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 will name him John. 14There will be joy and delight for you, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and will never drink wine or beer. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother’s womb. 16He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. 17And he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the disobedient to the understanding of the righteous, to make ready for the Lord a prepared people.”

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

Words taken from the KJV.

• Forγάρgar · forG1063
• he shall beεἰμίeimi · to beG1510
• greatμέγαςmegas · greatG3173
• in the sight ofἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• the Lordὁho hē to · the/this/whoG3588
• the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962
• andκαίkai · andG2532
• shall drinkπίνωpinō piō poō · to drinkG4095
• neitherοὐou · noG3756
• wineοἶνοςoinos · wineG3631
• strong drinkσίκεραsikera · alcoholic drinkG4608
• he shall be filledπλήθω, πίμπλημιplēthō · to fillG4130
• withπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• the Holyἅγιοςhagios · holyG40
• evenἔτιeti · stillG2089
• fromἐκek ex · out fromG1537
• hisαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• mother’sμήτηρmētēr · motherG3384
• wombκοιλίαkoilia · belly/womb/stomachG2836
• ·μήmē · notG3361

Cross-references for Luke 1:15

• Luke 7:28I tell you, among those born of women no one is greater than John, but the least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.”
• Genesis 12:2I will make you into a great nation, I will bless you, I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
• Genesis 48:19But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know! He too will become a tribe, and he too will be great; nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater than he, and his offspring will become a populous nation.”
• Joshua 3:7The Lord spoke to Joshua: “Today I will begin to exalt you in the sight of all Israel, so they will know that I will be 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 throughout his life, as they had revered Moses.
• 1 Chronicles 17:8I have been with you wherever you have gone, and I have destroyed all your enemies before you. I will make a name for you like that of the greatest on the earth.
• 1 Chronicles 29:12Riches and honor come from you, and you are the ruler of everything. Power and might are in your hand, and it is in your hand to make great and to 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 burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
• Luke 7:33For John the Baptist did not come eating bread or drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
• Numbers 6:2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: When a man or woman makes a special vow, a Nazirite vow, to consecrate himself to the Lord,
• Judges 13:4Now please be careful not to drink wine or beer, or 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 Armies will defend them. They will consume and conquer with slingstones; they will drink and be rowdy as if with wine. They will be as full as the sprinkling basin, like those at the corners of the altar.
• Acts 2:4Then they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them.
• Ephesians 5:18And don’t get drunk with wine, which leads to reckless living, but be filled by 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