In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, while Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
Parallel translations
- WEB Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
- KJV Now 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,
- NKJV Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene,
- NASB Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was tetrarch of Galilee and his brother Philip was tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias was tetrarch of Abilene,
- NLT It was now the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius, the Roman emperor. Pontius Pilate was governor over Judea; Herod Antipas was ruler over Galilee; his brother Philip was ruler over Iturea and Traconitis; Lysanias was ruler over Abilene.
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
Luke dates John's ministry precisely by naming the rulers of the time. It matters because it firmly anchors the gospel in datable history.
Overview
Luke provides a detailed historical framework, listing the emperor, governor, and regional rulers when John's ministry began. This careful dating reflects Luke's concern for historical accuracy. The redemption story unfolds not in myth but in the concrete events of a known time and place.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Gen 49:10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his.
- Luke 23:6–11When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean.
- Acts 4:27In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.
- Luke 23:24So Pilate sentenced that their demand be met.
- Matt 27:2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
- Luke 9:7When Herod the tetrarch heard about all that was happening, he was perplexed. For some were saying that John had risen from the dead,
- Luke 2:1Now in those days a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of the whole empire.
- Acts 26:30Then the king and the governor rose, along with Bernice and those seated with them.
- Matt 14:3Now Herod had arrested John and bound him and put him in prison on account of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife,
- Mark 6:17For Herod himself had ordered that John be arrested and bound and imprisoned, on account of his brother Philip’s wife Herodias, whom Herod had married.
- Acts 24:27After two years had passed, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus. And wishing to do the Jews a favor, Felix left Paul in prison.
- Acts 23:26Claudius Lysias, To His Excellency, Governor Felix: Greetings.
- Luke 23:1–4Then the whole council rose and led Jesus away to Pilate.
- Matt 14:1At that time Herod the tetrarch heard the reports about Jesus
- Luke 3:19But when he rebuked Herod the tetrarch regarding his brother’s wife Herodias and all the evils he had done,
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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 3:1 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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