When they had seen Him, they made known the statement which had been told them about this Child.
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.
- 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.
- 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 you who fear God. I will declare what he has done for my soul.
- Luke 8:39“Return to your house, and declare what great things God has done for you.” He went his way, proclaiming throughout the whole city what great things Jesus had done for him.
- Ps 71:17–18God, you have taught me from my youth. Until now, I have declared your wondrous works.
- Luke 2:38Coming up at that very hour, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of him to all those who were looking for redemption in Jerusalem.
- Mal 3:16Then those who feared Yahweh spoke one with another; and Yahweh listened, and heard, and a book of memory was written before him, for those who feared Yahweh, and who honored his name.
- Ps 16:9–10Therefore my heart is glad, and my tongue rejoices. My body shall also dwell in safety.
- John 1:41–46He first found his own brother, Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah!” (which is, being interpreted, Christ ).
- John 4:28–29So the woman left her water pot, and went away into the city, 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.