Luke 12:4 (DRB)

Passage

And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:2 For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed: nor hidden that shall not be known.

Luke 12:3 For whatsoever things you have spoken in darkness shall be published in the light: and that which you have spoken in the ear in the chambers shall be preached on the housetops.

Luke 12:4 And I say to you, my friends: Be not afraid of them who kill the body and after that have no more that they can do.

Luke 12:5 But I will shew you whom you shall fear: Fear ye him who, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell. Yea, I say to you: Fear him.

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

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "For whatsoever things you have spoken in..." into verse 5's "But I will shew you whom you...", so "friends" and "afraid" 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 "afraid" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.