Luke 2:40-52

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

Jesus in the Temple

2:41 Now ⁵  Jesus’ ⁶  parents went to Jerusalem ⁷  every ⁸  year for the feast of the Passover. ⁹  2:42 When ¹⁰  he was twelve years old, ¹¹  they went up ¹²  according to custom. 2:43 But ¹³  when the feast was over, ¹⁴  as they were returning home, ¹⁵  the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. His ¹⁶  parents ¹⁷  did not know it, 2:44 but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) ¹⁸  they went a day’s journey. Then ¹⁹  they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. ²⁰  2:45 When ²¹  they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem ²²  to look for him. 2:46 After ²³  three days ²⁴  they found him in the temple courts, ²⁵  sitting among the teachers, ²⁶  listening to them and asking them questions. 2:47 And all who heard Jesus ²⁷  were astonished ²⁸  at his understanding and his answers. 2:48 When ²⁹  his parents ³⁰  saw him, they were overwhelmed. His ³¹  mother said to him, “Child, ³²  why have you treated ³³  us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” ³⁴  2:49 But ³⁵  he replied, ³⁶  “Why were you looking for me? ³⁷  Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ³⁸  2:50 Yet ³⁹  his parents ⁴⁰  did not understand ⁴¹  the remark ⁴²  he made ⁴³  to them. 2:51 Then ⁴⁴  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ⁴⁵  and was obedient ⁴⁶  to them. But ⁴⁷  his mother kept all these things ⁴⁸  in her heart. ⁴⁹ 

2:52 And Jesus increased ⁵⁰  in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.

[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.

[2:41]  ⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “now” to indicate the transition to a new topic.

[2:41]  ⁶ tn Grk “his”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:41]  ⁷ map For location see Map5 B1; Map6 F3; Map7 E2; Map8 F2; Map10 B3; JP1 F4; JP2 F4; JP3 F4; JP4 F4.

[2:41]  ⁸ tn On the distributive use of the term κατά (kata), see BDF §305.

[2:41]  ⁹ 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).

[2:42]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:42]  ¹¹ 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).

[2:42]  ¹² 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.

[2:43]  ¹³ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated contrastively in keeping with the context. This outcome is different from what had happened all the times before.

[2:43]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “when the days ended.”

[2:43]  ¹⁵ tn The word “home” is not in the Greek text, but has been supplied for clarity.

[2:43]  ¹⁶ tn Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:43]  ¹⁷ tc Most mss, especially later ones (A C Ψ 0130 ˹³ Ï it), read ᾿Ιωσὴφ καὶ ἡ μήτηρ αὐτοῦ (Iwshf kai Jh mhthr aujtou, “[both] Joseph and his mother”), a reading evidently intended to insulate the doctrine of the virgin conception of our Lord. But א B D L W Θ Ë¹ 33 579 1241 pc lat sa read οἱ γονεῖς αὐτοῦ (Joi gonei" autou, “his parents”) as in the translation. Such motivated readings as the former lack credibility, especially since the better witnesses affirm the virgin conception of Christ in Luke 1:34-35.

[2:44]  ¹⁸ sn An ancient journey like this would have involved a caravan of people who traveled together as a group for protection and fellowship.

[2:44]  ¹⁹ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:44]  ²⁰ tn Or “and friends.” See L&N 28.30 and 34.17.

[2:45]  ²¹ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:45]  ²² sn The return to Jerusalem would have taken a second day, since they were already one day’s journey away.

[2:46]  ²³ tn Grk “And it happened that after.” 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. Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:46]  ²⁴ sn Three days means there was one day out, another day back, and a third day of looking in Jerusalem.

[2:46]  ²⁵ tn Grk “the temple.”

[2:46]  ²⁶ tn This is the only place in Luke’s Gospel where the term διδάσκαλος (didaskalo", “teacher”) is applied to Jews.

[2:47]  ²⁷ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:47]  ²⁸ sn There was wonder (all who heard…were astonished) that Jesus at such a young age could engage in such a discussion. The fact that this story is told of a preteen hints that Jesus was someone special.

[2:48]  ²⁹ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:48]  ³⁰ tn Grk “when they”; the referent (his parents) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:48]  ³¹ tn Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:48]  ³² tn The Greek word here is τέκνον (teknon) rather than υἱός (Juios, “son”).

[2:48]  ³³ tn Or “Child, why did you do this to us?”

[2:48]  ³⁴ tn Or “your father and I have been terribly worried looking for you.”

[2:49]  ³⁵ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:49]  ³⁶ tn Grk “he said to them.”

[2:49]  ³⁷ tn Grk “Why is it that you were looking for me?”

[2:49]  ³⁸ tn Or “I must be about my Father’s business” (so KJV, NKJV); Grk “in the [things] of my Father,” with an ellipsis. This verse involves an idiom that probably refers to the necessity of Jesus being involved in the instruction about God, given what he is doing. The most widely held view today takes this as a reference to the temple as the Father’s house. Jesus is saying that his parents should have known where he was.

[2:50]  ³⁹ tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

[2:50]  ⁴⁰ tn Grk “they”; the referent (his parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:50]  ⁴¹ sn This was the first of many times those around Jesus did not understand what he was saying at the time (9:45; 10:21-24; 18:34).

[2:50]  ⁴² tn Or “the matter.”

[2:50]  ⁴³ tn Grk “which he spoke.”

[2:51]  ⁴⁴ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ⁴⁵ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ⁴⁶ tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ⁴⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ⁴⁸ tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ⁴⁹ sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.

[2:52]  ⁵⁰ tn Or “kept increasing.” The imperfect tense suggests something of a progressive force to the verb.