Luke 1:15 (GNV)

Passage

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.

Nearby Context

Luke 1:13 But the Angel saide vnto him, Feare not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wise Elisabet shall beare thee a sonne, and thou shalt call his name Iohn.

Luke 1:14 And thou shalt haue ioy and gladnes, and many shall reioyce at his birth.

Luke 1:15 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.

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

Luke 1:17 For he shall goe before him in the spirite and power of Elias, to turne the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisedome of the iust men, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

Study Lenses

The verse centers on "shalbe", "great", "sight", "lord", "shall", "neither", "drinke", and "wine". It is saying that the verse draws attention to "shalbe" and "great", so its meaning should be read from those terms before moving to application.

The nearby context moves from verse 14's "And thou shalt haue ioy and gladnes..." into verse 16's "And many of the children of Israel...", so "shalbe" and "great" 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 "shalbe" and "great" with trust shaped by these words, not by a vague optimism outside the passage.