LUKE 1:15 Parallel Verse View

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Text critical issues=small word differences Clarity of original=clear Importance to us=normal (All still tentative.)

Key: khaki:verbs, light-green:nominative/subject, orange:accusative/object, pink:genitive/possessor, red:negative.
Note: Automatic aligning of the OET-RV to the LV is done by some temporary software, hence the RV alignments are incomplete (and may occasionally be wrong).

ULT For he will be great before the Lord, and he must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

UST You and they will be happy because your son will be very influential for God. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink. The Holy Spirit will begin to influence him even before he is born.

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.

MSB 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.

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 his mother's womb.

AICNT For he will be great before the Lord, and he shall not drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit,[fn] even from his mother's womb.

1:15, Spirit: The Greek word for Spirit is defined by BDAG as: (1) air in movement, blowing, breathing, (2) that which animates or gives life to the body, breath , (life-)spirit, (3) a part of human personality, spirit, (4) an independent noncorporeal being, in contrast to a being that can be perceived by the physical senses, spirit, or (5) God's being as controlling influence, with focus on association with humans, Spirit, spirit ... (c) Because of its heavenly origin and nature this Spirit is called (the) Holy Spirit. (BDAG, πνεῦμα)

OEB For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; he will not drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth,

WEBBE 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.

WMBB (Same as above)

NET for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.

LSV for he will be great before the LORD, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and he will be full of the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb;

FBV He will be great in the sight of the Lord. He will refuse to drink wine or other alcoholic drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he's born.

TCNT for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He must never drink any wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

T4T God will consider him to be very important. He must never drink wine or any other alcoholic drink, in order that he will be completely dedicated to God. He will be controlled by the Holy Spirit {The Holy Spirit will control him} from before he is born.

LEB • For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he must never drink wine or beer,
• and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit
• while he is[fn] still in his mother’s womb.

1:13 *Here the phrase “while he is,” including the verb, is understood in Greek and is supplied in the translation

BBE For he will be great in the eyes of the Lord; he will not take wine or strong drink; and he will be full of the Spirit of God from his birth.

Moff for he shall be great in the sight of the Lord,
⇔ he will drink neither wine nor strong drink,
⇔ 
⇔ he will be filled with the holy Spirit from his very birth;

Wymth For he will be great in the sight of the Lord; no wine or fermented drink shall he ever drink; but he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the very hour of his birth.

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.

DRA For he shall be great before the Lord; and shall drink no wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

YLT for he shall be great before the Lord, and wine and strong drink he may not drink, and of the Holy Spirit he shall be full, even from his mother's womb;

Drby 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.

RV 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 Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

SLT For he shall be great before the Lord, and wine and fermented liquor he should not drink; and with the Holy Spirit shall he be filled, even from his mother’s womb.

Wbstr 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 Spirit, even from his mother's womb.

KJB-1769 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.

KJB-1611 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shal drinke neither wine, nor strong drinke, and he shall bee filled with the holy Ghost, euen from his mothers wombe.
(Modernised spelling is same as from KJB-1769 above, apart from capitalisation and punctuation)

Bshps For he shalbe great in the syght of the Lorde, and shall neither drynke wine nor strong drynke: and he shalbe fylled with the holy ghost, euen from his mothers wombe.
(For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink: and he shall be filled with the holy ghost, even from his mothers womb.)

Gnva For he shalbe great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drinke wine, nor strong drinke: and he shalbe filled with the holy Ghost, euen from his mothers wombe.
(For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine, nor strong drinke: and he shall be filled with the holy Ghost, even from his mothers womb. )

Cvdl for he shal be greate before the LORDE. Wyne and stronge drynke shal he not drynke. And he shalbe fylled wt the holy goost, euen in his mothers wombe.
(for he shall be great before the LORD. Wyne and strong drink shall he not drink. And he shall be filled with the holy ghost, even in his mothers womb.)

