Luke 1:16 (DRB)

Passage

And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness: and many shall rejoice in his nativity.

Luke 1:15 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.

Luke 1:16 And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.

Luke 1:17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias: that he may turn the hearts of the fathers unto the children and the incredulous to the wisdom of the just, to prepare unto the Lord a perfect people.

Luke 1:18 And Zachary said to the angel: Whereby shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shall", "convert", "children", "israel", and "lord". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shall" and "convert", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 15's "For he shall be great before the..." into verse 17's "And he shall go before him in...", so "shall" and "convert" belong inside that flow. In Luke context, the local focus is Christ, faith, and discipleship.

A plain takeaway is to answer the verse's own emphasis on "shall" and "convert" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.