And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Parallel translations
- WEB and the Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form like a dove on him; and a voice came out of the sky, saying “You are my beloved Son. In you I am well pleased.”
- BSB and the Holy Spirit descended on Him in a bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
- NKJV And the Holy Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven which said, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.”
- NASB and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form like a dove, and a voice came from heaven: “You are My beloved Son, in You I am well pleased.”
- NLT and the Holy Spirit, in bodily form, descended on him like a dove. And a voice from heaven said, “You are my dearly loved Son, and you bring me great joy.”
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
The Spirit descends like a dove and the Father declares Jesus His beloved Son in whom He delights. The whole Trinity is present at Jesus' anointing for ministry.
Overview
At Jesus' baptism the Father speaks, the Son is baptized, and the Spirit descends in bodily form—one of Scripture's clearest revelations of the triune God. The Father's declaration echoes Psalm 2 and Isaiah 42, affirming Jesus as the messianic King and the Servant. Anointed by the Spirit, Jesus is publicly commissioned for His saving mission.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 13
- Ps 2:7I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.
- 2 Pet 1:17–18For he received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- John 1:32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him.
- Isa 42:1Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.
- Luke 9:34–35While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.
- Matt 17:5While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him.
- Matt 3:17And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.
- Acts 10:38How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.
- Matt 12:18Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles.
- 1 Pet 2:4To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious,
- Col 1:13Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:
- Luke 4:21And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
- Matt 27:43He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
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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 3:22 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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