Discovery BoxLuke 2:4 
Context2:4 So 1 Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth 2 in Galilee to Judea, to the city 3 of David called Bethlehem, 4 because he was of the house 5 and family line 6 of David.
Luke 2:11
Context2:11 Today 7 your Savior is born in the city 8 of David. 9 He is Christ 10 the Lord.
1 tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the consequential nature of the action.
2 sn On Nazareth see Luke 1:26.
map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.
3 tn Or “town.” The translation “city” is used here because of its collocation with “of David,” suggesting its importance, though not its size.
4 sn The journey from Nazareth to the city of David called Bethlehem was a journey of about 90 mi (150 km). Bethlehem was a small village located about 7 miles south-southwest of Jerusalem.
map For location see Map5 B1; Map7 E2; Map8 E2; Map10 B4.
5 sn Luke’s use of the term “house” probably alludes to the original promise made to David outlined in the Nathan oracle of 2 Sam 7:12-16, especially in light of earlier connections between Jesus and David made in Luke 1:32. Further, the mention of Bethlehem reminds one of the promise of Mic 5:2, namely, that a great king would emerge from Bethlehem to rule over God’s people.
6 tn Or “family,” “lineage.”
7 sn The Greek word for today (σήμερον, shmeron) occurs eleven times in the Gospel of Luke (2:11; 4:21; 5:26; 12:28; 13:32-33; 19:5, 9; 22:34, 61; 23:43) and nine times in Acts. Its use, especially in passages such as 2:11, 4:21, 5:26; 19:5, 9, signifies the dawning of the era of messianic salvation and the fulfillment of the plan of God. Not only does it underscore the idea of present fulfillment in Jesus’ ministry, but it also indicates salvific fulfillment present in the church (cf. Acts 1:6; 3:18; D. L. Bock, Luke [BECNT], 1:412; I. H. Marshall, Luke, [NIGTC], 873).
8 tn Or “town.” See the note on “city” in v. 4.
9 tn This is another indication of a royal, messianic connection.
10 tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”
sn The term χριστός (cristos) was originally an adjective (“anointed”), developing in LXX into a substantive (“an anointed one”), then developing still further into a technical generic term (“the anointed one”). In the intertestamental period it developed further into a technical term referring to the hoped-for anointed one, that is, a specific individual. In the NT the development starts there (technical-specific), is so used in the gospels, and then develops in Paul to mean virtually Jesus’ last name.
