ris3n's Apologetics Codex

Luke 1.5

type: passage created: 2026-05-06 updated: 2026-05-06 book: Luke chapter: 1 verses: "5" translation_default: ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT tags: [scripture] citation_count: 2 enriched: false

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Luke 1.5

Book: Luke · ASV / WEB / KJV / YLT

Immediate context (±2 verses)

ASV (ASV)

"3. it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4. that thou mightest know the certainty concerning the things wherein thou wast instructed."

"5. There was in the days of Herod, king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abijah: and he had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth."

"6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years." (Luke 1:3-7, ASV)

WEB (WEB)

"3. it seemed good to me also, having traced the course of all things accurately from the first, to write to you in order, most excellent Theophilus; 4. that you might know the certainty concerning the things in which you were instructed."

"5. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the priestly division of Abijah. He had a wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth."

"6. They were both righteous before God, walking blamelessly in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord. 7. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years." (Luke 1:3-7, WEB)

KJV (KJV)

"3. It seemed good to me also, having had perfect understanding of all things from the very first, to write unto thee in order, most excellent Theophilus, 4. That thou mightest know the certainty of those things, wherein thou hast been instructed."

"5. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judaea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth."

"6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless. 7. And they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and they both were now well stricken in years." (Luke 1:3-7, KJV)

YLT (YLT)

"3. it seemed good also to me, having followed from the first after all things exactly, to write to thee in order, most noble Theophilus, 4. that thou mayest know the certainty of the things wherein thou wast instructed."

"5. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest, by name Zacharias, of the course of Abijah, and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name Elisabeth;"

"6. and they were both righteous before God, going on in all the commands and righteousnesses of the Lord blameless, 7. and they had no child, because that Elisabeth was barren, and both were advanced in their days." (Luke 1:3-7, YLT)

Setting

  • Speaker: Luke the physician (traditionally) / narrator + Jesus's direct teaching
  • Audience: Theophilus + Gentile Christian audience (companion to Acts)
  • Location: first-century Palestine (events); composition possibly Caesarea or Rome
  • Time period: events c. 4 BC, AD 30/33; composed c. AD 60-80

Theological reading

Key words

Why these four translations

ris3n chose ASV, WEB, KJV, and YLT for two reasons together. They are the most literal English translations available (formal-equivalence: word-for-word renderings that preserve the Hebrew and Greek grammar rather than smoothing it into modern dynamic-equivalence idiom). And they are in the public domain in the United States, which means fair-use quotation at any length requires no publisher license. Modern licensed translations (NASB95, ESV, NIV) restrict volume of quotation under their copyright terms, so they are not used at stub-level coverage here. NASB95 appears only on hand-curated rich passage hubs under Lockman Foundation's fair-use allowance.

The four:

  • ASV (American Standard Version, 1901). The basis of the modern critical-text English tradition.
  • WEB (World English Bible, contemporary). Public-domain revision in the ASV line, in current English.
  • KJV (King James Version, 1611). Reformation-era, Textus Receptus base.
  • YLT (Young's Literal Translation, Robert Young, 1862). Hyper-literal preservation of Hebrew and Greek grammar; useful for word-study work even where English reads stiff.

See Bibles for the full per-translation history, translators, textual basis, strengths, and weaknesses.