Luke 1:79 (ASV)

Passage

To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people In the remission of their sins,

Luke 1:78 Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us,

Luke 1:79 To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death; To guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "darkness", "shine", "upon", "shadow", "death", "guide", "feet", and "peace". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "darkness" and "shine", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 78's "Because of the tender mercy of our..." into verse 80's "And the child grew and waxed strong...", so "darkness" and "shine" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "darkness" and "shine" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.