Luke 2:12 (DBY)

Passage

And this is the sign to you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and lying in a manger.

Nearby Context

Luke 2:10 And the angel said to them, Fear not, for behold, I announce to you glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people;

Luke 2:11 for to-day a Saviour has been born to you in David's city, who is Christ [the] Lord.

Luke 2:12 And this is the sign to you: ye shall find a babe wrapped in swaddling-clothes, and lying in a manger.

Luke 2:13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying,

Luke 2:14 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good pleasure in men.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "sign", "shall", "find", "babe", "wrapped", "swaddling-clothes", "lying", and "manger". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "sign" and "shall", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 11's "for to-day a Saviour has been born..." into verse 13's "And suddenly there was with the angel...", so "sign" and "shall" 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 "sign" and "shall" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.