Luke 1:15

Luke 1:15 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.
• New International Version (NIV)for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
• English Standard Version (ESV)for he will be great before the Lord. And he must not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
• New King James Version (NKJV)For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.

Context of Luke 1:15

13But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zechariah, because your prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to give him the name John. 14He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice at his birth, for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb. 16Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God. 17And he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Luke 1:15 word by word

ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ.Read the interlinear

• forγάρgar · forG1063
• he will beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• in the sightἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• of theὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• ·καίkai · andG2532
• He shall never takeοὐou · noG3756
• He shall never takeμήmē · notG3361
• He shall never takeπίνωpinō piō poō · to drinkG4095
• wineοἶνοςoinos · wineG3631
• strong drinkσίκεραsikera · alcoholic drinkG4608
• he will be filledπλήθω, πίμπλημιplēthō · to fillG4130
• Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• Spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• evenἔτιeti · stillG2089
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• mother’sμήτηρmētēr · motherG3384
• wombκοιλίαkoilia · belly/womb/stomachG2836

Cross-references for Luke 1:15

• Luke 7:28I tell you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John, yet even the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
• Genesis 12:2I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, so that you will be a blessing.
• Genesis 48:19But his father refused. “I know, my son, I know!” he said. “He too shall become a people, and he too shall be great; nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”
• Joshua 3:7Now the LORD said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they may know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.
• Joshua 4:14On that day the LORD exalted Joshua in the sight of all Israel, and they revered him all the days of his life, just as they had revered Moses.
• 1 Chronicles 17:8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have cut off all your enemies from before you. Now I will make for you a name like that of the greatest in the land.
• 1 Chronicles 29:12Both riches and honor come from You, and You are the ruler over all. In Your hands are power and might to exalt and give strength to all.
• Matthew 11:9What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet.
• John 5:35John was a lamp that burned and gave light, and you were willing for a season to bask in his light.
• Luke 7:33For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
• Numbers 6:2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them that if a man or woman makes a special vow, the vow of a Nazirite, to separate himself to the LORD,
• Judges 13:4Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
• Matthew 11:18For John came neither eating nor drinking, and they say, ‘He has a demon!’
• Zechariah 9:15The LORD of Hosts will shield them. They will destroy and conquer with slingstones; they will drink and roar as with wine. And they will be filled like sprinkling bowls, drenched like the corners of the altar.
• Acts 2:4And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
• Ephesians 5:18Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Commentaries on Luke 1:15

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 15He shall be great in the sight of the Lord - That is, before Jesus Christ, whose forerunner he shall be; or he shall be a truly great person, for so this form of speech may imply. Neither wine nor strong drink - , i.e. all fermented liquors which have the property of intoxicating, or producing drunkenness. The original word , sikera, comes from the Hebrew, שכר shakar, to inebriate. "Any inebriating liquor," says St. Jerome, (Epis. ad Nepot)." is called…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 15Shall be great - Shall be eminent, or distinguished as a preacher. In the sight of the Lord - Greek, “before the Lord.” That is, shall be “really” or “truly” great. God shall regard him as such. Shall drink neither wine - The kind of wine commonly used in Judea was a light wine, often not stronger than cider in this country. It was the common drink of all classes of the people. See the notes at John 2:11. The use of wine was forbidden only to the…Read the comment
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary · v. 5-25Verses 5-25 The father and mother of John the Baptist were sinners as all are, and were justified and saved in the same way as others; but they were eminent for piety and integrity. They had no children, and it could not be expected that Elisabeth should have any in her old age. While Zacharias was burning incense in the temple, the whole multitude of the people were praying without. All the prayers we offer up to God, are acceptable and successful only…Read the comment
• Tyndale Open Study Notes · v. 15He shall never take wine or strong drink: In the Old Testament, avoiding alcohol was part of the Nazirite vow (a special commitment to God; see Numbers 6:1–21). This commitment or promise to God was usually temporary (see Acts 18:18; 21:23, 26). It was a commitment for life for some people, such as: Samson (Judges 13:4–7), Samuel (compare 1 Samuel 1:11), and John the Baptist. filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb: See Luke 1:41, 44.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 1515. great in the sight of the Lord--nearer to Him in official standing than all the prophets. (See Mt 11:10, 11.) drink neither wine nor strong drink--that is, shall be a Nazarite, or "a separated one" (Nu 6:2, &c.). As the leper was the living symbol of sin, so was the Nazarite of holiness; nothing inflaming was to cross his lips; no razor to come on his head; no ceremonial defilement to be contracted. Thus was he to be "holy to the Lord [ceremonially]…Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 1:15

• Abstinence, Total
• Angel (a Spirit)
• Barrenness
• Children
• Elisabeth (Elizabeth)
• Gabriel
• Holy Spirit
• John
• Joy
• Nazarite
• Prophets
• Temple
• Vision
• Wine
• Zacharias (Zechariah)
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Holy Ghost
• strong drink
• Baptism, Christian
• Begin
• Certainty
• Conceive
• Drink, strong
• Estate
• John the Baptist
• Ministration

Commentaries on Luke 1

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible
• Matthew Henry Concise Commentary
• Tyndale Open Study Notes
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary
• Calvin’s Commentaries
• John Wesley’s Notes
• Catena Aurea
• Illustrated New Testament
• Burkitt’s Expository Notes
• Darby Translation Notes
• Family Bible Notes
• Geneva Bible Translation Notes
• Kingcomments
• John Lightfoot Commentary
• Luther’s Commentary on Selected Bible Passages
• Matthew Henry’s Complete Commentary
• Matthew Henry’s Modern English Commentary
• The People’s New Testament
• Robertson’s Word Pictures
• Scofield Reference Notes, 1917 Edition
• The Fourfold Gospel and Commentary on Acts
• Original Douay–Rheims Annotations
• Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary
• EGW Writings