Albert Barnes Commentary Luke 3:1

"Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene," — Luke 3:1 (ASV)

Luke Chapter 3

Now in the fifteenth year. This was the thirteenth year of Tiberius's being sole emperor. He was two years joint emperor with Augustus, and Luke reckons from the time when he was admitted to share the empire with Augustus Caesar. See Lardner's Credibility, Vol. 1.

Tiberius Caesar. Tiberius succeeded Augustus in the empire and began his sole reign August 19, AD 14. He was a most infamous character — a scourge to the Roman people. He reigned twenty-three years and was succeeded by Caius Caligula, whom he appointed his successor on account of his notorious wickedness, so that he might be, as he expressed it, "a serpent to the Romans."

Pontius Pilate. Herod the Great left his kingdom to three sons. See Barnes on Matthew 2:22.

To Archelaus, Herod the Great left Judea. Archelaus reigned nine years, when, on account of his crimes, he was banished to Vienne. Judea was then made a Roman province, placed entirely under Roman governors or procurators, and became completely tributary to Rome.

Pontius Pilate was the fifth governor sent there and, consequently, had been in Judea only a short time. See the chronological table at the end of the volume.

Herod being tetrarch of Galilee. This was Herod Antipas, son of Herod the Great, to whom Galilee had been left as his part of his father's kingdom.

The word tetrarch properly denotes one who presides over a fourth part of a country or province; but it also came to be a general title, denoting one who reigned over any part—a third, a half, etc. In this case, Herod had a third of his father's dominions but was called tetrarch.

It was this Herod who imprisoned John the Baptist and to whom our Saviour, when arraigned, was sent by Pilate.

And his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea. Iturea was so called from Jetur, one of the sons of Ishmael (Genesis 25:15; 1 Chronicles 1:31). It was situated on the east side of the Jordan and was taken from the descendants of Jetur by the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh (1 Chronicles 5:19).

Region of Trachonitis. This region was also on the east of the Jordan, extending northward to the district of Damascus and eastward to the deserts of Arabia. It was bounded on the west by Gaulonitis and on the south by the city of Bostra. Philip had obtained this region from the Romans on the condition that he would extirpate the robbers.

Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene. Abilene was so called from Abila, its chief city. It was situated in Syria, northwest of Damascus and southeast of Mount Lebanon, and was adjacent to Galilee.