Following are a number of back-translations of Luke 2:2:
Noongar: “This was the first writing of the names of all people. This happened when Quirinius was ruler of Syria.” (Source: Warda-Kwabba Luke-Ang)
Uma: “This first counting of the people was made at the time Kirenius was governor in Siria land.” (Source: Uma Back Translation)
Yakan: “This is the first time that people were registered, and at the time of registering Kirinu was governor in the place Suriya.” (Source: Yakan Back Translation)
Western Bukidnon Manobo: “This was the first taking of census while Quirinius was governor of the province of Syria.” (Source: Western Bukidnon Manobo Back Translation)
Kankanaey: “This first census, it was done in the governorship of Kirinio in Syria.” (Source: Kankanaey Back Translation)
Tagbanwa: “This first census was done when Cirenio was governor of Siria.” (Source: Tagbanwa Back Translation)
Illustration by Horst Lemke (1922-1985) for the GermanGute Nachricht für Sie – NT68, one of the first editions of the Good News Bible in German of 1968. Lemke was a well-known illustrator who illustrated books by Erich Kästner , Astrid Lindgren and many others.
Living Water is produced for the Bible translation movement in association with Lutheran Bible Translators. Lyrics derived from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®).
hautē apographē prōtē egeneto hēgemoneuontos tēs Surias Kurēniou ‘this registration, the first, happened when Quirinius governed Syria’; the phrase serves to indicate (1) the time when the registration referred to in v. 1, took place, and (2) the fact that this registration was the first to happen. Hence a rendering like “this was the first registration of its kind; it took place when Quirinius was governor of Syria” (New English Bible, cf. Zürcher Bibel) seems to cover best the full implications of the Greek text. Registrations in the Roman empire might easily extend over a period of many years and Quirinius acted as the special representative of the Roman emperor and was engaged in a census from 12 B.C. to 16 A.D.; during this period he was also twice governor of Syria, probably in 3-2 B.C. and certainly from 6 A.D. to the end of his term as special representative; for a full discussion cf. IDB III, 975ff.
apographē ‘registration,’ ‘census,’ here according to Stauffer (op. cit. p. 29) referring to “the systematic registration of all taxable persons and of all things subject to taxes”; in most cases the latter had to do with landed property, and since Joseph was of the house and lineage of David he very probably would have a share in the landed property of the descendants of David in his place of origin (op. cit. p. 33).
hēgemoneuontos tēs Surias Kurēniou ‘when Quirinius governed Syria’; the phrase may either mean that the registration of Palestine took place during Quirinius’ first period of actual governorship of the Roman province of Syria or contain a somewhat incorrect reference to the whole period of his activities in the East.
hēgemoneuō (also 3.1) ‘to govern,’ ‘to rule,’ a very general word, alike applicable to the Roman emperor and to his underlings in the provinces of the empire.
Kurēnios Greek transcription of the Roman name ‘Quirinius.’
Translation:
This was the first enrollment, or, shifting to a verbal construction, e.g. ‘this was the first time people had to enroll themselves’; or again, using a generic reference to the verb in v. 1, ‘this happened (or, was done) for the first time.’ Enrollment, cf. on the verb in v. 1; most renderings refer only to the persons registered, some include their possessions, e.g. ‘numbering-of-houses (referring to population and live-stock)’ (Kannada).
Quirinius. Older versions transliterate the Greek form of the name, but it is preferable to take the original Latin form as basis of transliteration; usually qu then can best become k, or its closest equivalent.
Governor. Usually one can find an appropriate equivalent in the local or national official hierarchy of the present or in a colonial one of the past, e.g. ‘province-ruler’ (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada), ‘the exalted person’ (Toraja-Sa’dan, using the title of the Governor-General and of provincial governors); or, since Quirinius represented the imperial government, ‘representative of the government’ (Bahasa Indonesia), cf. ‘stood in power … representing the Emperor’ (Balinese).
Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.
This verse tells what was happening in the history of the world at the time when Jesus was born. Some versions, such as the New International Version, put this verse in parentheses to show that it is background information. Consider how your language would indicate that 2:2 is background information.
2:2a–b
the first census to take place while Quirinius was governor of Syria: Scholars understand this sentence in different ways. The two main interpretations are:
(1) This was the first census in the Roman Empire. It happened while Quirinius was governor. For example:
This was the first registration; it was taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (New Century Version)
(Good News Translation, Revised Standard Version, New Jerusalem Bible, NET Bible, New Century Version, Revised English Bible, Contemporary English Version, Phillips’ New Testament in Modern English)
(2) This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor. This meaning implies that there was at least one later census while he was governor. For example:
This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria. (God’s Word)
(Berean Standard Bible, God’s Word, New International Version, New American Standard Bible, New Living Translation (2004))
It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).
census: The word census is the noun form of the Greek verb that means “register, enroll” that was used in 2:1b. Other words for census are “registration” and “enrollment.”
In some languages it may be more natural to use a verb phrase here. For example:
they wrote people’s names in a book
Quirinius:Quirinius is the name of a man. He was one of the Roman leaders who served Caesar. He governed a province that Rome ruled at that time.
governor: A governor was the leader of a province or country. The emperor had appointed him to this position.
Syria:Syria was one of many provinces or districts that the Romans ruled. It was a more powerful province than Judea and Galilee. In some languages it may be helpful to make it explicit that Syria was a province. For example:
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