3:1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 4 when Pontius Pilate 5 was governor of Judea, and Herod 6 was tetrarch 7 of Galilee, and his brother Philip 8 was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias 9 was tetrarch of Abilene,
1 tn Grk “he”; the referent (Jesus) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
2 tn Grk “was giving them orders, saying.” The participle λέγων (legwn) is redundant in English and has not been translated.
3 sn See the note on Pharisees in 2:16.
4 tn Or “Emperor Tiberius” (“Caesar” is a title for the Roman emperor).
sn Tiberius Caesar was the Roman emperor Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus, who ruled from
5 sn The rule of Pontius Pilate is also described by Josephus, J. W. 2.9.2-4 (2.169-177) and Ant. 18.3.1 (18.55-59).
6 sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great. He ruled from 4
7 sn A tetrarch was a ruler with rank and authority lower than a king, who ruled only with the approval of the Roman authorities. This was roughly equivalent to being governor of a region. Several times in the NT, Herod tetrarch of Galilee is called a king (Matt 14:9, Mark 6:14-29), reflecting popular usage.
8 sn Philip refers to Herod Philip, son of Herod the Great and brother of Herod Antipas. Philip ruled as tetrarch of Iturea and Trachonitis from 4
9 sn Nothing else is known about Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene.
10 sn Herod refers here to Herod Antipas. See the note on Herod Antipas in 3:1.
11 sn See the note on tetrarch in 3:1.
12 tc Several
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.
13 tn Or “immoralities.”