TNT For he shalbe greate in the sight of the lorde and shall nether drinke wyne ner stronge drinke. And he shalbe filled with the holy goost even in his mothers wombe:
(For he shall be great in the sight of the lord and shall neither drink wine nor strong drink. And he shall be filled with the holy ghost even in his mothers womb: )

Wycl For he schal be greet bifor the Lord, and he schal not drynke wyn and sidir, and he schal be fulfillid with the Hooli Goost yit of his modir wombe.
(For he shall be great before the Lord, and he shall not drink wine and sidir, and he shall be fulfilled with the Holy Ghost yet of his mother womb.)

Luth Denn er wird groß sein vor dem HErr’s. Wein und stark Getränk wird er nicht trinken und er wird noch im Mutterleibe erfüllet werden mit Heiligen Geist.
(Because he becomes large be before/in_front_of to_him LORD’s. wine and stark beverage becomes he not drink(v) and he becomes still in_the womb fulfilled become with saints/holy_ones spirit.)

ClVg erit enim magnus coram Domino: et vinum et siceram non bibet, et Spiritu Sancto replebitur adhuc ex utero matris suæ:[fn]
(will_be because big before Master: and wine and siceram not/no he_will_drink, and By_Spirit Holy will_be_filled still from the_womb mother his/her_own: )

1.15 Vinum et siceram, etc. BEDA. Magnæ coram Deo virtutis est prædicare in deserto gaudia cœlestia, etc., usque ad et jam erat spiritus gratiæ.

1.15 Vinum and siceram, etc. BEDA. Magnæ before to_God of_virtue it_is to_preach in/into/on in_the_desert joys heaven, etc., until to and already was spirit thanks.

UGNT ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου; καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ.
(estai gar megas enōpion tou Kuriou; kai oinon kai sikera ou maʸ piaʸ, kai Pneumatos Hagiou plaʸsthaʸsetai eti ek koilias maʸtros autou.)

SBL-GNT ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον ⸀τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ,
(estai gar megas enōpion ⸀tou kuriou, kai oinon kai sikera ou maʸ piaʸ, kai pneumatos hagiou plaʸsthaʸsetai eti ek koilias maʸtros autou,)

RP-GNT Ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ κυρίου, καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ πνεύματος ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ.
(Estai gar megas enōpion tou kuriou, kai oinon kai sikera ou maʸ piaʸ, kai pneumatos hagiou plaʸsthaʸsetai eti ek koilias maʸtros autou.)

TC-GNT Ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον [fn]τοῦ Κυρίου, καὶ οἶνον καὶ σίκερα οὐ μὴ πίῃ, καὶ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ.
(Estai gar megas enōpion tou Kuriou, kai oinon kai sikera ou maʸ piaʸ, kai Pneumatos Hagiou plaʸsthaʸsetai eti ek koilias maʸtros autou. )

1:15 του ¦ — 𝔐^pt TH WH

Key for above GNTs: yellow:punctuation differs (from our SR-GNT base).

SOTN SIL Open Translator’s Notes:

Section 1:5–25: An angel said that John the Baptizer would be born

An angel of the Lord appeared to Zechariah while he was working in the temple as a priest. The angel told him that his wife Elizabeth would become pregnant and have a baby, and that he must name him John. Zechariah and Elizabeth were old, and Elizabeth was not able to have children. So Zechariah did not believe the angel. Because he did not believe that what the angel said would happen, the angel made him unable to speak. But later, Elizabeth became pregnant.

It is good to translate this section before you decide on a heading for it. Some other possible headings for this section are:

The Birth of John the Baptist is Announced (GNT)

The angel Gabriel predicts the birth of John the Baptizer

The angel Gabriel announces/prophesies to Zechariah that his wife will have a son

Paragraph 1:11–17

In this paragraph, Luke began to tell the main events of this section after he gave the background information in 1:5–10. Introduce this paragraph in a natural way in your language.

1:15a

for he will be great in the sight of the Lord.

