---
title: "Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible -  Luke 3"
description: "CHAPTER 3   :-. PREACHING,
BAPTISM, AND IMPRISONMENT
OF JOHN. (See on  :-;  :-, &c.). 1, 2. Here the curtain of the
New Testament is, as it were, draw"
image: "/images/missing.jpg"
url: "https://realbiblebelievers.com/commentaries/commentary-critical-and-explanatory-on-the-whole-bible/luke/3"
---

CHAPTER 3

. PREACHING,
BAPTISM, AND IMPRISONMENT
OF JOHN.
(See on ; , &c.).

**1, 2.** Here the curtain of the
New Testament is, as it were, drawn up, and the greatest of all
epochs of the Church commences. Even our Lord's own age () is determined by it [BENGEL].
No such elaborate chronological precision is to be found elsewhere in
the New Testament, and it comes fitly from him who claims it as the
peculiar recommendation of his Gospel, that he had "accurately
traced down all things from the first" (). Here, evidently, commences his proper narrative. Also see
on .
**the fifteenth year of
Tiberius**—reckoning from the period when he was admitted, three
years before Augustus' death, to a share of the empire [WEBSTER
and WILKINSON], about the
end of the year of Rome 779, or about four years before the usual
reckoning.
**Pilate . . . governor of
Judea**—His proper title was *Procurator,* but with more
than the usual powers of that office. After holding it about ten
years he was ordered to Rome, to answer to charges brought against
him, but ere he arrived Tiberius died (A.D.
35), and soon after Pilate committed suicide.
**Herod**—(See on ).
**Philip**—a different and
very superior Philip to the one whose wife Herodias went to live with
Herod Antipas. (See [Mark 6:17](../../../kjv/mark/6/17)).
**Iturea**—to the northeast
of Palestine; so called from Ishmael's son *Itur* or *Jetur*
([1 Chronicles 1:31](../../../kjv/1-chronicles/1/31)), and anciently
belonging to the half tribe of Manasseh.
**Trachonitis**—farther to
the northeast, between Iturea and Damascus; a rocky district,
infested by robbers, and committed by Augustus to Herod the Great to
keep in order.
**Abilene**—still more to
the northeast, so called from *Abila,* eighteen miles from
Damascus [ROBINSON].

**2. Annas and Caiaphas . . . high
priests**—the former, though deposed, retained much of his
influence, and, probably, as *sagan* or deputy, exercised much
of the power of the high priesthood along with Caiaphas ([John 18:13](../../../kjv/john/18/13);
[Acts 4:6](../../../kjv/acts/4/6)). Both Zadok and Abiathar
acted as high priests in David's time ([Acts 4:6](../../../kjv/acts/4/6)), and it seems to have become the fixed practice to have
two ([2 Kings 25:18](../../../kjv/2-kings/25/18)). (Also see on
[2 Kings 25:18](../../../kjv/2-kings/25/18).)
**word of God came unto
John**—*Such formulas,* of course, *are never used when
speaking of Jesus,* because the divine nature manifested itself in
Him not at certain isolated moments of His life. *He was the one
everlasting manifestation of the Godhead*—THE
WORD [OLSHAUSEN].

**5. Every valley,** &c.—*levelling*
and *smoothing,* obvious figures, the sense of which is in the
first words of the proclamation, "*Prepare ye the way of the
Lord.*"

**6. all flesh,** c.—(quoted
literally from the *Septuagint* of ). The idea is that every obstruction shall be so removed as
to reveal to the whole world the Salvation of God in Him whose name
is the "Saviour" (compare [Psalms 98:3](../../../kjv/psalms/98/3)
[Isaiah 11:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/11/10); [Isaiah 49:6](../../../kjv/isaiah/49/6);
[Isaiah 52:10](../../../kjv/isaiah/52/10); [Luke 2:31](../../../kjv/luke/2/31);
[Luke 2:32](../../../kjv/luke/2/32); [Acts 13:47](../../../kjv/acts/13/47)).

**10-14. What shall we do then?**—to
show the sincerity of our repentance. (Also see on .)

**11. two coats**—directed against
the reigning *avarice.* (Also see on .)

**12. publicans,** &c. (Also see
on .)

**13. Exact no more,** c.—directed
against that *extortion* which made the publicans a byword. (See
on [Luke 3:1](../../../kjv/luke/3/1) [Luke 3:1](../../../kjv/luke/3/1)). (Also see on [Luke 3:1](../../../kjv/luke/3/1).)

**14. soldiers . . . Do violence to
none**—The word signifies to "shake thoroughly," and so
to "intimidate," probably in order to extort money or other
property. (Also see on .)
**accuse . . . falsely**—acting
as informers vexatiously, on frivolous or false grounds.
**content with your
wages**—"rations." We may take this as a warning
against mutiny, which the officers attempted to suppress by largesses
and donations [WEBSTER and
WILKINSON]. And thus the
"fruits" which would evidence their repentance were just
resistance to the reigning sins, particularly of the *class* to
which the penitent belonged, and the manifestation of an opposite
spirit.

**15-17. whether he were the
Christ**—showing both how successful he had been in awakening the
expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high
estimation, and even reverence, which his own character commanded.
(Also see on .)

**16. John answered**—either to
the deputation from Jerusalem (see , &c.), or on some other occasion, simply to remove
impressions derogatory to his blessed Master which he knew to be
taking hold of the popular mind. (Also see on .)
**saying unto*****them*****all**—in solemn protestation. So far from entertaining such a
thought as laying claim to the honors of Messiahship, the meanest
services I can render to that "Mightier than I that is coming
after me," are too high an honor for me. Beautiful spirit,
distinguishing this servant of Christ throughout!
**one mightier than I**—"the
Mighter than I."

