And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be?” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
Parallel translations
- WEB All who heard them laid them up in their heart, saying, “What then will this child be?” The hand of the Lord was with him.
- KJV And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.
- BSB And all who heard this wondered in their hearts and asked, “What then will this child become?” For the Lord’s hand was with him.
- NASB All who heard them kept them in mind, saying, “What then will this child turn out to be?” For indeed the hand of the Lord was with him.
- NLT Everyone who heard about it reflected on these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
People pondered what this child would become, for the Lord's hand was with him. John's special destiny is recognized.
Overview
Those who heard kept these things in their hearts, wondering about the child's future. The phrase 'the hand of the Lord was with him' signals God's special favor and purpose. Their wonder points ahead to John's mission as the Messiah's forerunner.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 15
- Acts 11:21The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.
- Luke 2:19But Mary kept all these sayings, pondering them in her heart.
- Luke 2:51And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth. He was subject to them, and his mother kept all these sayings in her heart.
- Judg 13:24–25The woman bore a son, and named him Samson. The child grew, and Yahweh blessed him.
- Luke 9:44“Let these words sink into your ears, for the Son of Man will be delivered up into the hands of men.”
- 1 Kgs 18:46Yahweh’s hand was on Elijah; and he tucked his cloak into his belt and ran before Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.
- Luke 1:80The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
- Ps 119:11I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you.
- Ps 89:21with whom my hand shall be established. My arm will also strengthen him.
- Luke 2:40The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
- Gen 39:2Yahweh was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man. He was in the house of his master the Egyptian.
- 1 Sam 2:18But Samuel ministered before Yahweh, being a child, clothed with a linen ephod.
- Gen 37:11His brothers envied him, but his father kept this saying in mind.
- 1 Sam 16:18Then one of the young men answered, and said, “Behold, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and Yahweh is with him.”
- Ps 80:17Let your hand be on the man of your right hand, on the son of man whom you made strong for yourself.
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Christ at the center
Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.
How Luke 1:66 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
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