The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told them.
Parallel translations
- WEB The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, just as it was told them.
- KJV And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
- NKJV Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them.
- NASB And the shepherds went back, glorifying and praising God for all that they had heard and seen, just as had been told them.
- NLT The shepherds went back to their flocks, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen. It was just as the angel had told them.
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 return glorifying and praising God for all they had seen and heard. It matters because rightly receiving Christ leads to worship.
Overview
The shepherds go back to their work praising God, having found everything as it was told them. Their experience of the Savior produces sustained worship. The episode closes with the lowly shepherds glorifying God, foreshadowing the praise the gospel rightly evokes.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 12
- Ps 106:48Blessed be the LORD, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, “Amen!” Hallelujah!
- Ps 72:17–19May his name endure forever; may his name continue as long as the sun shines. In him may all nations be blessed; may they call him blessed.
- Acts 11:18When they heard this, their objections were put to rest, and they glorified God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”
- 1 Chr 29:10–12Then David blessed the LORD in the sight of all the assembly and said: “May You be blessed, O LORD, God of our father Israel, from everlasting to everlasting.
- Isa 29:19The humble will increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men will rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
- Acts 2:46–47With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart,
- Luke 19:37–38And as He approached the descent from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of disciples began to praise God joyfully in a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen:
- Matt 9:8When the crowds saw this, they were filled with awe and glorified God, who had given such authority to men.
- Ps 107:21Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Luke 18:43Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, glorifying God. And all the people who saw this gave praise to God.
- Ps 107:8Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
- Ps 107:15Let them give thanks to the LORD for His loving devotion and His wonders to the sons of men.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 2:20 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.