which included the provinces of Judea (3:1b) and Galilee (3:1c) and also many other provinces.
Tiberius Caesar: Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor. Tiberius was his personal name. Caesar was his title, which means “emperor.” The word Caesar also occurs in 2:1a–b. Some ways to translate this are:
the high king Tiberius
-or-
Tiberius, the supreme ruler
-or-
Emperor Tiberius (Contemporary English Version)
Decide whether it is more natural in your language to put the title before the personal name or after the name.
3:1b
Several English versions put a dash at the end of 3:1a before the clause about political leaders. Some English versions begin a new sentence at the end of this clause; others, such as the New International Version, put another dash there. Other English versions use commas in both places. Connect the clauses in a way that is natural in your language. See the General Comment on 3:1–2 at the end of the notes on 3:2b for more information and suggestions.
Pontius Pilate: Pontius Pilate was the personal name of the leader of the district of Judea.
governor: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as governor is literally “governing.” It is a general word that means “ruling” or “leading.” It is used of ruling over a district rather than over an entire country or empire. In the Roman Empire, a governor ruled under someone with greater authority.
Judea: Judea was the name of one of the provinces in the Roman empire. Judea was part of the homeland of the Jews.
3:1c
Herod tetrarch of Galilee: Herod was the name of the government leader who ruled over the province or district of Galilee. (Galilee was another part of the homeland of the Jews.) Herod’s full name was Herod Antipas. His father, who is sometimes called Herod the Great, was king when Jesus was born.
In some languages it may be natural to translate this part of the verse as a complete clause:
Herod was tetrarch/governor of Galilee.
-or-
Herod ruled/governed ⌊the province called⌋ Galilee.
tetrarch: The word tetrarch literally means “ruler of a fourth part.” It refers to the government leader of one fourth of an area.
Herod the Great died not long after Jesus was born. When he died, Caesar divided the land that Herod ruled. Caesar appointed some of Herod’s sons to rule different parts. Herod Antipas became the ruler of the part called Galilee.
Luke gave these details to indicate the political situation when John the Baptist started his ministry. The focus is not on the meaning of the word tetrarch. For this reason, you may translate tetrarch in a general way. For example:
Herod was the ruler of Galilee (Contemporary English Version)
-or-
Herod was the leader/governor of Galilee
-or-
Herod ruled Galilee (God’s Word)
3:1d
As in 3:1c, you may need to translate this part of the verse as a complete clause. For example:
His brother Philip ⌊was⌋ tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis.
his brother Philip: Philip was a half-brother of Herod. They were both sons of the older Herod, who was sometimes called Herod the Great, but they had different mothers. Philip was older than his brother Herod.
Ituraea and Trachonitis: Ituraea and Trachonitis were the names of two provinces/districts to the east of the province/district of Galilee. The people living in Ituraea and Trachonitis were Gentiles.
3:1e
As in 3:1c, you may need to translate this part of the verse as a complete clause. For example:
Lysanias ⌊was⌋ tetrarch of Abilene.
Lysanias: Lysanias is the name of the ruler of the district of Abilene. Scholars do not know whether he was related to Herod the Great.
Abilene: Abilene was a province/district to the north and east of Galilee.
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