Luke 3:1-4:37

Expository Notes of Dr. Thomas Constable - Luke 3:1-20

A. The ministry of John the Baptist 3:1-20John’s ministry, as Jesus’, did not begin until he was a mature man. This section of the Gospel shows the vital place John played as Messiah’s forerunner. read more

John Dummelow

John Dummelow's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 3:1-38

John’s Ministry. Baptism and Genealogy of Jesus1-14.. Preliminary Ministry of the Baptist (Matthew 3:1; Mark 1:1). See on Mt.1. In the fifteenth year] If the years of Tiberius are reckoned from the death of Augustus, who died 14 a.d., the date is 28, 29 a.d. Most authorities, however, suppose that the years of Tiberius are here reckoned from 11 a.d., when he was made the colleague of Augustus in the empire, with equal authority over all the provinces and armies. This gives the date 25, 26 a.d.... read more

Charles John Ellicott

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers - Luke 3:1

(1) The difficulty presented here admits of at least three explanations, (a) Joseph may have been the son of Jacob by birth, and of Heli by adoption, or conversely. (b) Jacob and Heli may have been half brothers—sons of the same mother—by different fathers, Matthan and Matthat, or these two may be different forms of the name of the same person, and one of the two brothers may have died without issue, and the other married his widow to raise up seed unto his brother. On either of these... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Dictionary of Texts - Luke 3:1-38

Luke 3:2 Prophets have passed for something as well as priests in making God's will known; and Established Church priesthoods have not been generally on particularly good terms with prophets. The only occasion on which the two orders are said to have been in harmony was when the prophets prophesied lies, and the priests bore rule in their name. Froude. Luke 3:2 The young who are of healthy, lively blood and clean conscience have either emotion or imagination to fold them defensively from an... read more

William Nicoll

Expositor's Bible Commentary - Luke 3:1-38

Chapter 6THE VOICE IN THE WILDERNESS.WHEN the Old Testament closed, prophecy had thrown upon the screen of the future the shadows of two persons, cast in heavenly light. Sketched in outline rather than in detail, still their personalities were sufficiently distinct to attract the gaze and hopes of the intervening centuries; while their differing, though related missions were clearly recognized. One was the Coming ONE, who should bring the "consolation" of Israel, and who should Himself be that... read more

Arno Clemens Gaebelein

Arno Gaebelein's Annotated Bible - Luke 3:1-38

II. The Beginnings of His Ministry -- Chapter 3-4:13 CHAPTER 3 1. The Ministry of John the Baptist. (Luke 3:1-14 .) 2. His Testimony to Christ and his Imprisonment. (Luke 3:15-20 .) 3. The Baptism of the Lord Jesus. (Luke 3:21-22 .) 4. The Genealogy of Mary, the Mother of our Lord. (Luke 3:23-38 .) Luke 3:1-14 Eighteen more years of silence follow. It is broken by the voice of the forerunner, John, who preached at Jordan the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins. He is not... read more

John Calvin

Geneva Study Bible - Luke 3:1

3:1 Now {1} in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,(1) John comes at the time foretold by the prophets and lays the foundation of the gospel which is exhibited unto us, setting forth the true observing of the law and free mercy in Christ, which comes after John, using also baptism which is... read more

L.M. Grant

L. M. Grant's Commentary on the Bible - Luke 3:1-38

A VOICE CRYING IN THE WILDERNESS (vs.1-20) The first two verses of this chapter establish the precise time of the appearance of John the Baptist in his ministry, so that the reality of it cannot be disputed, and they indicate that this solemn call of Israel to repentance was at a time when wickedness was prospering in high places. Tiberius Caesar was notorious for his cruelty to the Jews, specially bitter toward them, though other religions meant nothing to him either. Pontius Pilate's... read more

James Gray

James Gray's Concise Bible Commentary - Luke 3:1-38

PREPARATION FOR PUBLIC MINISTRY MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST John the Baptist’s ministry is the first event here (Luke 3:1-22 ). Also he quotes more fully from Isaiah 40:0 than the preceding evangelists, and for the purpose of giving the words, “all flesh shall see the salvation of God.” The quotation is from the Septuagint, and is in harmony with Luke’s objective towards the verses, as he distinctively shows that the grace of God in Christ is for all people who will accept it, and not for... read more

Joseph Parker

The People's Bible by Joseph Parker - Luke 3:1-38

The Descent of the Holy Ghost Luk 3:22 It is that "bodily shape" that creates all the difficulty in some lumbering and wooden minds. How to connect spirit and body is the profound and insoluble problem. Some persons can believe in matter; they think they see it. Others have a dim notion of the possibility of there being a force in creation that might be called Mind or Spirit. But how to connect the two, how to get the Holy Ghost into a bodily shape, that is the puzzle, the problem, the... read more

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