Luke Chapter 3, Verse 23
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23: Καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ὡσεὶ ἐτῶν τριάκοντα ἀρχόμενος, ὢν, ὡς ἐνομίζετο, υἱός Ἰωσήφ, τοῦ Ἠλί,
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,
23: And Jesus himself was beginning about the age of thirty years:
being (as it was supposed) the son of Joseph, who was of Heli, who was
of Mathat,
And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age,...
This was the age at which the priests entered on their office, Num 4:3, Num 4:47; but it is not evident that Jesus had any reference to that in delaying his work to his thirtieth year. He was not subjected to the Levitical law in regard to the priesthood, and it does not appear that prophets and teachers did not commence their work before that age.
The term, "about," is indefinite and while it suggests that Jesus was not thirty, it does not suggest that Jesus was almost thirty and necessarily near thirty. If Jesus was born in 6-7 BC, then He would be in His late thirties at this time.
...being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was of Heli,...
As was commonly thought, or perhaps being levitically reckoned as his son.
There is a parenthetical insert ...Jesus...being the son(as was supposed of Joseph) of Heli,...of Adam. Luke does not intend to suggest that Joseph was of Heli (either son or descendant) but that Jesus was of Heli who would then have been the father of Mary. This is the better rendering as Luke must intend to say, consistent with the theme of the historical account of the life of Jesus, that Jesus was of Adam. To read it as Jesus was supposedly of Joseph and Heli and therefore supposedly of Adam is to misunderstand Luke on this point and disrupt that which follows.
genealogy by Matthew: (Mt 1:1)
