Luke 1:16
ESV
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
NIV
He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God.
NASB
And he will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
CSB
He will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
NLT
And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord their God.
KJV
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
NKJV
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.
What does Luke 1:16 mean?
The Old Testament predicted a prophet would arise to herald the coming of the Messiah (Isaiah 40:3; Malachi 3:1). This prophecy will be fulfilled in the life of John the Baptist. An angel has just predicted John's birth to Zechariah (Luke 1:11–15), an aging, childless priest (Luke 1:5–7). The angel has noted that John will be called "great" for his spiritual strength (Luke 7:24–28). Before he is even born, the child will be sensitive to the influence of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:43–45; 80).Here, the angel notes that John's call for repentance (Luke 3:2–3) will be effective. Before Jesus begins His earthly ministry, John's preaching will "make his paths straight," introducing ideas which will make others more receptive to the preaching of Christ (Mark 1:4). Even after Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection, John's message will be a point of reference for evangelists (Acts 13:24–25; 19:4). However, his message will not be the final word in God's plan for mankind's salvation—this is a point John himself will fully understand (John 3:28–30).
