Luke 2:8 (DBY)

Passage

And there were shepherds in that country abiding without, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

Nearby Context

Luke 2:6 And it came to pass, while they were there, the days of her giving birth [to her child] were fulfilled,

Luke 2:7 and she brought forth her first-born son, and wrapped him up in swaddling-clothes and laid him in the manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.

Luke 2:8 And there were shepherds in that country abiding without, and keeping watch by night over their flock.

Luke 2:9 And lo, an angel of [the] Lord was there by them, and [the] glory of [the] Lord shone around them, and they feared [with] great fear.

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;

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shepherds", "country", "abiding", "without", "keeping", "watch", "night", and "over". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shepherds" and "country", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 7's "and she brought forth her first-born son..." into verse 9's "And lo an angel of the Lord...", so "shepherds" and "country" 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 "shepherds" and "country" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.