Luke 1:16

14 And you will have joy and gladness, and ^amany will rejoice at his birth.

15 For he will be ^agreat in the sight of the Lord, and ^bshall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will also be filled with the Holy Spirit, ^ceven from his mother’s womb.

16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

17 ^aHe 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.”

18 And Zacharias said to the angel, ^a“How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”

19 And the angel answered and said to him, “I am ^aGabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you¹ these glad ^btidings.

20 But behold, ^ayou will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place, because you did not believe my words which will be fulfilled in their own time.”

21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the temple.

22 But when he came out, he could not speak to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.

23 So it was, as soon as ^athe days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.

24 Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,

25 “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to ^atake away my reproach among people.”

Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

26 Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth,

27 to a virgin ^abetrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

28 And having come in, the angel said to her, ^a“Rejoice, highly favored one, ^bthe Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

29 But¹ when she saw him, ^ashe was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.

30 Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found ^afavor with God.

31 ^aAnd behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and ^bshall call His name Jesus.

32 He will be great, ^aand will be called the Son of the Highest; and ^bthe Lord God will give Him the ^cthrone of His ^dfather David.

33 ^aAnd He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.”

34 Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I¹ do not know a man?”

35 And the angel answered and said to her, ^a“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called ^bthe Son of God.

36 Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.

37 For ^awith God nothing will be impossible.”

38 Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 Now Mary arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, ^ato a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was ^afilled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ^a“Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.

Commentaries:

Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?

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Luke 1:17 >>

What Does Luke 1:16 Mean?

Luke 1:15-17

God miraculously caused John's conception and birth, even as He did Isaac's and Jesus'. Jesus' conception in a virgin woman without the involvement of a human male is an exception. Isaac and John's conceptions were normally produced except that Sarah and Elizabeth were beyond childbearing age.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Elijah and John the Baptist

Luke 1:15-17

John fulfilled Isaiah 40:3 and Malachi 3:1 as the messenger who prepared the way for the Messiah. In Luke 1:15-17, by God's estimation, John would be great already. No other prophet was given such an accolade from the Highest Source in the entire universe.

» John's greatness lay in the office he filled.

» His greatness lay in the subject he dealt with: repentance and preparing the way for Christ.

» His greatness lay in the manner in which he did it, that is, in humility, calling no attention to himself, and voluntarily receding into the background when the Messiah appeared (John 3:30).

» His greatness lay in performing his function with great zeal.

» His greatness lay in his personal attributes of character as being above reproach in terms of sin, self-denial, and manner of life. He was courageous in the face of opposition.

» His greatness lay in doing his service for his entire life. His whole life, from the womb, was devoted to God. John was "the crown" of the Old Testament prophets.

» His greatness lay in the number and the greatness of his sacrifices, including his life in martyrdom.

John W. Ritenbaugh
Prophets and Prophecy (Part Two)

Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Luke 1:16:

Luke 1:15-17
Luke 1:26-38
Romans 9:9-16

<< Luke 1:15

Luke 1:17 >>

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Christ’s Birth Announced to Mary

Mary Visits Elizabeth

What Does Luke 1:16 Mean?

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