LUKE 3:3 Interlinear View

SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 3:1–20: John the Baptizer prepared the way for Jesus

The last event in Luke 2 describes Jesus’ trip to Jerusalem when he was twelve years old. This section begins about eighteen years later. At the beginning of chapter 3, both Jesus and John the Baptizer were about thirty years old. Both men were ready to begin public ministry.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Preaching of John (NCV)

John the Baptist and Jesus (REB)

John the Baptizer tells people to prepare themselves for the Messiah

Parts of Luke 3:1–20 are basically the same as verses in Matthew 3:1–12. But Luke 3:1–2, 10–14, and 19–20 are not in Matthew.

Paragraph 3:1–3

This paragraph introduces John the Baptizer and gives historical background. The information about the government and religious leaders in 3:1–2 shows the time period when John began his work. John is the main person in this section. In some languages it may be helpful to introduce John before giving the information about leaders in that time period. See the General Comment on 3:1–2 at the end of the notes on 3:2b for specific suggestions.

In some languages, the difference between background information and the main part of a story is shown by using certain verbs or other markers. If this is true in your language, you should try to show these differences here in 3:1 and 3:2.

3:3a

He went into all the region around the Jordan,

So John went all over the area around the Jordan River
And John went to all the places near/beside the Jordan River.

In 3:3, Luke told what John did in response to God speaking to him in the previous verse (3:2). Some ways to connect these verses in English are:

Then John went (NLT)

So John went (GNT)

And he went (REB)

This verse begins with a conjunction in Greek that is often translated as “and.” Here it may indicate that John went into the region around the Jordan River in response to the “word” that “came” to him from God. To show this, some versions (such as the CEV) translate this conjunction as “So.” But in some languages, a conjunction may not be needed (as in the BSB). Introduce what John did in a way that is natural in your language.

He went into all the region around the Jordan: Some English versions, such as the NIV, say “country” here instead of region. John was preaching in the general area around the Jordan River. Some other ways to say this are:

He went all over the area around the Jordan River (NCV)

John traveled throughout the region around the Jordan River. (GW)

Then John went from place to place on both sides of the Jordan River (NLT)

3:3b

preaching

declaring/announcing that
and preached to the people.
He proclaimed this message:

preaching: The Greek word that the BSB translates here as preaching means to tell people something important publicly. John was proclaiming God’s message to the crowds who came to listen. Some other ways to translate preaching in this context are:

announcing

proclaiming

declaring

telling people

In some languages it may be natural to start a new clause or sentence here. For example:

He told people about (GW)

3:3c

a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins,

people should repent and be baptized in order for their sins to be forgiven.
He told them to reject sin and have him baptize them, so that their guilt might be cancelled.
“Turn away from your^(plur) sins and I will baptize you, so that God will forgive your sins!”

a baptism of repentance: The phrase a baptism of repentance means “a baptism that shows repentance.” Baptism was a way for people to show that they were changing their sinful attitudes and actions.

John was telling people to repent and be baptized. So in some languages it may be necessary to reverse the order of the actions. For example:

repent and be baptized

The phrase a baptism of repentance expresses the content of John’s preaching (3:3b). In some languages it may be necessary to use direct speech here. For example:

telling the people, “Turn back to God and be baptized…” (CEV)

In some languages it may not be natural or even possible to use the passive verb “be baptized.” In those languages it may be possible to say:

repent and I will baptize you

baptism: The word baptismThe English word baptism comes from the Greek word baptisma. refers to a ceremonial washingThe verbs “to wash” and “to clean” are synonyms of the Greek verb for “baptize.” For example, in Luke 11:38, “But the Pharisee was surprised to see that Jesus did not first wash (baptize) before the meal.” (The Greek verb here is baptizō, but English versions translate it as “wash.”) Mark 7:4 and Matthew 23:25 both speak of washing/cleaning cups and other utensils. The verb in Mark is baptizō while the verb in Matthew is katharizō (clean). Mark 7:4 says, “And there are many other traditions for them to observe, including the washing (baptizing) of cups, pitchers, kettles, and couches for dining.” Matthew 23:25 says, “You clean (katharizō) the outside of the cup and dish.” to purify someone or something. In this context baptism is connected to a person being purified from sin. It is an initiation into a new spiritual condition.

You should translate the noun baptism in a similar way as you translate the verb “baptize.” Here are some ways to translate baptism:

Use a descriptive phrase:
sacred washing
purification/initiation for God
entering water
Use a term for a similar ritual that is already part of your culture. You may need to indicate that in this context it has a special connection with God. For example:
God’s ceremonial bath
initiation washing for God
Use a term that is already accepted by the local churches. In some areas this term may have been borrowed from the national language or transliterated from Greek or English.

In some languages you may need to use a verb to translate baptism. For example:

ritually wash/clean

initiate people in/with water

purify people in God’s ceremonial bath

See baptize, Meaning 1, in the Glossary.

repentance: The Greek word that the BSB translates as repentance means “a change of a person’s mind, heart, or will.” In the Bible it refers specifically to a change of mind and heart about sin and about God. The person who repents is sorry for his past sins. He decides to stop sinning and to obey God.

Some ways to translate repentance are:

changing heart/mind

rejecting sin

In some languages, you may have an idiom for this type of change. For example:

turning from sin to God

leaving sin behind

In some languages it may be more natural to translate repentance here with an independent verb or verb phrase. For example:

turn from sin

reject sin and obey God

for the forgiveness of sins: The phrase for the forgiveness of sins indicates purpose. People needed to repent and be baptized so that they would receive forgiveness of sins. In some languages it may be necessary to translate the noun forgiveness as a verb and provide a subject:

so that God will forgive your sins

so that God will forgive them for their sins

forgiveness of sins: The phrase forgiveness of sins means that God chooses not to punish a person for the evil things that he has done and thought. God cancels the guilt of the person and treats him as if he had never sinned. Some ways to translate forgiveness of sins are:

canceling sins

erasing guilt

releasing from punishment for sins

In some languages it may be necessary to translate the noun forgiveness with an independent verb. Some ways to do this are:

erase guilt

wipe away sins

In some languages there may be an idiom for forgiveness of sins.

In some languages, it is more natural to say “forgive people,” rather than to “forgive sins.” For example:

forgive/pardon people for their sins

See forgive in KBT.

sins: The word sins refers to offenses against God or another person. These sins include acts, thoughts, and attitudes that are not what God wants or approves.In Greek, the verb that English versions translate as sins is also a term that is used in archery to mean “miss the target.” When a person sins, he “misses” the target, that is, he fails to reach God’s standard. A person can also offend God by not doing what God wants him to do.

Try to translate sins with a term that can include any wrongdoing against God. Here are problems to avoid:

The term should not imply that only serious crimes like murder or stealing are sins. Other offenses like gossip and greed are also sins.
The term should not include accidents or mistakes that are not against God’s will.

Some ways to translate sins are:

wrong acts

offenses against God

evil deeds

In some languages it may be natural to translate sins with a phrase that includes a verb. For example:

wrong things that they have done

General Comment on 3:3a–c

In some languages it may be more natural to use direct speech:

John went preaching to people in all the country around the Jordan River. He said, “You must repent and be baptized so that God will forgive your sins.”

OET-LV English word order (‘Reverse’ interlinear)

Note: The OET-RV is still only a first draft, and so far only a few words have been (mostly automatically) matched to the Hebrew or Greek words that they’re translated from.

Acknowledgements: The SR Greek text, lemmas, morphology, and VLT gloss are all thanks to the CNTR.

OET interlinear LUKE 3:3