Lukas 2:40

2:40 And the child grew and became strong, ¹  filled with wisdom, ²  and the favor ³  of God ⁴  was upon him.

Lukas 2:1

The Census and the Birth of Jesus

2:1 Now ⁵  in those days a decree ⁶  went out from Caesar ⁷  Augustus ⁸  to register ⁹  all the empire ¹⁰  for taxes.

1 Samuel 2:26

2:26 Now the boy Samuel was growing up and finding favor both with the Lord and with people.

Amsal 3:4

3:4 Then you will find ¹¹  favor and good understanding, ¹² 

in the sight of God and people. ¹³ 

Lukas 1:80

1:80 And the child kept growing ¹⁴  and becoming strong ¹⁵  in spirit, and he was in the wilderness ¹⁶  until the day he was revealed ¹⁷  to Israel.

[2:40]  ¹ 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.

[2:40]  ² sn With the description grew and became strong, filled with wisdom Luke emphasizes the humanity of Jesus and his growth toward maturity.

[2:40]  ³ tn Or “grace.”

[2:40]  ⁴ sn On the phrase the favor of God see Luke 1:66.

[2:1]  ⁵ tn 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.

[2:1]  ⁶ sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.

[2:1]  ⁷ tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).

[2:1]  ⁸ sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27 b.c. to a.d. 14. He was known for his administrative prowess.

[2:1]  ⁹ tn 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).

[2:1]  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.

[2:1]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).

[3:4]  ¹¹ tn The form וּמְצָא (umÿtsa’, “find”) is the imperative but it functions as a purpose/result statement. Following a string of imperatives (v. 3), the imperative with a prefixed vav introduces a volitive sequence expressing purpose or result (v. 4).

[3:4]  ¹² tn The noun שֵׂכֶל (sekhel, “understanding”) does not seem to parallel חֵן (khen, “favor”). The LXX attaches the first two words to v. 3 and renders v. 4: “and devise excellent things in the sight of the Lord and of men.” Tg. Prov 3:4 and Syriac Peshitta list all three words separately: “favor and good and understanding.” C. H. Toy (Proverbs [ICC], 59) suggests emending the MT’s שֵׂכֶל־טוֹב (sekhel-tov, “good understanding”) to שֵׁם־טוֹב (shem-tov, “a good name”). It is also possible to take the two words as a hendiadys: the favor of good understanding, meaning, a reputation for good understanding.

[3:4]  ¹³ tn Heb “man.”

[1:80]  ¹⁴ tn This verb is imperfect.

[1:80]  ¹⁵ tn This verb is also imperfect.

[1:80]  ¹⁶ tn Or “desert.”

[1:80]  ¹⁷ tn Grk “until the day of his revealing.”