Luke 12:4 (WEB)

Passage

“I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

Nearby Context

Luke 12:2 But there is nothing covered up, that will not be revealed, nor hidden, that will not be known.

Luke 12:3 Therefore whatever you have said in the darkness will be heard in the light. What you have spoken in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed on the housetops.

Luke 12:4 “I tell you, my friends, don’t be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do.

Luke 12:5 But I will warn you whom you should fear. Fear him, who after he has killed, has power to cast into Gehenna. Yes, I tell you, fear him.

Luke 12:6 “Aren’t five sparrows sold for two assaria coins? Not one of them is forgotten by God.

Study Lenses

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

The nearby context moves from verse 3's "Therefore whatever you have said in the..." into verse 5's "But I will warn you whom you...", so "tell" and "friends" 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 "tell" and "friends" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.