Luke 2:44-52

2:44 but (because they assumed that he was in their group of travelers) ¹  they went a day’s journey. Then ²  they began to look for him among their relatives and acquaintances. ³  2:45 When ⁴  they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem ⁵  to look for him. 2:46 After ⁶  three days ⁷  they found him in the temple courts, ⁸  sitting among the teachers, ⁹  listening to them and asking them questions. 2:47 And all who heard Jesus ¹⁰  were astonished ¹¹  at his understanding and his answers. 2:48 When ¹²  his parents ¹³  saw him, they were overwhelmed. His ¹⁴  mother said to him, “Child, ¹⁵  why have you treated ¹⁶  us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.” ¹⁷  2:49 But ¹⁸  he replied, ¹⁹  “Why were you looking for me? ²⁰  Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ²¹  2:50 Yet ²²  his parents ²³  did not understand ²⁴  the remark ²⁵  he made ²⁶  to them. 2:51 Then ²⁷  he went down with them and came to Nazareth, ²⁸  and was obedient ²⁹  to them. But ³⁰  his mother kept all these things ³¹  in her heart. ³² 

2:52 And Jesus increased ³³  in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and with people.

[2:44]  ¹ 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]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:44]  ³ tn Or “and friends.” See L&N 28.30 and 34.17.

[2:45]  ⁴ tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:45]  ⁵ sn The return to Jerusalem would have taken a second day, since they were already one day’s journey away.

[2:46]  ⁶ 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]  ⁷ sn Three days means there was one day out, another day back, and a third day of looking in Jerusalem.

[2:46]  ⁸ tn Grk “the temple.”

[2:46]  ⁹ tn This is the only place in Luke’s Gospel where the term διδάσκαλος (didaskalo", “teacher”) is applied to Jews.

[2:47]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “him”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:47]  ¹¹ 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]  ¹² tn Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:48]  ¹³ tn Grk “when they”; the referent (his parents) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

[2:48]  ¹⁴ tn Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.

[2:48]  ¹⁵ tn The Greek word here is τέκνον (teknon) rather than υἱός (Juios, “son”).

[2:48]  ¹⁶ tn Or “Child, why did you do this to us?”

[2:48]  ¹⁷ tn Or “your father and I have been terribly worried looking for you.”

[2:49]  ¹⁸ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:49]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “he said to them.”

[2:49]  ²⁰ tn Grk “Why is it that you were looking for me?”

[2:49]  ²¹ 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]  ²² tn Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.

[2:50]  ²³ tn Grk “they”; the referent (his parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[2:50]  ²⁴ 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]  ²⁵ tn Or “the matter.”

[2:50]  ²⁶ tn Grk “which he spoke.”

[2:51]  ²⁷ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.

[2:51]  ²⁸ map For location see Map1 D3; Map2 C2; Map3 D5; Map4 C1; Map5 G3.

[2:51]  ²⁹ tn Or “was submitting.”

[2:51]  ³⁰ tn Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.

[2:51]  ³¹ tn Or “all these words.”

[2:51]  ³² sn On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.

[2:52]  ³³ tn Or “kept increasing.” The imperfect tense suggests something of a progressive force to the verb.