Limitless Word
And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.
Luke 2:16 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB They came with haste, and found both Mary and Joseph, and the baby was lying in the feeding trough.
  • BSB So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph and the Baby, who was lying in the manger.
  • NKJV And they came with haste and found Mary and Joseph, and the Babe lying in a manger.
  • NASB And they came in a hurry and found their way to Mary and Joseph, and the baby as He lay in the manger.
  • NLT They hurried to the village and found Mary and Joseph. And there was the baby, lying in the manger.

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

The shepherds hurry and find Mary, Joseph, and the baby in the manger. It matters because God's word to them proves entirely true.

Overview

The shepherds go quickly and discover the scene exactly as the angel described. The confirmation of the sign strengthens their faith. God's promises are trustworthy; what He declares through His messengers is found to be reliably so when sought in faith.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 6

  • Luke 2:12And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.
  • Luke 19:32And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them.
  • Luke 2:7And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.
  • Luke 22:13And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.
  • Luke 1:39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
  • Eccl 9:10Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (4)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 2:16YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

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 2:16 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

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.