Luke 2:2 - Printer Friendly

ESV: This was the first registration when Quirinius was governor of Syria.

NIV: (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

NASB: This was the first census taken while Quirinius was governor of Syria.

CSB: This first registration took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

NLT: (This was the first census taken when Quirinius was governor of Syria.)

KJV: (And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

NKJV: This census first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.

Luke strives for accuracy and clarity in his writing. That does not eliminate all possible questions about what he means, or how to interpret it. Here, he establishes the time frame of Jesus' birth (Luke 2:1). The prior verse referred to the reign of a particular emperor. Augustus ruled from 27 BC to AD 14.

Here, Luke's comment about Quirinius and his governorship of Syria creates a puzzle. So far as we know from history, Quirinius held his position around AD 6 or 7. That would be several years after the actual birth of Jesus. As commonly translated into English, this verse indicates Mary and Joseph are participating in the "first registration" under that ruler. However, the Greek word prōtos is translated elsewhere as "before," as in John 15:18 and Matthew 27:64. Some translators suggest this might be better rendered to indicate this was a registration "before" Quirinius was governor.

Others note that a decree and a registration, themselves, are two separate events. This suggests that the decree went out, and people went to their ancestral hometowns to be recorded, but the formal "registration" itself did not happen until later, when Quirinius was governing. That might have been a delay partly caused by the death of Herod (Matthew 2:19). Still others believe, based on secular history, that Quirinius may have held his position twice.

Time and history take their toll on details, and this is one example. It's not possible to establish a single, perfect, clear answer for Luke's meaning here. Ultimately, it makes no difference; the various explanations are reasonable enough that this is simply a question of "what" Luke intended, not whether the events occurred.

Luke 2:1–7 gives a brief explanation of Jesus' unusual birth. Some traditional details of this event are just that: traditional, and not necessarily given in Scripture itself. Luke establishes a historical timeframe, when Joseph and Mary travel to Bethlehem to participate in a taxed census. Due to the number of travelers, lodgings are crowded. Mary gives birth and lays Jesus in an animal's feeding trough.

The early part of this chapter is famously read at Christmas, while celebrating the birth of Jesus. Luke gives a relatively brief description of how Mary came to give birth in a stable, laying Jesus in a feeding trough. Nearby shepherds are informed of the news by multiple angels. Two people speak in praise of God at Jesus' circumcision. Years later, Joseph and Mary lose track of Jesus on the way back from Jerusalem, only to find Him astounding teachers in the temple with His wisdom.

Luke began his well-organized account by explaining the conceptions of Jesus Christ and John the Baptist, in chapter 1. In chapter 2, he briefly summarizes Jesus' birth and the arrival of shepherds directed by angels. Prophecies and prayers celebrate His dedication at the temple. After briefly losing track of a twelve-year-old Jesus in the temple, Jesus' parents take Him home to Nazareth. There, He grows up relatively normally. Chapter 3 leaps forward many years to the beginning of John the Baptist's preaching. This is followed by Jesus' genealogy. Chapter 4 relates Jesus' temptations by Satan and the start of His public ministry.

Luke was a traveling companion of Paul (Acts 16:10) and a physician (Colossians 4:14). Unlike Matthew, Mark, and John, Luke writes his gospel as an historian, rather than as a first-hand eyewitness. His extensive writings also include the book of Acts (Acts 1:1–3). These are deliberately organized, carefully researched accounts of those events. The gospel of Luke focuses on the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ. Luke's Gentile perspective presents Christ as a Savior for all people, offering both forgiveness and direction to those who follow Him.