And everyone went to his own town to register.
Parallel translations
- WEB All went to enroll themselves, everyone to his own city.
- KJV And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.
- NKJV So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
- NASB And all the people were on their way to register for the census, each to his own city.
- NLT All returned to their own ancestral towns to register for this census.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
Everyone traveled to their ancestral town to register. It matters because this movement brings Joseph to David's city as prophecy required.
Overview
Luke notes the census required people to enroll in their family's home city. This custom, reflecting the importance of ancestral lineage, set in motion the journey to Bethlehem. The ordinary obligations of citizens unknowingly served God's plan to bring the Messiah's birth to the prophesied location.
Cross-references & the web
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 2:3 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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