LUKE 1:3 Parallel Verse View

Note: This view shows ‘verses’ which are not natural language units and hence sometimes only part of a sentence will be visible—click on any Bible version abbreviation down the left-hand side to see the verse in more of its context. Normally the OET discourages the reading of individual ‘verses’, but this view is only designed as a tool for doing comparisons of different translations—the older translations are further down the page (so you can read up from the bottom to trace the English translation history). The OET segments on this page are still very early looks into the unfinished texts of the Open English Translation of the Bible—please double-check these texts in advance before using in public.

Text critical issues=none Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, cyan:dative/indirect object, magenta:vocative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT it seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, to write for you an orderly account, most excellent Theophilus,

UST I myself have carefully investigated everything that happened from the very beginning. So I decided that I should also write an accurate account for you. Your Excellency, Theophilus,

BLB it seemed good also to me, having been acquainted with all things carefully from the first, to write with method to you, most excellent Theophilus,

AICNT it seemed good to me also, having followed everything carefully from the start, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,[fn]

1:3, Theophilus: Related to the word θεοφιλής which means (be)loved by God or loving God (BDAG, θεοφιλής). There are numerous theories among scholars as to the identity of Theophilus. These include (1) a Roman official or nobleman, (2) a wealthy patron, (3) a generic title for believers, (4) a new convert (catechumen), (5) a Jewish priest or leader, or (6) a title used for literary purposes (literary device). Each of these theories has varying degrees of acceptance among scholars, and without concrete historical evidence, the true identity of Theophilus remains a matter of interpretation and conjecture.

OEB And, therefore, I also, since I have investigated all these events with great care from their very beginning, have resolved to write a connected history of them for you,

WEBBE it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus;

WMBB (Same as above)

NET So it seemed good to me as well, because I have followed all things carefully from the beginning, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

LSV it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to you in order, most noble Theophilus,

FBV and so I also decided that since I have followed these things very carefully from the beginning, it would be a good idea to write out an accurate account of all that happened.

TCNT it seemed good to me also, having carefully investigated all things from the beginning, to write an orderly account for yoʋ, most excellent Theophilus,

T4T I myself have studied these accounts carefully. So I decided that it would be good for me also to write for you (sg) an accurate account of these matters.

LEB it seemed best to me also—because I[fn] have followed all things carefully from the beginning—to write them[fn] down in orderly sequence for you, most excellent Theophilus,

1:3 *Here “because” is supplied as a component of the participle (“have followed”) which is understood as causal

1:3 *Here the direct object is supplied from context in the English translation

BBE It seemed good to me, having made observation, with great care, of the direction of events in their order, to put the facts in writing for you, most noble Theophilus;

Moff and inasmuch as I have gone carefully over them all myself from the very beginning, I have decided, O Theophilus, to write them out in order for your excellency,

Wymth it has seemed right to me also, after careful investigation of the facts from their commencement, to write for you, most noble Theophilus, a connected account,

ASV it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus;

DRA It seemed good to me also, having diligently attained to all things from the beginning, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

YLT it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus,

Drby it has seemed good to me also, accurately acquainted from the origin with all things, to write to thee with method, most excellent Theophilus,

RV it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus;
(it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee/you in order, most excellent Theophilus; )

SLT It seemed fitting to me also, having comprehended all things thoroughly from above, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

Wbstr It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write to thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,

KJB-1769 It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
(It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee/you in order, most excellent Theophilus, )

KJB-1611 It seemed good to me also, hauing had perfect vnderstanding of things from the very first, to write vnto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus,
(It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of things from the very first, to write unto thee/you in order, most excellent Theophilus,)

Bshps I determined also, assoone as I had searched out diligently all thinges from the begynnyng, that then I woulde write vnto thee, moste excellent Theophilus.
(I determined also, as soon as I had searched out diligently all things from the beginning, that then I would write unto thee/you, most excellent Theophilus.)

