Which was the son of Mathusala ,.... The same with Methuselah; and so he is called by the Septuagint in Genesis 5:25 which was the son of Enoch , Genesis 5:21 which was the son of Jared Genesis 5:18 , which was the son of Maleleel ; the same with Mahalaleel; who is also so called by the seventy interpreters, in Genesis 5:15 as here; which was the son of Cainan, Genesis 5:12 . read more
Which was the son of Enos ,.... Genesis 5:9 which was the son of Seth , Genesis 5:6 which was the son of Adam Genesis 5:3 which was the son of God : not begotten, as all the rest were, by their immediate parents, but created by God, in a supernatural manner, out of the dust of the earth, and quickened with the breath of God: so Adam is, by the Jews F8 Sepher Cosri, orat. 2. Sig. 14. fol. 68. 1. called, בן אלהים , "the son of God": though this may be understood of... read more
Thirty years of age - This was the age required by the law, to which the priests must arrive before they could be installed in their office: see Numbers 4:3 . Being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph - This same phrase is used by Herodotus to signify one who was only reputed to be the son of a particular person: τουτου παις νομιζεται he was Supposed to be this man's son. Much learned labor has been used to reconcile this genealogy with that in St. Matthew, Matthew 1:1-17, and there... read more
Of Cainan - This Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, and father of Sala, is not found in any other Scripture genealogy. See Genesis 10:24 ; Genesis 11:12 ; 1 Chronicles 1:18 , 1 Chronicles 1:24 , where Arphaxad is made the father of Sala, and no mention at all made of Cainan. Some suppose that Cainan was a surname of Sala, and that the names should be read together thus, The son of Heber, the son of Salacainan, the son of Arphaxad, etc. If this does not untie the knot, it certainly cuts it;... read more
Verse 23 This was also the reason why he delayed his baptism till the thirtieth year of his age, (Luke 3:23.) Baptism was an appendage to the Gospel: and therefore it began at the same time with the preaching of the Gospel. When Christ was preparing to preach the Gospel, he was introduced by Baptism into his office; and at the same time was endued with the Holy Spirit. When John beholds the Holy Spirit descending upon Christ, it is to remind him, that nothing carnal or earthly must be expected... read more
The baptism and genealogy of Jesus. From the general features of the remarkable ministry of the Baptist, summed up as it is for us in the preceding verses, we now pass to the most notable instance of baptism performed by him. This was the baptism of Jesus. We are expressly told that it was when the movement under John had become national, when all the people ( ἅπαντα τὸν λαόν ) had submitted to the rite, with, of course, the Pharisaic exceptions already noticed ( Luke 7:30 ), that... read more
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age . This was the age at which the Levites entered upon their work; the age, too, at which it was lawful for scribes to teach. Generally speaking, thirty among the Jews was looked upon as the time of life when manhood had reached its full development. read more
THE EARTHLY GENEALOGY OF JESUS CHRIST . Although in every Hebrew family the hope seems to have been cherished that the promised Messiah would be born among them, yet generally the prophetic utterances were understood to point to the Deliverer springing from the royal house of David. To demonstrate that this was actually true in the case of the reputed Son of Mary and Joseph, both the genealogies contained in the Gospels of Matthew and Luke were compiled from private and public... read more
Jesus began to be ... - This was the age at which the priests entered on their office, Numbers 4:3, Numbers 4:47; but it is not evident that Jesus had any reference to that in delaying his work to his thirtieth year. He was not subjected to the Levitical law in regard to the priesthood, and it does not appear that prophets and teachers did not commence their work before that age.As was supposed - As was commonly thought, or perhaps being legally reckoned as his son. read more
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John Gills Exposition of the Bible Commentary - Luke 3:36
Which was the son of Cainan ,.... This Cainan is not mentioned by Moses in Genesis 11:12 nor has he ever appeared in any Hebrew copy of the Old Testament, nor in the Samaritan version, nor in the Targum; nor is he mentioned by Josephus, nor in 1 Chronicles 1:24 where the genealogy is repeated; nor is it in Beza's most ancient Greek copy of Luke: it indeed stands in the present copies of the Septuagint, but was not originally there; and therefore could not be taken by Luke from thence,... read more