Luke 1:15

The Holy Spirit

¹³ But 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.

¹⁴ He 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.

¹⁶ Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.

¹⁷ And 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.”

Here the Bible tells a story about someone else. Ask yourself what it can say to us today. Do read the surrounding verses too, because the context often says more than a single verse.

Compare

BSB: 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.
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.
WEB: For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.
ASV: For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother`s womb.
DARBY: For he shall be great before [the] Lord, and he shall drink no wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with [the] Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
BLB: for he will be great before the Lord. And he shall never drink wine and strong drink, and he will be full of the Holy Spirit even from the womb of his mother.

ÅB: For han skal være stor for Herren, og han skal ikke drikke vin og sterk drikk, og han skal fylles med den Hellige Ånd like fra mors liv;
OTB: For han skal være stor i Herrens øyne. Han skal ikke drikke vin eller sterk drikk, og han skal bli fylt med Den Hellige Ånd allerede fra mors liv.
B1930: For han skal være stor for Herren, og han skal ikke drikke vin og sterk drikk, og han skal fylles med den Hellige Ånd like fra mors liv;

Study notes (Tyndale)

Original text and word study

Cross references

Jeremiah 1:5
“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as a prophet to the nations.”
Read in context
Numbers 6:2–4
“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,
Read in context
Ephesians 5:18
Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to reckless indiscretion. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Read in context
Judges 13:4–6
Now please be careful not to drink wine or strong drink, and not to eat anything unclean.
Read in context
Galatians 1:15
But when God, who set me apart from my mother’s womb and called me by His grace, was pleased
Read in context
Luke 7:33
For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon!’
Read in context
Acts 2:4
And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
Read in context
Joshua 4:14
On 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.
Read in context