Gnva It seemed good also to me (most noble Theophilus) assoone as I had searched out perfectly all things from the beginning, to write vnto thee thereof from point to point,
(It seemed good also to me (most noble Theophilus) as soon as I had searched out perfectly all things from the beginning, to write unto thee/you thereof from point to point, )

Cvdl I thought it good (after that I had diligently searched out all from the begynnynge) to wryte the same orderly vnto the (good Theophilus)
(I thought it good (after that I had diligently searched out all from the beginning) to write the same orderly unto the (good Theophilus))

TNT I determined also assone as I had searched out diligently all thinges from the beginnynge that then I wolde wryte vnto the good Theophilus:
(I determined also as soon as I had searched out diligently all things from the beginning that then I would write unto the good Theophilus: )

Wycl bitaken, it is seen also to me, hauynge alle thingis diligentli bi ordre, to write to thee,
(betake/give/grantn, it is seen also to me, having all things diligently by order, to write to thee/you,)

Luth habe ich‘s auch für gut angesehen, nachdem ich‘s alles von Anbeginn erkundet habe, daß ich‘s zu dir, mein guter Theophilus, mit Fleiß ordentlich schriebe,
(have I...it also for/in_favour_of good viewed, after I...it all/everything from Anbeginn explores have, that I...it to/for you/to_you(sg), my good Theophilus, with diligence orderly wrotee,)

ClVg visum est et mihi, assecuto omnia a principio diligenter, ex ordine tibi scribere, optime Theophile,[fn]
(sight(n) it_is and to_me, assecuto everything from at_the_beginning carefully, from in_order to_you scribere, optime Theophile, )

1.3 Omnia. ID. Non omnia quæ assecutus, sed de omnibus quæ ad fidem legentium confirmandam credit idonea. Ex consulto enim multa præterit, quæ alii dicunt, ut diversa in Evangelio gratia refulgeret, et propriis quibusdam libri singuli mysteriorum gestorumque miracula eminerent. Theophile. Theophilus, amans Deum, etc., usque ad fidem perpetuæ divinitatis et temporaneæ dispensationis illius debet ordinem nosse.

1.3 Alla. ID. Not/No everything which assecutus, but from/about to_all which to faith lawfullyntium confirmandam he_believes idonea. From consulto because fine passed, which others they_say, as different in/into/on Evangelio grace refulgeret, and own to_some books individually mysteryrum gestorumque miracles eminerent. Theophile. Theophilus, amans God, etc., until to faith perpetuæ of_divinity and temporaneæ dispensationis of_that must order to_know.

UGNT ἔδοξε κἀμοὶ παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς, καθεξῆς σοι γράψαι, κράτιστε Θεόφιλε,
(edoxe kamoi paraʸkolouthaʸkoti anōthen pasin akribōs, kathexaʸs soi grapsai, kratiste Theofile,)

SBL-GNT ἔδοξε κἀμοὶ παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς καθεξῆς σοι γράψαι, κράτιστε Θεόφιλε,
(edoxe kamoi paraʸkolouthaʸkoti anōthen pasin akribōs kathexaʸs soi grapsai, kratiste Theofile,)

RP-GNT ἔδοξεν κἀμοί, παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς, καθεξῆς σοι γράψαι, κράτιστε Θεόφιλε,
(edoxen kamoi, paraʸkolouthaʸkoti anōthen pasin akribōs, kathexaʸs soi grapsai, kratiste Theofile,)

TC-GNT ἔδοξε κἀμοί, παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς, καθεξῆς σοι γράψαι, κράτιστε Θεόφιλε,
(edoxe kamoi, paraʸkolouthaʸkoti anōthen pasin akribōs, kathexaʸs soi grapsai, kratiste Theofile, )

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs, orange:accents differ, red:words differ (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:1–4: Luke wrote this book about Jesus for Theophilus

In these Notes, Luke 1:1–4 is both a division and a section of the book of Luke. You may want to include a section heading here. It is good to read the verses before you decide on a heading for the section.

