God’s Word Translation
Luke 1:15
15As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born.
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
13The angel said to him, “Don’t be afraid, Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife Elizabeth will have a son, and you will name him John. 14He will be your pride and joy, and many people will be glad that he was born. As far as the Lord is concerned, he will be a great man. He will never drink wine or any other liquor. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16He will bring many people in Israel back to the Lord their God. 17He will go ahead of the Lord with the spirit and power that Elijah had. He will change parents’ attitudes toward their children. He will change disobedient people so that they will accept the wisdom of those who have God’s approval. In this way he will prepare the people for their Lord.”
Read all of Luke 1Luke 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 can guarantee that of all the people ever born, no one is greater than John. Yet, the least important person in God’s kingdom is greater than John.
- Genesis 12:2I will make you a great nation, I will bless you. I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.
- Genesis 48:19His father refused and said, “I know, Son, I know! Manasseh, too, will become a nation, and he, too, will be important. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be more important than he, and his descendants will become many nations.”
- Joshua 3:7Then the Lord said to Joshua, “Today I will begin to honor you in front of all the people of Israel. I will do this to let them know that I am with you just as I was with Moses.
- Joshua 4:14On that day the Lord honored Joshua in the presence of all the Israelites. As long as Joshua lived, the Israelites respected him in the same way they had respected Moses.
- 1 Chronicles 17:8I was with you wherever you went, and I destroyed all your enemies in front of you. I will make your name like the names of the greatest people on earth.
- 1 Chronicles 29:12Riches and honor are in front of you. You rule everything. You hold power and strength in your hands, and you can make anyone great and strong.
- Matthew 11:9“Really, what did you go to see? A prophet? Let me tell you that he is far more than a prophet.
- John 5:35John was a lamp that gave off brilliant light. For a time you enjoyed the pleasure of his light.
- Luke 7:33John the Baptizer has come neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘There’s a demon in him!’
- Numbers 6:2“Speak to the Israelites and tell them: A man or a woman may make a special vow to live as a Nazirite dedicated to the Lord.
- Judges 13:4Now you must be careful. Don’t drink any wine or liquor or eat any unclean food.
- Matthew 11:18“John came neither eating nor drinking, and people say, ‘There’s a demon in him!’
- Zechariah 9:15The Lord of Armies will defend them. They will destroy and trample the stones used in slings. They will drink and shout as if they were drunk. They will be filled like a sacrificial bowl ⌞used for sprinkling⌟ the corners of the altar.
- Acts 2:4All the believers were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages as the Spirit gave them the ability to speak.
- Ephesians 5:18Don’t get drunk on wine, which leads to wild living. 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
In the dictionaries
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
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