Luke 1:17

Luke 1:17 in other versions

• King James Version (KJV)And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
• New International Version (NIV)And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”
• English Standard Version (ESV)and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
• New King James Version (NKJV)He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children,’ and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

Context of Luke 1:17

16He will teach many people in Israel. Then they will turn their lives back to the Lord their God and they will obey God again. John will prepare the people for the Lord to come to them. The Holy Spirit will lead John as he led Elijah. John will do powerful things as Elijah did. He will help fathers to love their children. He will teach people who do not obey God. Then they will know what things are right. And they will do them. Then they will be ready when the Lord comes.’ 18Zechariah asked the angel, ‘How can I be sure about this? You know that I am an old man. My wife is also old.’ 19The angel answered, ‘I am called Gabriel. My place is to stand in front of God. I am always ready to work for God. He has sent me to speak to you. He told me that I should tell you this good news.

Luke 1:17 word by word

καὶ αὐτὸς προελεύσεται ἐνώπιον αὐτοῦ ἐν πνεύματι καὶ δυνάμει Ἠλίου ἐπιστρέψαι καρδίας πατέρων ἐπὶ τέκνα καὶ ἀπειθεῖς ἐν φρονήσει δικαίων, ἑτοιμάσαι κυρίῳ λαὸν κατεσκευασμένον.¶Read the interlinear

Words taken from the KJV.

• Andκαίkai · andG2532
• heαὐτόςautos · it/s/heG846
• shall goπροέρχομαιproerchomai · to go beforeG4281
• beforeἐνώπιονenōpion · beforeG1799
• inἐνen · in/on/amongG1722
• the spiritπνεῦμαpneuma · spirit/breath: spiritG4151
• powerδύναμιςdunamis · powerG1411
• of EliasἩλίαςHēlias · ElijahG2243
• to turnἐπιστρέφωepistrephō · to turnG1994
• the heartsκαρδίαkardia · heartG2588
• of the fathersπατήρpatēr · fatherG3962
• toἐπίepi · upon/to/againstG1909
• the childrenτέκνονteknon · childG5043
• the disobedientἀπειθήςapeithēs · disobedientG545
• the wisdomφρόνησιςphronēsis · understandingG5428
• of the justδίκαιοςdikaios · justG1342
• to make readyἑτοιμάζωhetoimazō · to make readyG2090
• a peopleλαόςlaos · a peopleG2992
• preparedκατασκευάζωkataskeuazō · to prepareG2680
• for the Lordκύριοςkurios · lord: GodG2962

Cross-references for Luke 1:17

• Luke 1:16He will teach many people in Israel. Then they will turn their lives back to the Lord their God and they will obey God again.
• John 1:13They did not become God's children in the usual human way. They were not born because some people wanted to have children. They were not born because of what any man decided. No! They were born from God.
• John 3:28You yourselves will remember that I said, “I am not the Messiah, but God sent me to prepare things for the Messiah.”
• Malachi 4:5Look! I will send my prophet Elijah to you. He will come before that great day of the Lord arrives. That will be a day that makes people afraid.
• Matthew 11:14The prophets wrote about Elijah. They said he would come again, to prepare for the Messiah. They were writing about John, and you should believe their message.
• Matthew 17:11Jesus replied, ‘Yes, Elijah does come first. He gets everything ready.
• Mark 9:11Then the three disciples asked Jesus, ‘Why do the teachers of God's Law say that God's prophet Elijah must return first, before the Messiah comes?’
• John 1:21So they asked him, ‘So who are you? Are you Elijah?’ John said, ‘No, I am not.’ They asked, ‘Are you the Prophet?’ John answered, ‘No.’
• Revelation 20:4Then I saw some thrones, and I saw people who were sitting on them. These people had received authority to judge other people. I also saw the souls of people who had died because they served Jesus. People had cut off their heads because they had told the truth about Jesus, and they had spoken God's message. These believers had not worshipped the wild animal or his image. They had not received the wild animal's mark on their heads or on their hands. Now they became alive again. They ruled as kings together with Christ for 1,000 years.
• 1 Kings 17:1There was a prophet called Elijah who came from Tishbe in Gilead. He said to King Ahab, ‘I am a servant of the Lord, Israel's God. As surely as God lives, there will be no rain or dew for the next few years. Nothing will make the ground wet until I command it to happen.’
• 1 Kings 18:18Elijah replied, ‘I have not brought trouble to Israel. But you and your father's family have done that. You have refused to obey the Lord's commands. Instead, you have worshipped the false gods of Baal.
• 1 Kings 21:20When Elijah met Ahab, Ahab said to him, ‘So, my enemy, now you have found me!’ Elijah answered, ‘Yes, I have found you to warn you! You have decided to do things that the Lord says are evil.
• 2 Kings 1:4Because you are doing this, the Lord says to you, Ahaziah, “You will never leave the bed that you are lying on. You will certainly die.” ’
• Matthew 3:4John wore clothes made from the hair of a camel. He also wore a belt made from leather. His usual food was locusts and honey from the wilderness.
• Matthew 14:4John had said to Herod, ‘Herodias was your brother's wife. So it is not right for you to have her as your wife.’
• Luke 3:7Crowds of people were going out into the wilderness. They wanted John to baptize them. He told them, ‘You are like dangerous snakes! God is angry. You are trying to run away from him. But he will soon punish people like you.

Commentaries on Luke 1:17

• Adam Clarke Bible Commentary · v. 17He shall go before him - Jesus Christ, in the spirit and power of Elijah; he shall resemble Elijah in his retired and austere manner of life, and in his zeal for the truth, reproving even princes for their crimes; compare 1 Kings 21:17-24, with Matthew 14:4. It was on these accounts that the Prophet Malachi, Malachi 4:6, had likened John to this prophet. See also Isaiah 40:3; and Malachi 4:5, Malachi 4:6. To turn the hearts of the fathers - Gross…Read the comment
• Barnes’ Notes on the Bible · v. 17Shall go before him - Before the Messiah. The connection here leads us to suppose that the word “him” refers to the “Lord their God” in the previous verse. If so, then it will follow that the Messiah was the Lord God of Israel - a character abundantly given him in other parts of the New Testament. In the spirit and power of Elias - See the notes at Matthew 11:14. To turn the hearts of the fathers to the children - In the time of John the Jews were divided…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. 17he will go on before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elijah: The prophet Malachi prophesied that God would send Elijah before the time of God's salvation (see Malachi 3:1; 4:5–6). John the Baptist filled this role by preparing the way for the Lord's coming.Read the comment
• Jamieson–Fausset–Brown Commentary · v. 16-1716-17. A religious and moral reformer, Elijah-like, he should be (Mal 4:6, where the "turning of the people's heart to the Lord" is borrowed from 1Ki 18:37). In both cases their success, though great, was partial--the nation was not gained.Read the comment

Topics related to Luke 1:17

• Agency
• Angel (a Spirit)
• Barrenness
• Elijah
• Elisabeth (Elizabeth)
• Gabriel
• John
• Joy
• Power
• Prophecy
• Quotations and Allusions
• Regeneration
• Temple
• Vision
• Wisdom
• Zacharias (Zechariah)
• Zeal, Religious

In the dictionaries

• Begin
• Certainty
• Conceive
• Estate
• Malachi, Prophecies of
• Ministration
• Noise
• Righteousness
• Salutation
• Sign

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