Some other possible headings for this section are:

Luke writes to Theophilus about Jesus

Luke addressed this book to Theophilus

Luke’s purpose in writing this book

Paragraph 1:1–4

Paragraph 1:1–4 in the Greek text is one long sentence. In some languages, it may be natural to use more than one sentence for this paragraph. For example, the GNT uses four sentences.

The Greek sentence in 1:1–4 talks about several events and ideas. It mentions them in an order that may not be natural in some languages. Here are the main ideas:

Many people attempted to compile an account of what happened among them (that is, of Jesus’ life) (1:1a–b).
They wrote what eyewitnesses told them (1:2a–c).
Luke also investigated all those things carefully (1:3a).
Luke thought that he also should write those things in an orderly way for Theophilus (1:3b).
Luke did this so that Theophilus could know that what he was taught was accurate (1:4).

You should present these ideas in an order that is natural in your language. See the General Comments on 1:2a–c and 1:1–2 at the end of the notes on 1:2b–c for specific suggestions.

You also need to think about how to connect the clauses. For example, in English there are different ways to connect the reasons in (a)-(c) with the result in (d):

^1a Since many others have written a report on the things that have happened…

^3bit seemed good for me to also write a report…. (See 1:1–4 in the RSV, NASB, NJB, KJV for similar examples.)

^1aMany others have written a report on the things that have happened….

^3b Therefore it seemed good for me to also write a report. (See 1:1–4 in the BSB, NIV, GNT, NET, CEV, GW, and JBP for similar examples.)

You should connect the clauses in the most natural way in your language.

Luke did not address Theophilus by name until near the end of his introduction. In some languages, it may be more appropriate to begin the introduction with Theophilus’ name. See the Display for 1:1a for an example.

1:3

In 1:3, Luke said that he also had carefully investigated the events of Jesus’ life, like the other writers mentioned in 1:1–2. Luke implied that he could tell these events in a unique way that would be helpful to Theophilus and others. As a result, Luke had decided to write his own account of the events.

In the Greek text, the clauses in this verse are in an order that may not be natural in some languages. The NET has followed the Greek order:

^3aSo ^3cit seemed good to me as well, ^3abecause I have followed all things carefully ^3bfrom the beginning, ^3dto write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus

Many English versions have reordered 1:3. For example, the BSB has:

Therefore, having carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus

You should order the clauses in the way that is natural in your language.

1:3a

Therefore, having carefully investigated everything

So, since/because I myself have carefully studied/researched the whole story of Jesus,
I, too, made a careful study of everything about Jesus,

In order to simplify the long Greek sentence (1:1–4), the BSB, like many other English translations, begins a new sentence here at 1:3.

Therefore: The BSB connects 1:3 to the previous sentence with the conjunction Therefore. See the notes at Paragraph 1:1–4 and 1:1a for advice on translating the connection between 1:1–2 and 1:3.

having carefully investigated everything: There are two ways to interpret this clause:

It gives a reason why Luke wrote the account. For example:
Since I myself have studied everything carefully (NCV) (BSB, NIV, GNT, NASB, NET, REB, NCV, GW)
It indicates the time sequence. It tells what Luke did before he wrote the account. For example:
after investigating everything carefully (NRSV) (RSV, NRSV, KJV, NJB, NLT, CEV)

It is recommended that you follow interpretation (1). Although the Greek text does not explicitly state that this was one of Luke’s reasons for writing, it is implied.

carefully investigated everything: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as carefully investigated everything indicates that Luke did research and got accurate information about all the major events in Jesus’ life. He spoke personally with people who had known Jesus, and he verified the things that he heard. He questioned people about the details of the events, and he recorded his information carefully. He also read the other accounts of Jesus’ life. Some other ways to translate carefully investigated everything are:

checked all the facts carefully

examined all the information thoroughly

studied all these matters in detail

1:3b

from the beginning,

including its beginning,
beginning with the events that preceded his birth.

from the beginning: The Greek word that the BSB translates as from the beginning refers here to the beginning of the story about Jesus. This story starts with the prophecies about the births of John the Baptizer and Jesus. Luke investigated the whole story of Jesus, including the story of his birth. This does not mean that Luke was present at the beginning of the story or that he started his investigation at the time when Jesus was born.

