Luke 12:4 (DBY)

Passage

But I say to you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the body and after this have no more that they can do.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:2 but there is nothing covered up which shall not be revealed, nor secret that shall not be known;

Luke 12:3 therefore whatever ye have said in the darkness shall be heard in the light, and what ye have spoken in the ear in chambers shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

Luke 12:4 But I say to you, my friends, Fear not those who kill the body and after this have no more that they can do.

Luke 12:5 But I will shew you whom ye shall fear: Fear him who after he has killed has authority to cast into hell; yea, I say to you, Fear *him*.

Luke 12:6 Are not five sparrows sold for two assaria? and one of them is not forgotten before God.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "friends", "fear", "kill", "body", and "after". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "friends" and "fear", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "therefore whatever ye have said in the..." into verse 5's "But I will shew you whom ye...", so "friends" and "fear" 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 "friends" and "fear" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.