Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
Parallel translations
- WEB Jesus himself, when he began to teach, was about thirty years old, being the son (as was supposed) of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- KJV And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
- NKJV Now Jesus Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- NASB When He began His ministry, Jesus Himself was about thirty years old, being, as was commonly held, the son of Joseph, the son of Eli,
- NLT Jesus was about thirty years old when he began his public ministry. Jesus was known as the son of Joseph. Joseph was the son of Heli.
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
Jesus begins His ministry at about thirty, supposed to be Joseph's son. Luke's genealogy traces His true, divinely ordered lineage.
Overview
Luke notes Jesus' age and the phrase 'as was supposed,' guarding the truth of the virgin birth—Joseph was His legal but not biological father. The figure of about thirty was a fitting age for taking up a public office. The genealogy that follows roots Jesus in real human history. Faithful interpreters note that Luke's list differs from Matthew's, commonly explained as Luke tracing Mary's line or Jesus' legal Davidic descent.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 17
- Luke 4:22All spoke well of Him and marveled at the gracious words that came from His lips. “Isn’t this the son of Joseph?” they asked.
- Matt 13:55“Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? Isn’t His mother’s name Mary, and aren’t His brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas?
- Num 4:3men from thirty to fifty years old—everyone who is qualified to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
- John 6:42They were asking, “Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How then can He say, ‘I have come down from heaven?’”
- Matt 4:17From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
- Mark 6:3Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him.
- Matt 1:16and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, of whom was born Jesus, who is called Christ.
- Gen 41:46Now Joseph was thirty years old when he entered the service of Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph left Pharaoh’s presence and traveled throughout the land of Egypt.
- Acts 1:1In my first book, O Theophilus, I wrote about all that Jesus began to do and to teach,
- Num 4:47from thirty to fifty years old who came to do the work of serving and carrying the Tent of Meeting.
- Luke 3:23–27Jesus Himself was about thirty years old when He began His ministry. He was regarded as the son of Joseph, the son of Heli,
- Matt 1:6and Jesse the father of David the king. Next: David was the father of Solomon by Uriah’s wife,
- Matt 1:1This is the record of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham:
- Num 4:35everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
- Num 4:39everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
- Luke 3:31the son of Melea, the son of Menna, the son of Mattatha, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
- Num 4:43everyone from thirty to fifty years old who came to serve in the work at the Tent of Meeting.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 3:23 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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