Luke 2:45
New International Version
When they did not find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

New Living Translation
When they couldn’t find him, they went back to Jerusalem to search for him there.

English Standard Version
and when they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching for him.

Berean Standard Bible
When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him.

Berean Literal Bible
and not having found Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

King James Bible
And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

New King James Version
So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

New American Standard Bible
And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him.

NASB 1995
When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem looking for Him.

NASB 1977
And when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for Him.

Legacy Standard Bible
When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem searching for Him.

Amplified Bible
When they did not find Him, they went back to Jerusalem looking for Him [everywhere].

Christian Standard Bible
When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.

Holman Christian Standard Bible
When they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him.

American Standard Version
and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him.

Contemporary English Version
When they could not find him with their relatives and friends, they went back to Jerusalem and started looking for him there.

English Revised Version
and when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking for him.

GOD'S WORD® Translation
When they didn't find him, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him.

Good News Translation
They did not find him, so they went back to Jerusalem looking for him.

International Standard Version
When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, searching desperately for him.

Majority Standard Bible
When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him.

NET Bible
When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

New Heart English Bible
When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.

Webster's Bible Translation
And when they found him not, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

Weymouth New Testament
but being unable to find Him they returned to Jerusalem, making anxious inquiry for Him.

World English Bible
When they didn’t find him, they returned to Jerusalem, looking for him.
Literal Translations
Literal Standard Version
and having not found Him, they turned back to Jerusalem seeking Him.

Berean Literal Bible
and not having found Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

Young's Literal Translation
and not having found him, they turned back to Jerusalem seeking him.

Smith's Literal Translation
And not having found him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.
Catholic Translations
Douay-Rheims Bible
And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.

Catholic Public Domain Version
And not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking him.

New American Bible
but not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.

New Revised Standard Version
When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him.
Translations from Aramaic
Lamsa Bible
But they could not find him; so they returned again to Jerusalem, looking for him.

Aramaic Bible in Plain English
And they did not find him, and they returned again to Jerusalem and they were looking for him.
NT Translations
Anderson New Testament
and not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of him.

Godbey New Testament
And not having found Him; they returned to Jerusalem seeking Him.

Haweis New Testament
and not finding him, they returned to Jerusalem in search of him.

Mace New Testament
they turn'd back to Jerusalem to enquire for him there.

Weymouth New Testament
but being unable to find Him they returned to Jerusalem, making anxious inquiry for Him.

Worrell New Testament
and, not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.

Worsley New Testament
and not finding Him they returned to Jerusalem seeking for Him:

Additional Translations ...
Audio Bible



Context
The Boy Jesus at the Temple
44Assuming He was in their company, they traveled on for a day before they began to look for Him among their relatives and friends. 45When they could not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for Him. 46Finally, after three days they found Him in the temple courts, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions.…

Cross References
Matthew 12:46-50
While Jesus was still speaking to the crowds, His mother and brothers stood outside, wanting to speak to Him. / Someone told Him, “Look, Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to speak to You.” / But Jesus replied, “Who is My mother, and who are My brothers?” ...

Mark 3:31-35
Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came and stood outside. They sent someone in to summon Him, / and a crowd was sitting around Him. “Look,” He was told, “Your mother and brothers are outside, asking for You.” / But Jesus replied, “Who are My mother and My brothers?” ...

John 7:3-5
So Jesus’ brothers said to Him, “Leave here and go to Judea, so that Your disciples there may see the works You are doing. / For no one who wants to be known publicly acts in secret. Since You are doing these things, show Yourself to the world.” / For even His own brothers did not believe in Him.

John 2:1-5
On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, / and Jesus and His disciples had also been invited to the wedding. / When the wine ran out, Jesus’ mother said to Him, “They have no more wine.” ...

Matthew 2:13-15
When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.” / So he got up, took the Child and His mother by night, and withdrew to Egypt, / where he stayed until the death of Herod. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”

Matthew 2:19-23
After Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. / “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and go to the land of Israel, for those seeking the Child’s life are now dead.” / So Joseph got up, took the Child and His mother, and went to the land of Israel. ...

Mark 6:3-4
Isn’t this the carpenter, the son of Mary and the brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? Aren’t His sisters here with us as well?” And they took offense at Him. / Then Jesus said to them, “Only in his hometown, among his relatives, and in his own household is a prophet without honor.”

