Luke 2:20 (YLT)

Passage

and the shepherds turned back, glorifying and praising God, for all those things they heard and saw, as it was spoken unto them.

Nearby Context

Luke 2:18 And all who heard, did wonder concerning the things spoken by the shepherds unto them;

Luke 2:19 and Mary was preserving all these things, pondering in her heart;

Luke 2:20 and the shepherds turned back, glorifying and praising God, for all those things they heard and saw, as it was spoken unto them.

Luke 2:21 And when eight days were fulfilled to circumcise the child, then was his name called Jesus, having been so called by the messenger before his being conceived in the womb.

Luke 2:22 And when the days of their purification were fulfilled, according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present to the Lord,

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shepherds", "turned", "back", "glorifying", "praising", "things", "heard", and "spoken". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shepherds" and "turned", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 19's "and Mary was preserving all these things..." into verse 21's "And when eight days were fulfilled to...", so "shepherds" and "turned" 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 "turned" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.