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Luke 3 General Notes
Structure and formatting
Some translations set poetry farther to the right than the rest of the text to show that it is poetry. The ULB does this with the poetry in 3:4-6, which is from the Old Testament.
Special concepts in this chapter
Justice
John's instructions to the soldiers and tax collectors in this chapter are not complicated. They are things that should have been obvious to them. He instructed them to live justly. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/justice and Luke 3:12-15)
Genealogy
A genealogy is a list which records a person's ancestors or descendants. Such lists were very important in determining who had the right be king, because the king's authority was usually passed down or inherited from his father. It was also common for other important people to have a recorded genealogy.
Important figures of speech in this chapter
Metaphor
Prophecy often involves the use of metaphors to express its meaning. Spiritual discernment is needed for proper interpretation of the prophecy. The prophecy of Isaiah is an extended metaphor describing the ministry of John the Baptist (Luke 3:4-6). Translation is difficult. It is suggested that the translator treat each line of the ULB as a separate metaphor. (See: rc://en/tw/dict/bible/kt/prophet) and rc://en/ta/man/jit/figs-metaphor)
Other possible translation difficulties in this chapter
"(Herod) had John locked up in prison"
This event can cause confusion because the author says John was imprisoned and then says he was baptizing Jesus. The author probably uses this phrase in anticipation of Herod's imprisonment of John. This would mean that this statement is still in the future at the time of the narrative.