Luke 1:16
in Luke 1Many of the sons of Israel he will turn back to the Lord their God.
BSB
The same verse in ASV and KJV ▾
ASV
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn unto the Lord their God.
KJV
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God.
⋯
This verse in Luke 1
Commentary
15 notes on this verseJohn indeed turned many, but it is the Lord's work to turn all to God their Father.
This site's exposition
Many of the sons of Israel
on Luke 1:16-17
In the spirit and power of Elijah takes up Malachi 4:5-6, to turn the hearts of the fathers to their children. The phrase fits both Jesus naming him Elijah in Matthew 11:14 and John refusing the title in John 1:21.
The record, by era
The Church Fathers3 voices
[Daniel 8:16-17] "And I heard the voice of a man in the midst of the Ulai, and he cried out and said: 'Gabriel, make this vision intelligible (Vulgate: make this man to understand the vision).' And he came and stood near to where I was standing." The Jews claim that this man who directed Gabriel to explain the vision to Daniel was Michael. Quite appropriately it was Gabriel, who has been put in charge of battles, to whom this duty was assigned, inasmuch as the vision had to do with battles and contests between kings and even between kingdoms themselves. For Gabriel is translated into our language as "the strength of, or the mighty one of, God." And so at that time also when the Lord was about to be born and to declare war against the demons and to triumph over the world, Gabriel came to Zacharias (Luke 1:11-20) and to Mary (Luke 1:26-27). And then we read in the Psalms concerning the Lord in His triumph: "Who is this king of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle; He is the King of glory" (Psalm 24:8). But whenever it is medicine or healing that is needed, it is Raphael who is sent, for his name is rendered as "the healing of," or "the medicine of God" - that is, if one cares to accept the authority of the Book of Tobias (Tobit 12:11-15). […]
And now by certain of us the baptism of heretics is asserted to occupy the (like) ground, and, as if by a certain dislike of re-baptizing, it is counted unlawful to baptize after God's enemies. And this, although we find that they were baptized whom John had baptized: John, esteemed the greatest among the prophets; John, filled with divine grace even in his mother's womb; who was sustained with the spirit and power of Elias; who was not an adversary of the Lord, but His precursor and announcer; who not only foretold our Lord in words, but even showed Him to the eyes; who baptized Christ Himself by whom others are baptized.
A commentator
IrenaeusAgainst Heresies (Book III, Chapter 10), Section 1 · Written before 202.
proposed
And then, speaking of John, he thus says: "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. And he shall go before Him in the spirit and power of Elias, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." For whom, then, did he prepare the people, and in the sight of what Lord was he made great?
The Medieval Church2 voices
John did not convert all, but "many"; whereas the Lord enlightened all.
Thirdly, he commends him in doctrine with respect to the efficacy of usefulness and with respect to the eminence of authority. On account of the efficacy of usefulness he says: And he shall convert many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God. …
8 more voices on this verse
The Medieval Church3 voices
(Metaphrastes sup.) But what John's work is to be, and what he will do through the Holy Spirit, is shown as follows; And many of the children of Israel shall he turn, &c. Or else; The Jews were the parents of John and the Apostles; but, nevertheless, from pride and infidelity raged violently against the Gospel. Therefore, like dutiful children, John first, and the Apostles after him, declared to them the truth, winning them over to their own righteousness and wisdom. So also will Elias convert the remnant of Hebrews to the truth of the Apostles.
And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah. When John, who bore witness to Christ, was baptizing people in his faith, he is said to …
Now since John (who, bearing witness to Christ, baptized the people in His faith) is said to have turned the children of Israel to the Lord their God, it is plain that Christ is the God of Israel. Let the Arians then cease to deny that Christ our Lord is God. Let the Photinians blush to ascribe Christ's beginning to the Virgin. Let the Manichæns no longer believe that there is one God of the people of Israel, another of the Christians.
The Puritans and the Awakening3 voices
And many of the children of Israel shall he turn - None therefore need be ashamed of "preaching like John the Baptist." To the Lord their God - To Christ.
And many of the children of Israel,....
When sin is thereby made grievous, Christ will become very precious. Zacharias's unbelief of the angel's prediction, and the rebuke he was laid under for that unbelief. He heard all that the angel had to say, and should have bowed his head, and worshipped the Lord, saying, Be it unto thy servant according to the word which thou hast spoken; but it was not so.
The Nineteenth Century2 voices
Many of the children of Israel shall he turn - See this prediction fulfilled, Luk 3:10-18.
