Luke 3:2

Luke 3:2 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
• New International Version (NIV)during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
• English Standard Version (ESV)during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
• New King James Version (NKJV)while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Context of Luke 3:2

1It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene. Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness. 3Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River, preaching that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven. 4Isaiah had spoken of John when he said, “He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!

Luke 3:2 word by word

ἐπὶ ἀρχιερέως Ἅννα καὶ Καϊάφα, ἐγένετο ῥῆμα θεοῦ ἐπὶ Ἰωάννην τὸν Ζαχαρίου υἱὸν ἐν τῇ ἐρήμῳ.Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• ·ὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• AnnasἌνναςAnnas · AnnasG452
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• CaiaphasΚαϊάφαςKaiaphas · CaiaphasG2533
• beingἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the high priestsἀρχιερεύςarchiereus · high-priestG749
• the wordῥῆμαrhēma · declarationG4487
• of Godθεόςtheos · GodG2316
• cameγίνομαιginomai · to beG1096
• JohnἸωάννηςIōannēs · JohnG2491
• the sonυἱόςuihos · sonG5207
• of ZachariasΖαχαρίαςZacharias · ZechariahG2197
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the wildernessἔρημοςerēmos · desertedG2048

Cross-references for Luke 3:2

• John 11:49Caiaphas, who was high priest at that time, said, “You don’t know what you’re talking about!
• John 18:13First they took him to Annas, since he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest at that time.
• Acts 4:6Annas the high priest was there, along with Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and other relatives of the high priest.
• Luke 1:59When the baby was eight days old, they all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah, after his father.
• Jeremiah 1:2The Lord first gave messages to Jeremiah during the thirteenth year of the reign of Josiah son of Amon, king of Judah.
• Jeremiah 2:1The Lord gave me another message. He said,
• Ezekiel 1:3(The Lord gave this message to Ezekiel son of Buzi, a priest, beside the Kebar River in the land of the Babylonians, and he felt the hand of the Lord take hold of him.)
• Hosea 1:1The Lord gave this message to Hosea son of Beeri during the years when Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah, and Jeroboam son of Jehoash was king of Israel.
• Jonah 1:1The Lord gave this message to Jonah son of Amittai:
• Micah 1:1The Lord gave this message to Micah of Moresheth during the years when Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah were kings of Judah. The visions he saw concerned both Samaria and Jerusalem.
• Zephaniah 1:1The Lord gave this message to Zephaniah when Josiah son of Amon was king of Judah. Zephaniah was the son of Cushi, son of Gedaliah, son of Amariah, son of Hezekiah.
• Luke 1:80John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
• Isaiah 40:3Listen! It’s the voice of someone shouting, “Clear the way through the wilderness for the Lord! Make a straight highway through the wasteland for our God!
• Matthew 3:1In those days John the Baptist came to the Judean wilderness and began preaching. His message was,
• Matthew 11:7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind?
• Mark 1:3He is a voice shouting in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord’s coming! Clear the road for him!’”

Commentaries on Luke 3:2

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 2Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests - Caiaphas was the son-in-law of Annas or Ananias, and it is supposed that they exercised the high priest's office by turns. It is likely that Annas only was considered as high priest; and that Caiaphas was what the Hebrews termed משנה כהן cohen mishneh, or כהנים סגן sagan cohanim, the high priest's deputy, or ruler of the temple. See the note on Matthew 2:4, and on John 18:13. The facts which St. Luke mentions…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 2Annas and Caiaphas being highpriests - There was, properly speaking, but one high priest of the Jews; yet the name of high priest continued to be given to those who had been in that office, and especially when they still possessed some civil office after they had left the high priesthood. In this case it appears that “Caiapas” was high priest, and Annas “had been,” but had been dismissed from the office. It is highly probable that he still held an office…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 2Annas and Caiaphas were Jewish high priests. Annas served from AD 6 to 15 until the Romans removed him. His son-in-law, Caiaphas, was the high priest from AD 18 to 36. Luke mentions both names because Annas was still very influential among the Jews (see John 18:13–14, 24; Acts 4:6). the word of God came to John son of Zechariah: John's role as a prophet was similar to that of the Old Testament prophets (see, for example, Isaiah 6; Jeremiah 1).Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1-20(See on Mt 3:1-12; Mr 6:17, &c.). 1-2. Here the curtain of the New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age (Lu 3:23) is determined by it [Bengel]. No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately traced down all things from the…Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 3:2

• Annas
• Caiaphas
• John
• Priest
• Prophets
• Zacharias (Zechariah)

In the dictionaries

• Annas
• Caiaphas
• God
• Caiaphas, or Caiaphas
• god, false god, goddess, idol, idolater, idolatrous, idolatry
• Word of God
• Demand
• Elijah
• Mary
• Reprove

Commentaries on Luke 3

• 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