John 19:25-27
Near the cross of Jesus stood His mother and her sister, as well as Mary the wife of Clopas and Mary Magdalene. / When Jesus saw His mother and the disciple whom He loved standing nearby, He said to His mother, “Woman, here is your son.” / Then He said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” So from that hour, this disciple took her into his home.

Acts 1:14
With one accord they all continued in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.

Genesis 37:29-30
When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes, / returned to his brothers, and said, “The boy is gone! What am I going to do?”

1 Samuel 1:24-28
Once she had weaned him, Hannah took the boy with her, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour, and a skin of wine. Though the boy was still young, she brought him to the house of the LORD at Shiloh. / And when they had slaughtered the bull, they brought the boy to Eli. / “Please, my lord,” said Hannah, “as surely as you live, my lord, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the LORD. ...

1 Samuel 2:18-20
Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod. / Each year his mother would make him a little robe and bring it to him when she went with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. / And Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, “May the LORD give you children by this woman in place of the one she dedicated to the LORD.” Then they would go home.

1 Samuel 3:1-10
And the boy Samuel ministered to the LORD before Eli. Now in those days the word of the LORD was rare, and visions were scarce. / And at that time Eli, whose eyesight had grown so dim that he could not see, was lying in his room. / Before the lamp of God had gone out, Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was located. ...

2 Kings 4:1-7
Now the wife of one of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, “Your servant, my husband, is dead, and you know that your servant feared the LORD. And now his creditor is coming to take my two children as his slaves!” / “How can I help you?” asked Elisha. “Tell me, what do you have in the house?” She answered, “Your servant has nothing in the house but a jar of oil.” / “Go,” said Elisha, “borrow empty jars from all your neighbors. Do not gather just a few. ...

Proverbs 22:6
Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.


Treasury of Scripture

And when they found him not, they turned back again to Jerusalem, seeking him.

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Acquaintances Company Day's Find Found Jerusalem Journey Proceeded Relatives Search Searched Seeking Supposing Travelling Turned
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Luke 2
1. Augustus taxes all the Roman empire.
6. The nativity of Jesus.
8. An angel relates it to the shepherds, and many sing praises to God for it.
15. The shepherds glorify God.
21. Jesus is circumcised.
22. Mary purified.
25. Simeon and Anna prophesy of Jesus,
39. who increases in wisdom,
41. questions in the temple with the teachers,
51. and is obedient to his parents.














When they did not find Him
This phrase marks a moment of realization and concern for Mary and Joseph. The Greek word for "find" is "εὑρίσκω" (heuriskō), which implies a diligent search. In the context of the Jewish Passover festival, Jerusalem would have been bustling with pilgrims, making it challenging to locate someone. This moment underscores the humanity of Jesus' earthly parents, who, despite their divine encounters, experienced the same anxieties and uncertainties as any parent would. It also foreshadows the later searches for Jesus by those seeking truth and salvation.

they returned to Jerusalem
The decision to return to Jerusalem highlights the importance of the city in Jewish life. Jerusalem was not only the political capital but also the spiritual heart of Judaism, housing the Temple, the center of worship and sacrifice. The Greek word "ὑποστρέφω" (hypostrephō) for "returned" suggests a turning back or a change in direction, both physically and spiritually. This return signifies a retracing of steps, a common theme in spiritual journeys where one must often revisit foundational truths or experiences to find clarity or resolution.

to search for Him
The act of searching, "ἀναζητέω" (anazēteō), implies an intense and thorough quest. This search is not just physical but also symbolic of the spiritual quest for understanding and connection with Jesus. In the broader biblical narrative, seeking God is a recurring theme, with promises that those who earnestly seek will find (Matthew 7:7). This search by Mary and Joseph can inspire believers to diligently seek Christ in their own lives, trusting that He will be found by those who earnestly look for Him.

Parallel Commentaries ...


Greek
When
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

they could not find [Him],
εὑρόντες (heurontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2147: A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.

they returned
ὑπέστρεψαν (hypestrepsan)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 5290: To turn back, return. From hupo and strepho; to turn under, i.e. To return.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Jerusalem
Ἰερουσαλὴμ (Ierousalēm)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 2419: Of Hebrew origin; Hierusalem, the capitol of Palestine.

to search for
ἀναζητοῦντες (anazētountes)
Verb - Present Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 327: To seek out, search for (implying the difficulty of the task). From ana and zeteo; to search out.

Him.
αὐτόν (auton)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Accusative Masculine 3rd Person Singular
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.


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NT Gospels: Luke 2:45 When they didn't find him they returned (Luke Lu Lk)
Luke 2:44
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