11 Then appeared unto him an Angel of the Lord, standing at the right side of the Altar of incense.

12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.

13 But the Angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard, and thy wife Elizabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness, and many shall rejoice at his birth.

15 For he shall be great in the [a]sight of the Lord, and shall neither drink wine, nor [b]strong drink: and he shall be filled with the holy Ghost, even from his mother’s womb.

16 (A)And many of the children of Israel shall he [c]turn to their Lord God.

17 (B)For he shall go [d]before him [e]in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the [f]hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the [g]wisdom of the just men, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.

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Footnotes

  1. Luke 1:15 So speak the Hebrews when it signified a rare kind of excellency: so is it said of Nimrod, Gen. 10:9. He was a valiant hunter before God.
  2. Luke 1:15 Any drink that may make drunken.
  3. Luke 1:16 Shall be a means to bring many to repentance, and turn themselves to the Lord from whom they fell.
  4. Luke 1:17 As they used to go before kings, and when you see them, you know the king is not far off.
  5. Luke 1:17 This is spoken by the figure Metonymy, taking the spirit, for the gift of the spirit, as you would say, the cause, for that that cometh of the cause.
  6. Luke 1:17 By this figure Synecdoche, he showeth that he shall take away all kinds of enmities, which used to breed great troubles and turmoils amongst men.
  7. Luke 1:17 Wisdom and goodness are two of the chiefest causes which make men to reverence and honor their fathers.

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