Vv. 39, 40. Return to Nasareth.—- πόλιν ἑαυτῶν, their own city, certainly
478
41. ΚΑΙ ἐπορεύοντο οἱ yovets αὐτοῦ Kat’ Eros eis Ἱερουσαλὴμ τῇ
ἑορτῇ τοῦ πάσχα.
42. καὶ ὅτε ἐγένετο ἐτῶν δώδεκα, ἀναβάντων
1
αὐτῶν εἰς Ἱεροσόλυμα 3 κατὰ τὸ ἔθος τῆς ἑορτῆς, 43. καὶ τελειω- σάντων τὰς ἡμέρας, ἐν τῷ ὑποστρέφειν αὐτούς, ὑπέμεινεν ᾿Ιησοῦς 6
mats ἐν ἹἹερουσαλήμ: καὶ οὐκ ἔγνω Ἰωσὴφ καὶ ἡ µήτηρ»Σ αὐτοῦ. 4 Ν ον > a , * ατα ς , coer 44. νοµίσαντες δὲ αὐτὸν ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ εἶναι, ἦλθον ἡμέρας ὁδόν, καὶ ἀνεζήτουν αὐτὸν ἐν τοῖς συγγενέσι καὶ év® τοῖς γνωστοῖς : 45. καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες αὐτόν, ὑπέστρεψαν eis Ἱερουσαλήμ, [ ητοῦντες Ἰ
9 αυτογ.
46. Καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ) ἡμέρας τρεῖς, εὗρον αὐτὸν ἐν τῷ ἱερῷ,
καθεζόµενον ἐν µέσῳ τῶν διδασκάλων, καὶ ἀκούοντα αὐτῶν, καὶ
1 αναβαινοντων in ΝΑΡΒΙ, 33 al.
2 S$BDL omit εις |., an explanatory addition. 3 For εγνω |. και η µ. NBDL 1, 33 al. have εγνωσαν οι Ύονεις.
4 ειναι before εν τη συν. in NBDL 1, 33.
6 Omit αντον ΝΡΒΟΡΙΠ..
suggesting that Nazareth, not Bethlehem, had been the true home of Joseph and Mary.—Ver. 40. ηὔξανε καὶ ἐκραται- οὔτο, grew, and waxed strong, both in reference to the physical nature.—wvev-
att in T.R. is borrowed from i. 80; a αν, vigorous child, an important thing to note in reference to Jesus.— πληρούμενον: present participle, not = plenus, Vulg., full, but in course of being filled with wisdom—mind as well as body subject to the law of growth.— χάρις: a great word of St. Paul’s, also more used by Lk. than by either of the other two synoptists (vide i. 30, iv. 22, vi. 32, 33, 34); here to be taken broadly = favour, good pleasure. The child Jesus dear to God, and the object of His paternal care.
Vv. 41-52. -When twelve years old. Lk. here relates one solitary, significant incident from the early years of Jesus, as if to say: from this, learn all. The one story shows the wish to collect anecdotes of those silent years. There would have been more had the evangelist had more to tell. The paucity of informa- tion favours the historicity of the tradition.—Ver. 41. κατ ἔτος: law- observing people, piously observant of the annual feasts, especially that of the passover.—Ver. 42. ἐτῶν δώδεκα: this mention of the age of Jesus is meant to suggest, though it is not directly stated, that this year He went up to Jerusalem with His parents ; ἀναβαιγόντων includes Him. At twelve a Jewish boy became a son of the law, with the responsibility of a man, putting on the phylacteries which
5 B 33 omit this ev (Tisch., W.H.). T αναζ. in BCDL.
reminded of the obligation to keep the law (vide Winsche, Beitrage, ad loc.),.— Ver. 43. Ἅµτελειωσάντων τ. 4 This naturally means that they stayed all the time of the feast, seven days. This was not absolutely incumbent; some went home after the first two days, but such people as Joseph and Mary would do their duty thoroughly.—tmépewvev, tarried behind, not so much intentionally (Hahn) as by involuntary preoccupation —His nature rather than His will the cause (Acts xvii. 14).— Ver. 44. ἐν τῇ συνοδίᾳ, in the company journeying together (ovwv, ὁδός, here only in N. T.), a journeying together, then those who so journey. A company would be made up of people from the same neighbourhood, well acquainted with one another.—ipépas ὁδὸν, a day’s journey. It is quite con- ceivable how they should have gone on so long without missing the boy, without much or any blame to the parents; not negligence, but human infirmity at worst.—ovyyevéot, γνωστοῖς: kinsfolk and acquaintances. Had there been less acquaintance and intimacy there had been less risk of losing the child. Friends take up each other’s attention, and mem- bers of the same family do not stick so close together, and the absence of one excites πο surprise.—Ver. 45. ἀναζητοῦν- veg: the present participle, expressing the purpose of the journey back to Jerusalem, where (not on the road) the search took place (cf. Acts xi. 25). The ava here (as in ἀνεζήτουν, ver. 44) im- plies careful, anxious search.—Ver. 46. ἡμέρας τρεῖς, three days, measured from