And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto 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.
- BSB The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen, which was just as the angel had told 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 God of Israel from everlasting to everlasting: and let all the people say, Amen. Praise ye the LORD.
- Ps 72:17–19His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun: and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed.
- Acts 11:18When they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.
- 1 Chr 29:10–12Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation: and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever.
- Isa 29:19The meek also shall increase their joy in the LORD, and the poor among men shall rejoice in the Holy One of Israel.
- Acts 2:46–47And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,
- Luke 19:37–38And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen;
- Matt 9:8But when the multitudes saw it, they marvelled, and glorified God, which had given such power unto men.
- Ps 107:21Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
- Luke 18:43And immediately he received his sight, and followed him, glorifying God: and all the people, when they saw it, gave praise unto God.
- Ps 107:8Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!
- Ps 107:15Oh that men would praise the LORD for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children 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.