OET interlinear LUKE 2:1

uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-newevent

ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις

in ¬the days those

This time reference introduces a new event. Alternate translation: “around that same time”

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / idiom

ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις ἐκείναις

in ¬the days those

Here, Luke uses the term days to refer to a particular period of time. Alternate translation: “around that same time”

Note 3 topic: writing-newevent

ἐγένετο

˱it˲_became

Luke uses this phrase to show that this is the beginning of an account. If your language has a way of showing the start of an account, you may use that in your translation. If not, you may choose not to represent this phrase.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / personification

ἐξῆλθεν δόγμα παρὰ

came_out /a/_decree from

The decree did not go out by itself, even though Luke speaks as if it did. Messengers likely proclaimed the emperor’s command throughout the empire. Alternate translation: “sent out messengers with a decree ordering”

Note 5 topic: writing-participants

Καίσαρος Αὐγούστου

Caesar Augustus

Caesar was the title of the emperor of the Roman Empire. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could express this explicitly. Alternate translation: “King Augustus, who ruled the Roman Empire”

Note 6 topic: translate-names

Αὐγούστου

Augustus

Augustus is the name of a man.

Note 7 topic: figures-of-speech / explicit

ἀπογράφεσθαι πᾶσαν τὴν οἰκουμένην

/to_be/_registering all the inhabited_world

Luke assumes that his readers will know that this was for tax purposes. If it would be helpful to your readers, you could state that explicitly. Alternate translation: “that all the people living in the Roman Empire had to list their names on the tax rolls”

Note 8 topic: figures-of-speech / metonymy

τὴν οἰκουμένην

the inhabited_world

The term world refers specifically to the part of the world that Caesar Augustus ruled. It is actually describing the people living in that part of the world by association to where they lived. Alternate translation: “the people living in the Roman Empire”