Luke 2:8

Modern

And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

Traditional

And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

Literal

And there were shepherds in the same region, lodging in the fields and keeping watch by night over their flock.

Latin

Et pastores erant in regione eadem vigilantes, et custodientes vigilias noctis super gregem suum.

Greek

English

And there were shepherds residing in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks by night.

Shepherds were sometimes described in Judaism as wandering people and even as dishonest troublemakers. However, this view was not the same everywhere. In the Old Testament, shepherds are often seen in a positive way (for example, Psalm 23:1). Jesus came to people like these, who were ordinary, poor, and humble.
residing in the fields: This detail suggests a warmer time of year, perhaps from March to November, although some shepherds stayed outside all year. We do not know the exact month Jesus was born.
They guarded their flocks against thieves and wild animals.

Theme notes and profiles

Psalm 78:70–71
He chose David His servant and took him from the sheepfolds;
Genesis 31:39–40
I did not bring you anything torn by wild beasts; I bore the loss myself. And you demanded payment from me for what was stolen by day or night.
1 Samuel 17:34–35
David replied, “Your servant has been tending his father’s sheep, and whenever a lion or a bear came and carried off a lamb from the flock,
John 10:8–12
All who came before Me were thieves and robbers, but the sheep did not listen to them.
Ezekiel 34:8
‘As surely as I live, declares the Lord GOD, because My flock lacks a shepherd and has become prey and food for every wild beast, and because My shepherds did not search for My flock but fed themselves instead,
Exodus 3:1–2
Meanwhile, Moses was shepherding the flock of his father-in-law Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God.