Paragraph 2:39–40

2:39

When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord, they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth: The Gospel of Matthew indicates that Joseph and Mary went to Egypt before they returned to Nazareth. Translate this verse in a way that fits with that information. For example:

After Joseph and Mary had done everything…they returned to Galilee to the town of Nazareth where they had lived ⌊earlier⌋.

2:39a

When Jesus’ parents had done everything required by the Law of the Lord: The Greek phrase that the Berean Standard Bible translates as everything required by the Law of the Lord is literally “everything according to the law of the Lord” (as in the Revised Standard Version). This includes all the things that Jewish parents did when they had a newborn child, based on the Lord’s Law. They completed all of the following ceremonies:

(a) they had the baby circumcised and named at home;

(b) they presented the baby Jesus at the temple (because he was a firstborn male);

(c) and they gave the sacrifice for the purification of Mary.

Some other ways to translate this part of the verse are:

After they had finished doing all these necessary things, just as the Law of the Lord teaches
-or-
When Jesus’ parents had fulfilled all the requirements of the law of the Lord (New Living Translation (2004))

In some languages, it may be clearer to make this clause a complete sentence. For example:

Joseph and Mary finished doing everything that the Law of the Lord commanded.

everything: The word everything refers here to the things that were listed in the first note on this part of the verse. These things related specifically to what parents did after the birth of their son if he was a first child. It does not refer to the many other types of laws and sacrifices that the Law of the Lord mentions. In some languages, it may be necessary to translate this with a more specific phrase. For example:

all the things that the Law of the Lord required ⌊new parents to do⌋

the Law of the Lord: The Law of the Lord refers to the Law that God gave to the Israelites through Moses.

2:39b

they returned to Galilee, to their own town of Nazareth: Joseph and Mary returned with Jesus to Nazareth, where they had been living. In 2:4 Joseph and Mary left Nazareth to come to Bethlehem for the census. In this context the phrase their own town does not refer to the home of their ancestors, which was Bethlehem. Use a general term in your language.

Galilee: Galilee was the name of a province/district of the Roman Empire. It was located in the northern part of what is currently the nation of Israel.

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