Keraia
Luke 3

Luke 3:23

The Genealogy of Jesus · Luke 3:23–38
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Translations

Modern
Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Traditional
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,
Literal
And Jesus Himself, beginning, was about thirty years old, being son, as was supposed, of Joseph, of Heli,
Latin
Et ipse Jesus erat incipiens quasi annorum triginta, ut putabatur, filius Joseph, qui fuit Heli, qui fuit Mathat,

Original

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

Notes

Luke 3:23

  • Jesus Himself was about thirty years old: This is the only place in the New Testament that mentions how old Jesus was during his public ministry. The number is not exact. Jesus was born between 6 and 4 BC (see study note on 2:2). He began his ministry between AD 27 and 29 (see study note on 3:1). This means he was probably about 31 to 35 years old when he began his public ministry.

  • He was regarded as the son of Joseph: People understood Jesus to be Joseph’s son. He was Joseph’s legal son, but not his biological son.

  • the son of Heli: If this passage gives Mary’s genealogy (a family line), as some think (see study note on 3:23–38), then Joseph may have been Heli’s son-in-law rather than his biological son. This is one possible meaning of the Greek sentence.

Luke 3:23–38

This record of the family line of Jesus is in the opposite order from Matthew’s list (Matthew 1:1–17). Luke traces the family line of Jesus back to Adam. This may show that Jesus is connected to all people as the Son of God (Luke 3:38).

Matthew’s list moves from Abraham down to Joseph. It shows that Jesus is the rightful heir (legal ruler) of David’s throne and the one who receives God’s promises to Abraham.

The two lists are very different. Because of this, some people suggest that Luke’s list is actually Mary’s family line (see study note on 3:23). If so, Mary may have been one of Luke’s main sources when he wrote his Gospel.

Theme notes and profiles

Judah Ancestors of Jesus

Parallels

Ruth 4:18–22 Matthew 1:1–17

People

Heli: Father of Mary and maternal grandfather of Jesus Jesus: The Son of God and Savior of the world Joseph: Husband of Mary and earthly father of Jesus

Glossary

Bible, Manuscripts and Text of the (New Testament) Chronology of the Bible (New Testament) Genealogy Genealogy of Jesus Christ Heli Joseph Luke, Gospel of Messiah

Topics

Genealogies of Christ: Given Genealogy of Jesus Genealogy of Joseph Genealogy: To Jesus Heli: Father of Joseph Jesus, the Christ: Genealogy of Jesus, the Christ: Incarnation of Jesus, the Christ: Is Immersed by John in the Jordan River Joseph: Husband of Mary: His Genealogy The Human Nature of Christ: Genealogy of the Tribe of Judah: out Lord Sprang From