Bible Strands
Luke 2:15
When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has made known to us.”
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The shepherds speak to one another immediately after the angelic host departs. They stand at the site of the announcement, shifting from passive listeners to active investigators.
The words — ἀπῆλθον (apēlthon) literally means "they were departing," marking the angels' exit from the earthly scene. ἐγένετο (egeneto) translates as "it came to pass," grounding the divine message in a concrete, historical event.
The thread — The pattern of revelation followed by immediate physical verification runs through Exodus 3:3 and continues directly in Luke 2:16. The angels' return to heaven anticipates the ascension theme found in 1 Peter 3:22.
Why it lands — The text requires verification of divine claims through direct observation rather than abstract belief. It commands the reader to move from hearing a reported event to actively seeking its fulfillment.
Drafted by a language model from the text, its original words and its cross-references, then checked against them. It can still be wrong: open the verse in the app to report it.
The Greek words
King James Version
And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.
Cross-references
- Matthew 2:1 After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,
- 1 Peter 3:22 who has gone into heaven and is at the right hand of God, with angels, authorities, and powers subject to Him.
- Exodus 3:3 So Moses thought, “I must go over and see this marvelous sight. Why is the bush not burning up?”
- Matthew 2:9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stood over the place where the Child was.
- Luke 24:51 While He was blessing them, He left them and was carried up into heaven.
- 2 Kings 2:1 Shortly before the LORD took Elijah up to heaven in a whirlwind, Elijah and Elisha were on their way from Gilgal,
- 2 Kings 2:11 As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire with horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up into heaven in a whirlwind.
- Psalms 111:2 Great are the works of the LORD; they are pondered by all who delight in them.
- Matthew 12:42 The Queen of the South will rise at the judgment with this generation and condemn it; for she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and now One greater than Solomon is here.
- John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.