Lukas 3:19-21

3:19 But when John rebuked Herod ¹  the tetrarch ²  because of Herodias, his brother’s wife, ³  and because of all the evil deeds ⁴  that he had done, 3:20 Herod added this to them all: He locked up John in prison.

The Baptism of Jesus

3:21 Now when ⁵  all the people were baptized, Jesus also was baptized. And while he was praying, ⁶  the heavens ⁷  opened,

[3:19]  ¹ sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.

[3:19]  ² sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.

[3:19]  ³ tc Several mss (A C K W Ψ 33 565 579 1424 2542 al bo) read τῆς γυναικὸς Φιλίππου τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ (th" gunaiko" Filippou tou adelfou autou, “the wife of his brother Philip”), specifying whose wife Herodias was. The addition of “Philip,” however, is an assimilation to Matt 14:3 and is lacking in the better witnesses.

[3:19]  sn This marriage to his brother’s wife was a violation of OT law (Lev 18:16; 20:21). In addition, both Herod Antipas and Herodias had each left previous marriages to enter into this union.

[3:19]  ⁴ tn Or “immoralities.”

[3:21]  ⁵ tn Grk “Now it happened that when.” The introductory phrase ἐγένετο (egeneto, “it happened that”), common in Luke (69 times) and Acts (54 times), is redundant in contemporary English and has not been translated.

[3:21]  ⁶ tn Grk “and while Jesus was being baptized and praying.” The first of these participles has been translated as a finite verb to be more consistent with English style.

[3:21]  ⁷ tn Or “the sky”; the Greek word οὐρανός (ouranos) may be translated “sky” or “heaven,” depending on the context. In this context, although the word is singular, the English plural “heavens” connotes the Greek better than the singular “heaven” would, for the singular does not normally refer to the sky.