And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.
Parallel translations
- WEB When they saw it, they publicized widely the saying which was spoken to them about this child.
- BSB After they had seen the Child, they spread the message they had received about Him.
- 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 hear, all ye that fear God, and I will declare what he hath done for my soul.
- Luke 8:39Return to thine own house, and shew how great things God hath done unto thee. And he went his way, and published throughout the whole city how great things Jesus had done unto him.
- Ps 71:17–18O God, thou hast taught me from my youth: and hitherto have I declared thy wondrous works.
- Luke 2:38And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.
- Mal 3:16Then they that feared the LORD spake often one to another: and the LORD hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the LORD, and that thought upon his name.
- Ps 16:9–10Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.
- John 1:41–46He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
- John 4:28–29The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men,
Themes, concepts, people & topics
Resources, by level
Commentaries & study tools
Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.
Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.
Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.
Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.
The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).
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 2:17 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.