Luke 2:39-42

2:39 So ¹  when Joseph and Mary ²  had performed ³  everything according to the law of the Lord, ⁴  they returned to Galilee, to their own town ⁵  of Nazareth. ⁶  2:40 And the child grew and became strong, ⁷  filled with wisdom, ⁸  and the favor ⁹  of God ¹⁰  was upon him.

Jesus in the Temple

2:41 Now ¹¹  Jesus’ ¹²  parents went to Jerusalem ¹³  every ¹⁴  year for the feast of the Passover. ¹⁵  2:42 When ¹⁶  he was twelve years old, ¹⁷  they went up ¹⁸  according to custom.

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¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

² tn Grk “when they”; the referents (Joseph and Mary) have been specified in the translation for clarity.

³ tn Or “completed.”

⁴ sn On the phrase the law of the Lord see Luke 2:22-23.

⁵ tn Or “city.”

⁶ map For location see Map1-D3; Map2-C2; Map3-D5; Map4-C1; Map5-G3.

⁷ tc Most mss (A Θ Ψ Ë^1,13 33 Ï) read πνεύματι (pneumati, “in spirit”) after “became strong,” but this looks like an assimilation to Luke 1:80. The better witnesses (א B D L N W pc lat co) lack the word.

⁸ sn With the description grew and became strong, filled with wisdom Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus and his growth toward maturity.

⁹ tn Or “grace.”

¹⁰ sn On the phrase the favor of God see Luke 1:66.

¹¹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

¹² tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

¹³ map For location see Map5-B1; Map6-F3; Map7-E2; Map8-F2; Map10-B3; JP1-F4; JP2-F4; JP3-F4; JP4-F4.

¹⁴ tn On the distributive use of the term κατά (kata), see BDF §305.

¹⁵ sn The custom of Jesus and his family going to Jerusalem every year for the feast of the Passover shows their piety in obeying the law (Exod 23:14-17).

¹⁶ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

¹⁷ sn According to the Mishnah, the age of twelve years old is one year before a boy becomes responsible for his religious commitments (m. Niddah 5.6).

¹⁸ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C^vid Θ Ψ 0130 Ë^1,13 33 Ï lat) have εἰς ῾Ιεροσόλυμα (eij" &ierosoluma, “to Jerusalem”) here, but the ms support for the omission is much stronger (א B D L W 579 1241 pc co); further, the longer reading clarifies what they went up to and thus looks like a motivated reading.