**15-17. whether he were the
Christ**—showing both how successful he had been in awakening the
expectation of Messiah's immediate appearing, and the high
estimation, and even reverence, which his own character commanded.
(Also see on .)

**18. many other things,** c.—such
as we read in [John 1:29](../../../kjv/john/1/29) [John 1:33](../../../kjv/john/1/33);
[John 1:34](../../../kjv/john/1/34); [John 3:27-36](../../../kjv/john/3/27-36).
(Also see on [John 3:27-43](../../../kjv/john/3/27-43).)

**19, 20. But Herod,** c.—See on
, &c. (Also see on .)
**and for all the evils which
Herod had done**—important fact here only mentioned, showing how
*thoroughgoing* was the fidelity of the Baptist to his royal
hearer, and how strong must have been the workings of conscience in
that slave of passion when, notwithstanding such plainness, he "did
many things and heard John gladly" ([Mark 6:20](../../../kjv/mark/6/20)
[Mark 6:26](../../../kjv/mark/6/26)).

**20. Added yet,** c.—(Also see on
).
[Luke 3:21](../../../kjv/luke/3/21)
[Luke 3:22](../../../kjv/luke/3/22). BAPTISM
OF AND DESCENT OF THE
SPIRIT UPON JESUS.
(See on [Luke 3:22](../../../kjv/luke/3/22).)

**21. when all the people were
baptized**—that He might not seem to be merely one of the crowd.
Thus, as He rode into Jerusalem upon an ass, "*whereon yet
never man sat*" (), and lay in a sepulchre "*wherein was never man yet
laid*" ([John 19:41](../../../kjv/john/19/41)), so
in His baptism He would be "*separate from sinners.*"
[John 19:41](../../../kjv/john/19/41). GENEALOGY OF
JESUS.

**23. he began to be about thirty**—that
is, "was about entering on His thirtieth year." So our
translators have taken the word (and so CALVIN,
BEZA, BLOOMFIELD,
WEBSTER and WILKINSON,
c.): but "was about thirty years of age when He began [His
ministry]," makes better *Greek,* and is probably the true
sense [BENGEL, OLSHAUSEN,
DE WETTE,
MEYER, ALFORD,
&c.]. At this age the priests entered on their office ().
**being, as was supposed, the
son of Joseph,** &c.—Have we in this genealogy, as well as in
Matthew's, the line of *Joseph?* or is this the line of *Mary?*—a
point on which there has been great difference of opinion and much
acute discussion. Those who take the *former* opinion contend
that it is the natural sense of this verse, and that no other would
have been thought of but for its supposed improbability and the
uncertainty which it seems to throw over our Lord's real descent. But
it is liable to another difficulty namely, that in this case Matthew
makes *Jacob,* while Luke makes "*Heli,*" to be
Joseph's father; and though the same man had often more than one
name, we ought not to resort to that supposition, in such a case as
this, without necessity. And then, though the descent of Mary from
David would be liable to no real doubt, even though we had no table
of her line preserved to us (see, for example, , and see on [Luke 2:5](../../../kjv/luke/2/5)),
still it does seem unlikely—we say not incredible—that two
genealogies of our Lord should be preserved to us, neither of which
gives his *real* descent. Those who take the *latter*
opinion, that we have here the line of *Mary,* as in Matthew
that of *Joseph*—here His *real,* there His *reputed*
line—explain the statement about Joseph, that he was "*the
son* of Hell," to mean that he was his *son-in-law,* as
the husband of his daughter Mary (as in [Ruth 1:11](../../../kjv/ruth/1/11);
[Ruth 1:12](../../../kjv/ruth/1/12)), and believe that
Joseph's name is only introduced instead of Mary's, in conformity
with the Jewish custom in such tables. Perhaps this view is attended
with fewest difficulties, as it certainly is the best supported.
However we decide, it is a satisfaction to know that not a doubt was
thrown out by the bitterest of the early enemies of Christianity as
to *our Lord's real descent from David.* On comparing the two
genealogies, it will be found that Matthew, writing more immediately
for *Jews,* deemed it enough to show that the Saviour was sprung
from Abraham and David; whereas Luke, writing more immediately for
*Gentiles,* traces the descent back to Adam, the parent stock of
the whole human family, thus showing Him to be the promised "Seed
of the woman." "The possibility of constructing such a
table, comprising a period of thousands of years, in an uninterrupted
line from father to son, of a family that dwelt for a long time in
the utmost retirement, would be inexplicable, had not the members of
this line been endowed with *a thread* by which they could
extricate themselves from the many families into which every tribe
and branch was again subdivided, and thus hold fast and know *the*
member that was destined to continue the lineage. This thread was the
hope that Messiah would be born of the race of Abraham and David. The
ardent desire to behold Him and be partakers of His mercy and glory
suffered not the attention to be exhausted through a period embracing
thousands of years. Thus the member destined to continue the lineage,
whenever doubtful, became easily distinguishable, awakening the hope
of a final fulfilment, and keeping it alive until it was consummated"
[OLSHAUSEN].

**24-30. son of Matthat,** &c.—(See
on ). In , Salathiel is called the *son,* while in , he is called the *father* of Zerubbabel. But they are
probably different persons.

**38. son of God**—Compare .

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