Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Luke 2:3
3. went . . . to his own city—the city of his extraction, according to the Jewish custom, not of his abode, which was the usual Roman method. read more
路加福音 2:2-3 Rcuvts
Robert Jamieson; A. R. Fausset; David Brown
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 2:1-3
"Those days" refer to the time of John’s birth (Luke 1:57-79). Augustus was Caesar from 44 B.C. to A.D. 14. [Note: Harold W. Hoehner, Chronological Aspects of the Life of Christ, p. 12.] The purpose of a Roman census was to provide statistical data so the government could levy taxes. [Note: Ibid., p. 13.] "All the inhabited earth" (NASB) means throughout "the entire Roman world" (NIV) or empire. This was evidently the first census taken of the whole Roman provincial system, though it was not... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 2:1-7
1. The setting of Jesus’ birth 2:1-7In narrating John’s birth, Luke stressed his naming, but in his account of Jesus’ birth, he concentrated on its setting.Luke’s brief account of Jesus’ birth emphasizes three things. He described the political situation to explain why Jesus was born in Bethlehem. This set Jesus’ birth in a context of world history and anticipated His cosmic significance. Second, Luke connected Bethlehem with David to show that Jesus qualified as the Messiah. Finally, he... read more
Thomas Constable
Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 2:1-52
D. The birth and early life of Jesus ch. 2Luke followed the same pattern of events with Jesus’ birth and early life as he did for those of John. His purpose was to compare and contrast these two important individuals. read more
John Darby
Darby's Synopsis of the New Testament - Luke 2:3
2:3 roll, (e-10) As 'registered,' Hebrews 12:23 . read more
John Dummelow
John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 2:1-52
Birth and Childhood of Jesus1-5. The census of Quirinius. There are two historical difficulties in connexion with St. Luke’s mention of the census of Quirinius: (1) There is no direct evidence, except St. Luke’s statement, that Augustus (31 b.c.-14 a.d.) ever held a census of the whole Roman empire. (2) Quirinius was not governor of Syria at the time of our Lord’s birth (about 7 or 6 b.c.), but either Sentius Saturninus (9-6 b.c.), or Quinctilius Varus (6-4 b.c.).As to (1), the absence of... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Luke 2:2
(2) And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.—Here we come upon difficulties of another kind. Publicius Sulpicius Quirinus (“Cyrenius” is the Greek form of the last of the three names) was Consul B.C. 12, but he is not named as Governor of Syria till after the deposition of Archelaus, A.D. 6, and he was then conspicuous in carrying out a census which involved taxation in the modern sense; and this was the “taxing” referred to in Gamaliel’s speech (Acts 5:37) as having... read more
Charles John Ellicott
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Luke 2:3
(3) All went to be taxed.—As a rule the practice in a Roman census was to register people in their place of residence; but this was probably modified in Palestine, in deference to the feelings of the people. After the death of Herod and the division of his kingdom, such a method as that implied hero could hardly have been feasible, as the subjects of one tetrarchy would not have been registered as belonging to another, so that here again we have not an error, but a special note of accuracy. read more
William Nicoll
Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Luke 2:1-52
The Love of the Cradle (For Christmas Day) Luke 2:7 The Church has ever held that in all the estate of His Humiliation in the whole sad three and thirty years of His earthly life, our Lord offered up an atoning sacrifice. He suffered life as well as death for us. But a great saint and doctor has well reminded us that we are ready to be so dazzled by the love of the Cross that we often forget the love of the Cradle. We forget that our Lord endured the weakness of death and the weakness of... read more
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Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible - Luke 2:2
2. first . . . when Cyrenius, c.—a very perplexing verse, inasmuch as Cyrenius, or Quirinus, appears not to have been governor of Syria for about ten years after the birth of Christ, and the "taxing" under his administration was what led to the insurrection mentioned in :-. That there was a taxing, however, of the whole Roman Empire under Augustus, is now admitted by all and candid critics, even of skeptical tendency, are ready to allow that there is not likely to be any real inaccuracy in the... read more