2:5a

to register with Mary: Joseph took Mary with him to Bethlehem. He did this so that an officer could write his name and Mary’s name in the book that the government officials used for the census.

2:5b

who was pledged to him in marriage: The Greek word that the Berean Standard Bible translates as pledged to him in marriage refers to an agreement to marry. This agreement was made by a young man and woman and their families.

Some English versions translate this word as “engaged.” However, the marriage agreement among the Jews was more strict than the word “engaged” implies in Western society. It legally joined a man and woman, and it was as binding as marriage. If either the man or the woman ended the agreement, people considered them to be divorced.

Some other ways to express pledged…in marriage are:

promised in marriage (Good News Translation)
-or-
had made a ⌊legal⌋ contract to be married

After the marriage agreement was made, the man and woman usually waited for a year before their wedding. As part of the wedding ceremony, the man took the woman into his house to live. Matthew 1:24 indicates that Joseph had already taken Mary to his house as his wife before they went to Bethlehem. However, they had not yet had sexual relations, so Luke continued to refer to Mary as the “one pledged to be married.”

General Comment on 2:5a–b

In some languages, it may be more natural to put 2:5b before 2:5a. For example:

5bJoseph and Mary had promised to get married, and Mary was expecting a child. 5aSo Joseph went to Bethlehem with Mary to register.

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