Luke 2:4

Luke 2:4 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)
• English Standard Version (ESV)And Joseph also went up from Galilee, from the town of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
• New King James Version (NKJV)Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David,
• New Living Translation (NLT)And because Joseph was a descendant of King David, he had to go to Bethlehem in Judea, David’s ancient home. He traveled there from the village of Nazareth in Galilee.

Context of Luke 2:4

2(This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3And everyone went to their own town to register. So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born,

Luke 2:4 word by word

ἀνέβη δὲ καὶ Ἰωσὴφ ἀπὸ τῆς Γαλιλαίας ἐκ πόλεως Ναζαρὲθ εἰς τὴν Ἰουδαίαν εἰς πόλιν Δαυὶδ ἥτις καλεῖται Βηθλέεμ, διὰ τὸ εἶναι αὐτὸν ἐξ οἴκου καὶ πατριᾶς Δαυίδ,Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• JosephἸωσήφIōsēph · JosephG2501
• alsoδέde · thenG1161
• went upἀναβαίνωanabainō · to ascendG305
• fromἀπόapo · away fromG575
• GalileeΓαλιλαίαGalilaia · GalileeG1056
• out ofἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• the cityπόλιςpolis · cityG4172
• of NazarethΝαζαρέθ, ΝαζαράNazareth Nazaret · NazarethG3478
• intoεἰςeis · towardG1519
• JudeaἸουδαίαIoudaia · JudeaG2449
• of DavidΔαυείδ, Δαυίδ, ΔαβίδDabid · DavidG1138
• whichὅστιςhostis hētis ho6ti · who/whichG3748
• is calledκαλέωkaleō · to call: callG2564
• BethlehemΒηθλεέμBēthleem · BethlehemG965
• becauseδιάdia · through/because ofG1223
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• wasεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• the houseοἶκοςoikos · house: householdG3624
• lineageπατριάpatria · family lineG3965

Cross-references for Luke 2:4

• Luke 1:26In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee,
• Luke 3:23Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli,
• Luke 4:16He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,
• Matthew 2:23and he went and lived in a town called Nazareth. So was fulfilled what was said through the prophets, that he would be called a Nazarene.
• John 1:46“Nazareth! Can anything good come from there?” Nathanael asked. “Come and see,” said Philip.
• Genesis 35:19So Rachel died and was buried on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).
• Genesis 48:7As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath” (that is, Bethlehem).
• Ruth 1:19So the two women went on until they came to Bethlehem. When they arrived in Bethlehem, the whole town was stirred because of them, and the women exclaimed, “Can this be Naomi?”
• Ruth 2:4Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, “The Lord be with you!” “The Lord bless you!” they answered.
• Ruth 4:11Then the elders and all the people at the gate said, “We are witnesses. May the Lord make the woman who is coming into your home like Rachel and Leah, who together built up the family of Israel. May you have standing in Ephrathah and be famous in Bethlehem.
• 1 Samuel 16:1The Lord said to Samuel, “How long will you mourn for Saul, since I have rejected him as king over Israel? Fill your horn with oil and be on your way; I am sending you to Jesse of Bethlehem. I have chosen one of his sons to be king.”
• 1 Samuel 17:12Now David was the son of an Ephrathite named Jesse, who was from Bethlehem in Judah. Jesse had eight sons, and in Saul’s time he was very old.
• 1 Samuel 20:6If your father misses me at all, tell him, ‘David earnestly asked my permission to hurry to Bethlehem, his hometown, because an annual sacrifice is being made there for his whole clan.’
• Micah 5:2“But you, Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are small among the clans of Judah, out of you will come for me one who will be ruler over Israel, whose origins are from of old, from ancient times.”
• Matthew 2:1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem
• John 7:42Does not Scripture say that the Messiah will come from David’s descendants and from Bethlehem, the town where David lived?”

Commentaries on Luke 2:4

• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 4The city of David - Bethlehem, called the city of David because it was the place of his birth. See the notes at Matthew 2:1. Because he was of the house - Of the family. And lineage - The “lineage” denotes that he was descended from David as his father or ancestor. In taking a Jewish census, families were kept distinct; hence, all went to the “place” where their family had resided. Joseph was of the “family” of David, and hence he went up to the city of…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 3-4Since Joseph was a descendant of King David, he returned to David’s hometown of Bethlehem (1 Samuel 17:12, 58; 20:6). Bethlehem is a small village in Judea, eight kilometers (five miles) south of Jerusalem. The prophet Micah foretold that the Christ (the Messiah, God’s chosen king) would be born there (Micah 5:2).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 4-54-5. Not only does Joseph, who was of the royal line, go to Bethlehem (1Sa 16:1), but Mary too--not from choice surely in her condition, but, probably, for personal enrollment, as herself an heiress.Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 2:4

• Bethlehem
• Jesus, the Christ
• Joseph
• Nazareth
• Tribute (Taxes)

In the dictionaries

• Bethlehem
• David
• Galilee
• Judea
• Nazareth
• City of David
• Judaea, or Judea
• Bethlehem, Ephrathah
• Galilee, Galilean
• Judea, Judah

Commentaries on Luke 2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings