Luke 2:12 (DRB)

Passage

And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

Nearby Context

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

Luke 2:11 For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.

Luke 2:12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.

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

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

Study Lenses

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

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