Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY
Watchtower
ONLINE LIBRARY
English
  • BIBLE
  • PUBLICATIONS
  • MEETINGS
  • Luke 3:23
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures
    • 23 When Jesus+ began his work, he was about 30 years old,+ being the son, as the opinion was,

      of Joseph,+

      son of Heʹli,

  • Luke 3:23
    The Kingdom Interlinear Translation of the Greek Scriptures
    • 23 Καὶ And αὐτὸς he ἦν was Ἰησοῦς Jesus ἀρχόμενος commencing ὡσεὶ as if ἐτῶν of years τριάκοντα, thirty, ὢν being υἱός, son, ὡς as ἐνομίζετο, it was being opined, Ἰωσήφ of Joseph τοῦ of the Ἡλεί Heli

  • Luke 3:23
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures—With References
    • 23 Furthermore, Jesus himself, when he commenced [his work],*+ was about thirty+ years old, being the son,+ as the opinion was,*

      of Joseph,+

      [son] of Heʹli,

  • Luke 3:23
    The Bible in Living English
    • 23 And he, Jesus, was beginning to be about thirty years old, being the son, as was supposed, of Joseph the son of Eli

  • Luke 3:23
    American Standard Version
    • 23 And Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years of age, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,

  • Luke 3:23
    The Emphasized Bible
    • 23 And Jesus himself was when he began about thirty years of age, being the son as was supposed—of Joseph, of Heli:

  • Luke 3:23
    King James Version
    • 23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,

  • Luke
    Watch Tower Publications Index 1986-2026
    • 3:23 it-1 458, 463, 467, 916, 1086; it-2 346, 993; w17.08 32; wp16.3 9; si 78, 142

  • Luke
    Watch Tower Publications Index 1930-1985
    • 3:23 w85 12/15 12-13; w81 3/15 11; w79 12/15 4; w78 4/1 13; w76 263; w75 220; w74 105-106; ka 62, 95; w72 241; ad 640, 1118; g66 9/22 29; w64 230; w63 331; g63 6/22 4; w62 159; w61 38; ns 206, 223; w59 316, 416; yw 130; w57 191, 742

  • Luke
    Research Guide for Jehovah’s Witnesses—2019 Edition
    • 3:23

      Insight, Volume 1, pp. 458, 463-467, 916, 1086

      Insight, Volume 2, pp. 346, 993

      The Watchtower (Study),

      8/2017, p. 32

      The Watchtower (Public),

      No. 3 2016, p. 9

      “All Scripture,” pp. 78-79, 142

  • Luke Study Notes—Chapter 3
    New World Translation of the Holy Scriptures (Study Edition)
    • 3:23

      began his work: Or “began his ministry; started to teach.” Lit., “began; started.” Luke uses the same Greek expression at Ac 1:21, 22 and 10:37, 38 when referring to the start of Jesus’ earthly ministry. His public ministry involved preaching, teaching, and disciple-making.

      being the son, as the opinion was, of Joseph: Joseph was actually Jesus’ adoptive father, since Jesus was begotten by holy spirit. However, the people in Nazareth saw Joseph and Mary raise Jesus, so they naturally considered him to be Joseph’s son. This is indicated by other scriptures, such as Mt 13:55 and Lu 4:22, where the inhabitants of Nazareth refer to Jesus as “the carpenter’s son” and “a son of Joseph.” On one occasion, people who stumbled at Jesus remarked: “Is this not Jesus the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know?” (Joh 6:42) Also, Philip told Nathanael: “We have found . . . Jesus, the son of Joseph.” (Joh 1:45) Luke’s account here confirms that Jesus’ being called “the son of Joseph” was simply current opinion.

      as the opinion was: Or possibly, “as it was established by law.” This rendering has been suggested by a few scholars, since the Greek term allows for this idea. In this context, that rendering would convey the thought of being legally established according to genealogical reckonings available at the time. However, the rendering in the main text of the New World Translation is supported by most scholars.

      Joseph, son of Heli: According to Mt 1:16, “Jacob became father to Joseph the husband of Mary.” In Luke’s account, Joseph is called the “son of Heli,” evidently meaning that he is Heli’s son-in-law. (For a similar case, see the study note on Lu 3:27.) When tracing the bloodline from a grandfather to a grandson through a daughter, it was customary for the Jews to focus on the men in the genealogies, which may be why Luke omits the daughter’s name and lists her husband as a son. Luke evidently traces Jesus’ descent through Mary, so it would seem that Heli was Mary’s father and the maternal grandfather of Jesus.​—See study notes on Mt 1:1, 16; Lu 3:27.

English Publications (1950-2026)
Log Out
Log In
  • English
  • Share
  • Preferences
  • Copyright © 2025 Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania
  • Terms of Use
  • Privacy Policy
  • Privacy Settings
  • JW.ORG
  • Log In
Share