Bible Strands
Luke 3:2
during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness.
Berean Standard Bible
Follow its threads on the canvas →
Study note
Setting — The text records that a divine message arrived to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas. This event occurs in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar’s reign, immediately following a list of contemporary political and religious rulers.
The words — ῥῆμα (rhēma) = declaration; ἐγένετο (egeneto) = came. The verse uses rhēma to specify a particular divine utterance and egeneto to describe its historical arrival.
The thread — The pairing of Annas and Caiaphas appears again in Acts 4:6, while the formula "the word of the LORD came to" matches the prophetic call pattern in Jonah 1:1. John’s wilderness location fulfills the earlier note that he lived there until his public appearance, as recorded in Luke 1:80.
Why it lands — The text anchors a spiritual event in precise historical and geographical coordinates, requiring the reader to recognize divine action as operating within documented history. It demands attention to how God’s declarations intersect with established human authority and place.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.
Cross-references
- Acts 4:6 along with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, Alexander, and many others from the high priest’s family.
- Jonah 1:1 Now the word of the LORD came to Jonah son of Amittai, saying,
- Luke 1:80 And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.
- John 18:24 Then Annas sent Him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest.
- Micah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Micah the Moreshite in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah—what he saw regarding Samaria and Jerusalem:
- Matthew 3:1 In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
- Matthew 26:3 At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,
- John 18:13 They brought Him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year.
- Isaiah 40:3 A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- Zephaniah 1:1 This is the word of the LORD that came to Zephaniah son of Cushi, the son of Gedaliah, the son of Amariah, the son of Hezekiah, in the days of Josiah son of Amon king of Judah: