^2:48When¹⁴⁹ his parents¹⁵⁰ saw him, they were overwhelmed. His¹⁵¹ mother said to him, “Child,¹⁵² why have you treated¹⁵³ us like this? Look, your father and I have been looking for you anxiously.”¹⁵⁴^2:49But¹⁵⁵ he replied,¹⁵⁶ “Why were you looking for me?¹⁵⁷ Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?”¹⁵⁸^2:50Yet¹⁵⁹ his parents¹⁶⁰ did not understand¹⁶¹ the remark¹⁶² he made¹⁶³ to them. ^2:51Then¹⁶⁴ he went down with them and came to Nazareth,¹⁶⁵ and was obedient¹⁶⁶ to them. But¹⁶⁷ his mother kept all these things¹⁶⁸ in her heart.¹⁶⁹

Read in Logos

Luke 2:49: And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”

Footnotes

149 Grk “And when.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
150 Grk “when they”; the referent (his parents) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.
151 Grk “And his.” Here καί (kai) has not been translated because of differences between Greek and English style.
152 The Greek word here is τέκνον (teknon) rather than υἱός (huios, “son”).
153 Or “Child, why did you do this to us?”
154 Or “your father and I have been terribly worried looking for you.”
155 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
156 Grk “he said to them.”
157 Grk “Why is it that you were looking for me?”
158 Or “I must be about my Father’s business” (so , ); Grk “in the [things] of my Father,” with an ellipsis. This verse involves an idiom that probably refers to the necessity of Jesus being involved in the instruction about God, given what he is doing. The most widely held view today takes this as a reference to the temple as the Father’s house. Jesus is saying that his parents should have known where he was.
159 Grk “And they.” Here καί (kai) has been translated as “yet” to indicate the contrast.
160 Grk “they”; the referent (his parents) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
161 This was the first of many times those around Jesus did not understand what he was saying at the time (9:45; 10:21–24; 18:34).
162 Or “the matter.”
163 Grk “which he spoke.”
164 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “then” to indicate the implied sequence of events within the narrative.
165 For location see ; ; ; ; .
166 Or “was submitting.”
167 Here καί (kai) has been translated as “but” to indicate the contrast.
168 Or “all these words.”
169 On the phrase his mother kept all these things in her heart compare Luke 2:19.

In other versions

ESVEnglish Standard Version

And when his parents saw him, they were astonished. And his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us so? Behold, your father and I have been searching for you in great distress.” And he said to them, “Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” And they did not understand the saying that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was submissive to them. And his mother treasured up all these things in her heart.

NIVNew International Version (2011)

When his parents saw him, they were astonished. His mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked. “Didn’t you know I had to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he was saying to them.

Then he went down to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. But his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

CSBChristian Standard Bible

When his parents saw him, they were astonished, and his mother said to him, “Son, why have you treated us like this? Your father and I have been anxiously searching for you.”

“Why were you searching for me?” he asked them. “Didn’t you know that it was necessary for me to be in my Father’s house?” But they did not understand what he said to them.

Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was obedient to them. His mother kept all these things in her heart.

NLTNew Living Translation

His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.”

“But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant.

Then he returned to Nazareth with them and was obedient to them. And his mother stored all these things in her heart.

LEBThe Lexham English Bible

And when they saw him, they were astounded and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you done this to us? Look, your father and I have been searching for you anxiously!” And he said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that it was necessary for me to be in the house of my Father?” And they did not understand the statement that he spoke to them. And he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was submitting to them. And his mother treasured all these things in her heart.

KJV 1900King James Version

And when they saw him, they were amazed: and his mother said unto him, Son, why hast thou thus dealt with us? behold, thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? wist ye not that I must be about my Father’s business? And they understood not the saying which he spake unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was subject unto them: but his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.

Public Domain