Luke 2:1-3

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now¹ in those days a decree² went out from Caesar³ Augustus⁴ to register⁵ all the empire⁶ for taxes. 2:2 This was the first registration, taken when Quirinius was governor⁷ of Syria. 2:3 Everyone⁸ went to his own town⁹ to be registered.

¹tn Grk “Now it happened that.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

²sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

³tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

⁴sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

⁵tn Grk “that all the empire should be registered for taxes.” The passive infinitive ἀπογράφεσθαι (apografesqai) has been rendered as an active in the translation to improve the English style. The verb is regarded as a technical term for official registration in tax lists (BDAG 108 s.v. ἀπογράφω a).

sn This census (a decree…to register all the empire) is one of the more disputed historical remarks in Luke. Josephus (Ant. 18.1.1 [18.1-2]) only mentions a census in a.d. 6, too late for this setting. Such a census would have been a massive undertaking; it could have started under one ruler and emerged under another, to whose name it became attached. This is one possibility to explain the data. Another is that Quirinius, who became governor in Syria for the later census, may have been merely an administrator for this census. See also Luke 2:2.

⁶tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

⁷tn Or “was a minister of Syria.” This term could simply refer to an administrative role Quirinius held as opposed to being governor (Josephus, Ant. 18.4.2 [18.88]). See also Luke 2:1.

⁸tn Grk “And everyone.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

⁹tn Or “hometown” (so CEV).