In BETHLEHEM, PASTULAS and other simple people surrounded Jesus, lying in a manger. The light from the lantern, which is held by one of the shepherds, is very weak compared to the radiance emanating from the Infant, similar to a burning hearth, in which everyone present is heated.
The high arches of the dimly lit crib emphasize the significance of the event, and the contours of the rafters give the composition structural stability. Before us are simple people, but what they have seen has transformed them, everyone present is involved in what is happening, even a child with a dog and cows in a barn.
This picture is one of many studies on the theme of the Nativity and Infancy of Jesus. In the 40s, Rembrandt, apparently, was particularly interested in these subjects.
The Adoration of the Shepherds by El Greco 
Unbelief of the Apostle Thomas by Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine 
The Adoration of the Shepherds (Altar of Portinari) by Hugo van der Gus 
Adoración de los pastores – Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine 
Christ and the Disciples at Emmaus by Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine 
Christ and the Sinner by Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine 
Portrait of an Old Man in Red by Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine 
Descent from the Cross by Rembrandt Harmens Van Rhine