And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.
Parallel translations
- WEB The child was growing, and was becoming strong in spirit, being filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon him.
- KJV And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, filled with wisdom: and the grace of God was upon him.
- NKJV And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.
- NASB Now the Child continued to grow and to become strong, increasing in wisdom; and the favor of God was upon Him.
- NLT There the child grew up healthy and strong. He was filled with wisdom, and God’s favor was on him.
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
Jesus grew, became strong, was filled with wisdom, and God's grace was upon Him. It matters because it affirms the real human development of the Son of God.
Overview
Luke summarizes Jesus' childhood growth in body, strength, and wisdom, with God's favor resting on Him. This affirms His genuine humanity, developing as a true child, while never ceasing to be the Son of God. The incarnate Lord grew up under the gracious blessing of His Father.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 16
- Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
- Luke 1:80And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.
- Isa 11:1–5Then a shoot will spring up from the stump of Jesse, and a Branch from his roots will bear fruit.
- John 1:14The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.
- 1 Sam 2:26And the boy Samuel continued to grow in stature and in favor with the LORD and with man.
- 1 Sam 3:19And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
- Isa 53:1–2Who has believed our message? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?
- Luke 2:47And all who heard Him were astounded at His understanding and His answers.
- Eph 6:10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power.
- Ps 22:9Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.
- 1 Sam 2:18Now Samuel was ministering before the LORD—a boy wearing a linen ephod.
- Judg 13:24So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
- 2 Tim 2:1You therefore, my child, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.
- Ps 45:2You are the most handsome of men; grace has anointed your lips, since God has blessed you forever.
- Col 2:2–3that they may be encouraged in heart, knit together in love, and filled with the full riches of complete understanding, so that they may know the mystery of God, namely Christ,
- Acts 4:33With great power the apostles continued to give their testimony about the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And abundant grace was upon them all.
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 2:40 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.