Bible Strands
Luke 2:8
And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.
Berean Standard Bible
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Study note
Setting — The text places unnamed shepherds in nearby fields, keeping night watch over their flocks immediately following the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem.
The words — ποιμένες (poimenes) translates literally as "shepherds," identifying the rural laborers present at the scene.
The thread — The presence of shepherds connects to God’s selection of David from the sheepfolds in Psalm 78:70 and recalls the protective duty of rural watchmen in Genesis 31:39 and 1 Samuel 17:34.
Why it lands — The narrative positions ordinary night-watchmen as the initial audience for the announcement, requiring the reader to acknowledge that the message targets those in isolated, working environments.
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 there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
Cross-references
- Genesis 31:39 I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.
- Psalms 78:70 He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
- 1 Samuel 17:34 David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
- John 10:8 All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
- Ezekiel 34:8 ‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
- Exodus 3:1 Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.