For the Lord will esteem him highly.
He will be a man whom the Lord considers great.
The Lord God will view/consider him to be a truly great/important man.

for: The Greek conjunction that the BSB translates as for introduces the reasons why Zechariah and many other people would be happy about John’s birth (1:14). These reasons are given in 1:15–17. The main reason is that John would prepare the way for the Lord. Express these reasons in a natural way in your language.

he will be great in the sight of the Lord: The Greek clause that the BSB translates as he will be great in the sight of the Lord is an idiom. It means that God would consider John to be a very important man. God would think highly of him. Some other ways to translate this are:

The Lord will consider him to be very great

He will be very important in the Lord’s estimation/view

The Lord will recognize/esteem him as a great man

in the sight of the Lord: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as in the sight of the Lord is literally “before the Lord.” The phrase “before the Lord” or “before God” is used four other times in Luke 1 (1:17, 1:19, 1:75, 1:76).

Lord: For further discussion of the term Lord, see the Note at 1:6b. See also Lord, Context 2, in the Glossary.

1:15b

He shall never take wine or strong drink,

He must never drink wine or other alcoholic drink,
He must not drink any wine or any other drink at all that can make people drunk,

He shall never take wine or strong drink: This is a command. John must not drink wine or any other drink that could make him drunk. A requirement like this is described in Numbers 6:1–4. It would be a sign to that person and to others that he was dedicated to the Lord in a special way. In some translations it may be helpful to include a footnote about this. For example:

John was dedicated to the Lord to fulfill a very important purpose. As a sign of that dedication, the Lord commanded that John should not drink wine.

never: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as never means “definitely not.” The angel meant that John must not ever drink these things.

take: The Greek verb that the BSB translates as take is literally “drink.” Most English versions say “drink.”

wine or strong drink: The Jews had two basic terms for alcoholic drinks. The BSB translates these terms as wine and strong drink. In some languages it may be necessary to use one general term for all alcoholic drinks. For example:

all fermented/alcoholic drinks

any drink that causes someone/people to become drunk

wine: The word wine refers to an alcoholic drink. It is made from the juice of a fruit called grapes. When grape juice ferments, it becomes wine.

In some areas, people may not be familiar with grapes or with wine. If that is true in your area, some other ways to translate wine are:

Use a specific term for another alcoholic drink made from fruit. For example:
pomegranate wine
palm wine
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
fermented fruit juice/water
grape juice
fermented grape juice

strong drink: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as strong drink refers to alcoholic beverages other than wine that the Jews made from either fruit or grain.English terms such as “strong drink” (BSB, RSV, GNT, etc.), “liquor” (NASB, GW), or especially “hard liquor” (NLT96) may be misleading because for some readers such terms imply distilled alcoholic beverages (such as whiskey, gin, and vodka). Distilled alcoholic beverages were not known in the ancient world. The most common of these was beer made from barley or from barley and millet.

Some ways to translate this are:

Use a term for an alcoholic drink made from grain, even if it is not made from barley or millet.
Use a general term for alcoholic drinks.
Use a descriptive phrase. For example:
other drinks that make (people) drunk

1:15c

and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.

and he will be guided by the Holy Spirit even from the time that he is in his mother’s womb.
and God’s Holy Spirit will fill/control him even before he is born.
and the power of the Holy Spirit will be upon him from the moment he is conceived.

he will be filled with the Holy Spirit: The Greek expression that the BSB translates as filled with the Holy Spirit is a common figure of speech in the New Testament. It implies that the Holy Spirit would guide or control John and give him the power to do all that God wanted him to do. Some ways to translate this are:

the Holy Spirit will guide/empower him

he will be full of the Holy Spirit

the power of the Holy Spirit will be with him (CEV)

The verb will be filled is passive. Notice that the examples above do not use passive verbs. Translate the clause in a natural way in your language.

The context indicates that John would be “filled” during his entire life. This figure also occurs in 1:41b and 1:67a, but there the “filling” is momentary.

the Holy Spirit: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as Holy Spirit refers to the Spirit of God. The Holy Spirit is God, together with God the Father and God the Son. The Holy Spirit is Spirit in the sense that he is a living being who does not have a physical body. He is Holy in the sense that he is divine. He is perfect in every way and is completely pure and sinless. Because of these qualities, he is worthy of awe.

