Luke 2:5 (DBY)

Passage

to be inscribed in the census roll with Mary who was betrothed to him [as his] wife, she being great with child.

Nearby Context

Luke 2:3 And all went to be inscribed in the census roll, each to his own city:

Luke 2:4 and Joseph also went up from Galilee out of the city Nazareth to Judaea, to David's city, the which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and family of David,

Luke 2:5 to be inscribed in the census roll with Mary who was betrothed to him [as his] wife, she being great with child.

Luke 2:6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days of her giving birth [to her child] were fulfilled,

Luke 2:7 and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "inscribed", "census", "roll", "mary", "betrothed", "wife", "great", and "child". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "inscribed" and "census", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 4's "and Joseph also went up from Galilee..." into verse 6's "And it came to pass while they...", so "inscribed" and "census" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "inscribed" and "census" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.