Luke 12:4 (KJV)

Passage

And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that 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; neither hid, that shall not be known.

Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.

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

Luke 12:5 But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto 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 "Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness..." into verse 5's "But I will forewarn you whom ye...", 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.