1:3c

it seemed good also to me

it seemed good to me also
I thought that it would be good for me also
So I too decided that I should

1:3d

to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,

to write an ordered narrative for you,^(sing) esteemed Theophilus,
to write to you whom people respect so greatly, and tell you^(sing) clearly/exactly what happened,
write it out for you^(sing) and put it in order in a book.

1:3c–d

it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as it seemed good also to me means, “I decided that it would be good for me also to….” Some other ways to translate it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account are:

I also have decided to write a careful account (NLT)

I thought it would be a good idea to write an orderly account (GW)

also to me: The word also here refers to the fact that Luke, as well as the many other writers mentioned in 1:1, would write an account.

to write an orderly account: The Greek word that the BSB translates as an orderly account describes the way in which Luke wrote. He wrote in a clear, logical, and well-organized way. This does not mean that Luke wrote all the events in the exact order in which they happened.

most excellent Theophilus: The Greek word that the BSB translates as most excellent indicates that Theophilus was important or wealthy. Luke wrote respectfully and used a special term to show honor to Theophilus.

The formThe Greek word is in a superlative form. of this word in Greek sometimes implies a comparison with other people. However, in this context it simply describes Theophilus himself as honorable or respected. It was a way for Luke to address him as a person of high status. Use a natural way in your language to address someone who has high status. Some ways to translate this in English are:

honorable Theophilus

highly respected Theophilus

You may need to put the phrase most excellent Theophilus at the beginning of the introduction in 1:1a. If you do this, you probably do not have to repeat it here. In some languages, it may not be natural to insert the phrase most excellent Theophilus here in 1:3d. See the General Comment on 1:1–4 at the end of the notes on 1:4 for other suggestions.

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: writing-background

παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς

˓having˒_followed originally ˱with˲_all_‹things› exactly

Luke provides this background information to explain that he was careful to find out exactly what happened. He probably talked to different people who saw what happened to make sure that what he wrote down about these events was correct. Alternate translation: [because I have conducted careful research and interviews]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / youformal

σοι & κράτιστε Θεόφιλε

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔδοξε κἀμοί παρηκολουθηκότι ἄνωθεν πᾶσιν ἀκριβῶς καθεξῆς σοί γράψαι κράτιστε Θεόφιλε)

If your language has a formal form of you that it uses to address a superior respectfully, it would be appropriate to use that form here. There are many other places in the book of Luke where your language might use formal you, and these notes will not address all of them. Rather, as you translate, use formal and informal you in the way that would be most natural in your language. The notes will address a few cases where a careful decision should be made between the two forms.

κράτιστε Θεόφιλε

most_excellent Theophilus

Luke is dedicating this work to Theophilus, and within his dedication, this is the conventional personal greeting. If it would be more customary in your language and culture, you could put this greeting in [1:1](../01/01.md) at the start of the dedication, at the very beginning of the book. Alternate translation: [To most excellent Theophilus]

κράτιστε

most_excellent

Luke uses the term most excellent to address Theophilus in a way that shows honor and respect. This may mean that Theophilus was an important government official. In your translation, it would be appropriate to use the form of address that your culture uses for people of high status. Alternate translation: [Honorable]

Note 3 topic: translate-names

Θεόφιλε

Theophilus

The name Theophilus means “friend of God.” It may describe this man’s character, or it may have been his actual name. Most translations treat it as a name.

Parallel LUKE 1:3