A commentator
Albert Barnes1798–1870
Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869)
proposed
Children of Israel - Jews. Descendants of Israel or Jacob. Shall he turn - By repentance. He shall call them from their sins, and persuade them to forsake them, and to seek the Lord their God.
The words behind it
11 Greek wordsEvery Greek word of this verse in the order it stands, with what it means and the door to its own study. The last column counts the times a word stands in the whole Bible: the rarer the word, the more the places it appears belong together.
| Greek | Sound | Meaning | Word study | In the Bible |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| καὶ | kai | And | G2532 → | 9120 times |
| πολλοὺς | pollous | many | G4183 → | 367 times |
| τῶν | ton | of the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| υἱῶν | huion | sons | G5207 → | 377 times |
| Ἰσραὴλ | israel | of Israel | G2474 → | 68 times |
| ἐπιστρέψει | epistrepsei | he will turn | G1994 → | 36 times |
| ἐπὶ | epi | to | G1909 → | 883 times |
| κύριον | kurion | [the] Lord | G2962 → | 711 times |
| τὸν | ton | the | G3588 → | 19766 times |
| θεὸν | theon | God | G2316 → | 1312 times |
| αὐτῶν, | auton | of them, | G846 → | 5565 times |
καὶAnd
kaiG2532 →9120 times
πολλοὺςmany
pollousG4183 →367 times
τῶνof the
tonG3588 →19766 times
υἱῶνsons
huionG5207 →377 times
Ἰσραὴλof Israel
israelG2474 →68 times
ἐπιστρέψειhe will turn
epistrepseiG1994 →36 times
ἐπὶto
epiG1909 →883 times
κύριον[the] Lord
kurionG2962 →711 times
τὸνthe
tonG3588 →19766 times
θεὸνGod
theonG2316 →1312 times
αὐτῶν,of them,
autonG846 →5565 times
A shaded row is a word that stands 400 times or fewer in the Bible.
The walk
8 stopsEach card is a verse this one points to, and under it the verses that one points to in turn. Where several paths arrive at the same place, that place is listed first: the text keeps returning to it.
Through
Malachi 3:1“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He…
it leads to
- Mark 1:2–3
As it is written in Isaiah the prophet: “Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way.”
Reached by 2 separate paths from here.
- Malachi 4:5
Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and awesome Day of the LORD.
- Luke 1:76
And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
- Isaiah 63:9
In all their distress, He too was afflicted, and the Angel of His Presence saved them. In His love and compassion He redeemed them; He lifted them up and carried them all the days…
- Matthew 11:10–11
This is the one about whom it is written: ‘Behold, I will send My messenger ahead of You, who will prepare Your way before You.’
- Mark 1:2–3
Through
Luke 1:76And you, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High; for you will go on before the Lord to prepare the way for Him,
it leads to
- Malachi 3:1
“Behold, I will send My messenger, who will prepare the way before Me. Then the Lord whom you seek will suddenly come to His temple—the Messenger of the covenant, in whom you delight—see, He…
- Isaiah 40:3–5
A voice of one calling: “Prepare the way for the LORD in the wilderness; make a straight highway for our God in the desert.
- Matthew 3:3
This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah: “A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
- Malachi 3:1
Where this verse is studied
On this page
Studies40
On this verse
On this chapter
Show the next 6 titles
- Elijah the Tishbite
- Why Four Gospels
- The Genealogies of Christ
- Hannah: 1 Samuel 1:1-2:21
- Hannah's Prayer: 1 Samuel 2:1-10
- How We Got the Bible
Show the next 6 titles
About Luke
This page draws on 15 works. Open the list of works
This page draws on Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Bible; Albert Barnes, Notes, Explanatory and Practical, on the Old and New Testaments (1832-1869); Ancient Greek Expositor, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bede, On the Gospel of Luke; Bede, Catena Aurea by Aquinas; Bonaventure, Commentary on Luke, Chapter 1; Cyprian, Epistle LXXII.25; Irenaeus, Against Heresies (Book III, Chapter 10), Section 1; Jamieson, Fausset & Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible; Jerome, St. Jerome, Commentary on Daniel, CHAPTER EIGHT; John Gill, Exposition of the New Testament (1746-1748); John Wesley, Explanatory Notes upon the New Testament; Matthew Henry, Commentary on the Whole Bible; Origen of Alexandria, Catena Aurea by Aquinas and Theophylact of Ohrid, Commentary on Luke.