Some ways to translate Holy Spirit are:

Spirit/Breath of God

Holy/Sacred Spirit

Do not imply that the Holy Spirit is like the ghost of a dead person or that God has died.

See holy, sense A2, in KBT.

even from his mother’s womb: The Greek phrase that the BSB translates as even from his mother’s womb is literally “even from/out-of his mother’s womb/belly.” Scholars interpret the phrase “from his mother’s womb” in one of two ways:

It refers to the time when John was in his mother’s womb. This means before he was born. For example:
while yet in his mother’s womb (NASB) (BSB, RSV, NASB, NET, GW, NLT)
It refers to the time when John was born. For example:
From his very birth (GNT) (NIV, GNT, REB, NCV, CEV, JBP)

English versions that use the phrase “from his mother’s womb” are somewhat ambiguous (NJB, KJV, RSV).English speakers disagree about the meaning of this English phrase. In some languages it may be possible to use a general expression that could be interpreted in either way. If that is true in your language, it is good to use that term. If you must choose one of the interpretations, it is recommended that you follow interpretation (1).There is support for both views in English versions and commentaries. However, a majority of commentaries favor the view that John would be filled with the Holy Spirit even before his birth. While Luke 1:41 (“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb”) does not prove this interpretation, it does support it. The Greek expression ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς is fairly common in the Septuagint and NT and can mean either “from birth” (Job 1:21, Isaiah 48:8) or “from the womb” (Isaiah 44:2).

UTN uW Translation Notes:

Note 1 topic: grammar-connect-logic-result

ἔσται γὰρ μέγας

˱he˲_will_be (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔσται Γάρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου καί οἶνον καί σίκερα οὒ μή πίῃ καί Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός αὐτοῦ)

The word For introduces the reason why people will rejoice at John's birth. Alternate translation: [This will be because they will be able to tell that he is going to be a great man]

Note 2 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

ἔσται γὰρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου

The expression before the Lord means “in front of the Lord,” that is, “where the Lord can see him.” Sight, in turn, represents attention and judgment. Alternate translation: [God will consider him to be very important]

Note 3 topic: figures-of-speech / doublenegatives

οὐ μὴ πίῃ

(Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔσται Γάρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου καί οἶνον καί σίκερα οὒ μή πίῃ καί Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός αὐτοῦ)

The phrase must never translates two negative words in Greek. The angel uses them together to emphasize how important it is that the child not drink wine or strong drink. If your language can use two negatives together for emphasis without them cancelling each other to create a positive meaning, it would be appropriate to use that construction here.

Note 4 topic: figures-of-speech / activepassive

Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται

˱of˲_˓the˒_Spirit Holy ˱he˲_˓will_be_being˒_filled

If it would be helpful in your language, you could express this with an active form. Alternate translation: [the Holy Spirit will fill him]

Note 5 topic: figures-of-speech / metaphor

Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται

˱of˲_˓the˒_Spirit Holy ˱he˲_˓will_be_being˒_filled

The angel speaks as if John would be a container that the Holy Spirit would fill. He means that the Holy Spirit will empower and influence John. Be sure that in your translation, this does not sound similar to what an evil spirit might do to in taking control of a person. Alternate translation: [the Holy Spirit will empower him]

ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρὸς αὐτοῦ

still from ˓the˒_womb (Some words not found in SR-GNT: ἔσται Γάρ μέγας ἐνώπιον τοῦ Κυρίου καί οἶνον καί σίκερα οὒ μή πίῃ καί Πνεύματος Ἁγίου πλησθήσεται ἔτι ἐκ κοιλίας μητρός αὐτοῦ)

Alternate translation: [while he is still in his mother’s womb]

Parallel LUKE 1:15

Section 1:5–25: An angel said that John the Baptizer would be born

Paragraph 1:11–17

1:15a

1:15b

1:15c