Luke 3:2
ESV
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
NIV
during the high-priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
NASB
in the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah, in the wilderness.
CSB
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, God’s word came to John the son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
NLT
Annas and Caiaphas were the high priests. At this time a message from God came to John son of Zechariah, who was living in the wilderness.
KJV
Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
NKJV
while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests, the word of God came to John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
What does Luke 3:2 mean?
Luke makes several references to major political figures, to establish a timeline for his account (Luke 1:5; 2:1–2). In the prior verse, that included the various heads of government who ruled at the time (Luke 3:1). Here, he points to the top religious leaders of Israel.Originally, Israel's high priests served until death, passing the role to a son. Rome did not prefer to leave anyone in power for too long, however, so they occasionally forced new men into the position (John 11:49). Despite official status, former high priests, such as Annas, were still called by that title. During the public ministry of Christ, Annas' son-in-law Caiaphas was the official, Roman-recognized high priest (Matthew 26:3).
After this list of impressive, famous, well-connected people, Luke makes a pointed remark. God's message did not come to these worldly figureheads; it came to the son of a simple priest who lived alone in the desert (Luke 1:13, 80). This reinforces the idea that the world's definition of importance is irrelevant to God (1 Corinthians 1:18, 26–27).
