How do we know Jesus was 33 when he died?

Question

Is there a specific verse that says that or is it derived from context?

Answer 1

We don't really. Here is an alternate view to the others ...

Jesus’ birth most likely took place in late November of 5 B.C. This, incidentally, would allow enough time for Jesus to be born and for Herod (who died in 4 B.C.) to mount his campaign to have all the boys two years old and under in Bethlehem and vicinity killed (see Matt 2:16, 19).

Jesus’ crucifixion probably occurred on Friday, April 3, A.D. 33. According to Luke 3:23, Jesus was “about 30 years old” when he began his ministry. (This seems to have been the age of full maturity in the Jewish mind. Priests could begin their service only at 30. Numbers 4:2-3.)

Luke 3:1–3 tells us that John the Baptist, Jesus’ forerunner, began his ministry “in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” Both Roman historians Tacitus (Annales 4 §4) and Suetonius (Tiberius 73) date the beginning of Tiberius’s reign at A.D. 14 (the precise date is August 19, the day of Emperor Augustus’s death). Hence the 15th year of Tiberius’s reign, counting from August 19, A.D. 14, brings us to A.D. 29 (14 + 15 = 29).


If Jesus was born in 5 B.C. (as argued above) and began his ministry, as is indicated by all four Gospels, shortly after that of John the Baptist (that is, in the latter part of the year A.D. 29), this would mean that Jesus was about 33 years old when he began his public ministry.

John’s Gospel records Jesus’ appearance at at least 3 Passovers: (1) in Jerusalem (2:13, 23); (2) in Galilee (6:4); and (3) again in Jerusalem (11:55; 12:1). In addition, it is likely that he attended a fourth Passover not recorded in John but recorded in the Synoptics (Matt 12:1 pars.?). This adds up to a length of about 3 ½ years for Jesus’ ministry.

Answer 2

There are specific verses giving the date (year) of his birth. Month and day are not known.

There are specific verses giving the year he was crucified. Subtracting one from the other gives 33.

There is also this to back up that age of 33.

Jesus was baptized. But the reason He was baptized was to "fulfill all righteousness," (Matt. 3:15). He had to fulfill the legal requirements for entering into the priesthood after the order of Melchizedek (Psalm 110:4; Heb. 5:8-10; 6:20). Priests offered sacrifice to God on behalf of the people. Jesus became a sacrifice for our sin (1 Pet. 2:24; 2 Cor. 5:21) in His role as priest.
To be consecrated as a priest, Jesus had to be: 1) washed with water - baptism - (Lev. 8:6; Exodus 29:4, Matt. 3:16). 2) Anointed with oil - the Holy Spirit - (Lev. 8:12; Exodus 29:7; Matt. 3:16). Additionally, He may have needed to be 30 years old, Num. 4:3, "from thirty years and upward, even to fifty years old, all who enter the service to do the work in the tent of meeting."
Therefore we can conclude that Jesus began His earthly ministry at the age of 30. Since it went on for 3 1/2 years before Jesus was crucified, it is safe to say that He was 33 at the time of His death.

Answer 3

None of the first 11 answers are even close.

Its says in Luke 3:23 (NIV)

Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

The Greek word translated "about" means about but not yet, so he was not quite 30 years old when he started preaching.

That's by how Jewish people counted.

Most assumed his earthly teaching ministry lasted three years or so, therefore he was about 33 or so when He died.

By the Jewish way of reckoning how old someone is, a new born baby is a year old, a baby becomes two years old, 365 days after they were born.

So if you translate the Jewish way of how old someone is to the American way, he would have been 30, not quite 31 when his earthly ministry began and died about 3 years later.

Some have suggested that his earthly ministry only lasted about 15 months, but most believe it was about 3 years.

Pastor Art

Answer 4

Yes very simple he was exactly 33 years and six month.

2nd Year B.C.E TISHRI 15 (Jewish month) the seventh.

Year 0 doesn´t exist , year are ordinal numers (first , second, etc) not (one , two , three)

he died Nisan 14 Year 33, he was 33 and 6 month so if you substract 33-33.5 you will have 0.5 but you can´t include year "0" so it is 1.5 or 1 year and a half or the second year.

the time he will spent preaching is in the book of Daniel 9.24-27, 3 years and a half.
his date of death is in the book of Exodus (Abib or Nisan 14) and his birth in Leviticus (Tishri 15).

Reliving Jesus' Last Days on Earth

Answer 5

We know that Jesus was thirty years old when He began His public ministry. As it is written: "Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph..." (Luke 3:23) We also know that three Passover feasts occurred between then and His crucifixion. (See John 3, 6 & 12)

Doing the math, Jesus would've been about 33 years old at the time of His death.

UPDATE: Kudos to Pastor Art, who hit the nail right on the head, beating me by a minute. (Rats!) :-D

Answer 6

Derived from the context of texts supposedly written by guys who were supposedly there. (Also, historically, someone did some figuring to see if he could identify the exact year JC was born, but since then historians have figured that this was off by about 4 years.)

Answer 7

Its a very close approximation based in part upon this verse:

Luk 3:23 ¶ And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was [the son] of Heli,

Then Jesus preached for about 3.5 years.

Answer 8

here's an excerpt:
"The incidents whose absolute chronology may be determined with more or less probability are the year of Christ's nativity, of the beginning of His public life, and of His death. "

and:
"St. Matthew (2:1) tells us that Jesus was born "in the days of King Herod". Josephus (Ant., XVII, viii, 1) informs us that Herod died after ruling thirty four years de facto, thirty seven years de jure. Now Herod was made rightful king of Judea A.U.C. 714, while he began his actual rule after taking Jerusalem A.U.C. 717. As the Jews reckoned their years from Nisan to Nisan, and counted fractional parts as an entire year, the above data will place the death of Herod in A.U.C. 749, 750, 751. "

Answer 9

It is mostly derived from context.

Answer 10

The Book of Mormon gives a precise date for both his birth and his death. He visited the American natives shortly after his resurerrection.