After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
- KJV And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
- NKJV Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child.
- NASB When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
- NLT After seeing him, the shepherds told everyone what had happened and what the angel had said to them about this child.
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
Having seen the child, the shepherds spread word of what they were told about Him. It matters because encountering Christ leads to witness.
Overview
After seeing the baby, the shepherds widely report the angel's message concerning the child. They become the first heralds of the newborn Savior. Genuine encounter with Christ naturally overflows into proclamation, a pattern that runs throughout the gospel.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 8
- Ps 66:16Come and listen, all you who fear God, and I will declare what He has done for me.
- Luke 8:39“Return home and describe how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and proclaimed all over the town how much Jesus had done for him.
- Ps 71:17–18O God, You have taught me from my youth, and to this day I proclaim Your marvelous deeds.
- Luke 2:38Coming forward at that moment, she gave thanks to God and spoke about the Child to all who were waiting for the redemption of Jerusalem.
- Mal 3:16At that time those who feared the LORD spoke with one another, and the LORD listened and heard them. So a scroll of remembrance was written before Him regarding those who feared the LORD and honored His name.
- Ps 16:9–10Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will dwell securely.
- John 1:41–46He first found his brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated as Christ).
- John 4:28–29Then the woman left her water jar, went back into the town, and said to the people,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 2:17 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.