2:1 Now 1 in those days a decree 2 went out from Caesar 3 Augustus 4 to register 5 all the empire 6 for taxes.
3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 7 when Pontius Pilate 8 was governor of Judea, and Herod 9 was tetrarch 10 of Galilee, and his brother Philip 11 was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias 12 was tetrarch of Abilene,
1 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 sn This decree was a formal decree from the Roman Senate.
3 tn Or “from the emperor” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
4 sn Caesar Augustus refers to Octavian, who was Caesar from 27
5 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).
6 tn Grk “the whole (inhabited) world,” but this was a way to refer to the Roman empire (L&N 1.83).
7 tn Or “Emperor Tiberius” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
8 sn The rule of Pontius Pilate is also described by Josephus, J. W. 2.9.2-4 (2.169-177) and Ant. 18.3.1 (18.55-59).
9 sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He ruled from 4
10 sn A tetrarch was a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, who ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod tetrarch of Galilee is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage.
11 sn Philip refers to Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great and brother of Herod Antipas. Philip ruled as tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis from 4
12 sn Nothing else is known about Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene.