Exegesis:

Vv. 15-17 form one series of co-ordinate clauses, together stating the reason for the rejoicing of Zechariah and the ‘many.’ Hence all clauses are determined by gar ‘for’ in v. 15. V. 15 describes John personally, vv. 16f describe his work.

megas enōpion [tou] kuriou ‘great in the sight of the Lord.’

megas ‘great,’ here in a figurative sense of rank and dignity as also indicated by enōpion tou kuriou.

enōpion preposition with genitive, ‘before’ of place, ‘in the presence of,’ ‘in the sight,’ or, ‘the judgment of.’ Here equivalent to enantion in v. 6.

kai oinon kai sikera ou mē piē ‘and wine and strong drink he shall not drink.’ There is no reason to take this clause and the next one as explaining megas enōpion tou kuriou. The relationship between the clauses is rather that the first describes the rank or dignity, the second the behavior and the last the spiritual endowment of the promised child.

oinos ‘wine,’ i.e. the fermented juice of the grape.

sikera transliteration of an Aramaic word meaning ‘strong drink.’ The abstinence from wine and strong drink marks John as a Nazirite, i.e. a man who by a special vow had devoted himself completely to God and as an illustration of this devotion abstained from everything “that is produced by the grapevine” (cf. Num. 6.1-4).

ou mē piē ‘he shall not drink.’ ou mē with aorist subjunctive or future indicative is “the most definite form of negation regarding the future”.

pinō ‘to drink.’

pneumatos hagiou plēsthēsetai ‘he will be filled with the Holy Spirit.’ The endowment with the Holy Spirit characterizes John as a prophet since, according to Jewish interpretation, the Spirit was the “Spirit of prophecy” (cf. Strack-Billerbeck II, 127ff).

pneuma ‘spirit’ with the following meanings: (1) with hagion with or without article ‘the Holy Spirit’; (2) to pneuma ‘the Spirit,’ identical with (1); (3) the ‘human spirit’ (cf. on 1.47, 80), or ‘life-spirit’ (cf. 8.55); (4) ‘evil spirit,’ causing bodily and/or mental illness.

pimplēmi ‘to fill,’ except 5.7 always in the passive and here and 1.41, 67 of being filled with the Holy Spirit, i.e. the Spirit takes possession of the person who is filled by him (cf. Judg. 6.34) and enables him to prophesy.

eti ek koilias mētros autou ‘even from his mother’s womb,’ either ‘from his leaving his mother’s womb,’ i.e. “from his very birth” (New English Bible, cf. The Four Gospels – a New Translation, Brouwer), or ‘from the time when he was still in his mother’s womb,’ i.e. “still in his mother’s womb” (Willibrord; Revised Standard Version, Translator’s New Testament, Bible de Jérusalem, La Sainte Bible: Nouvelle version Segond révisée, Zürcher Bibel seem to follow this interpretation), preferably the latter (cf. Is. 49.1, 5; Jer. 1.5 LXX.

Translation:

Great. Often physical size is not a metaphor for rank. Thus Shipibo-Conibo, in view of John’s function as a prophet, has ‘he will have great thought,’ i.e. great power and ability, commanding respect; if John had been a governmental or economic figure, the rendering would have been ‘precious,’ which refers to real or attributed worth.

For some special problems in rendering to drink (also in 5.30, 33, 39; 7.33f; 10.7; 12.19, 45; 13.26; 17.8, 27f; 22.18, 30).

Wine and strong drink. If “wine” is rendered by a local equivalent, it is sometimes better given in a comparison, e.g., ‘a drink like pulque (fermented agave juice)’ (Mezquital Otomi); if a borrowed term is used, its meaning will become clearer when the second part of the phrase is rendered by, ‘and other things that cause-to-become-dizzy/drunk’ (Tboli, similarly Kituba). Chinese versions have, ‘light wine and strong wine,’ corresponding to the culturally well known pair ‘rice wine and millet-gin.’ If it is impossible to find two appropriate terms, the translator may have to use one phrase meaning ‘all drinks that intoxicate,’ ‘all fermented juices.’

He will be filled with the Holy Spirit. This clause refers to something that will happen and will induce an enduring condition. In some receptor languages ‘to be full/filled’ can be said only of material things; hence renderings such as, ‘the H. Sp. shall be with him’ (cf. Tboli), ‘the H. Sp. shall entirely possess him, or shall permeate him’ (the latter in Shipibo-Conibo, using a term said of medicines), ‘he shall be under the control of the H. Sp.’ (cf. Cuyono, for 4.1), ‘the full strength of the H. Sp. shall stay in him’ (cf. Ngäbere, for Acts 2.4), ‘he shall carry the H. Sp. in his inner being’ (cf. Tae’ 1933). Instead of a reference to the person himself, one may have to use a term designating the centre of personality such as, ‘heart’ (Tzeltal). Care should be taken not to choose an expression suggesting demonic possession.

From his mother’s womb. The first interpretation given in Exegesis may result in, ‘from the moment he will come out of his mother’s womb,’ ‘from (the moment of) his birth’ (Southern Subanen, Tagalog), ‘from the time his mother gives birth (to him)’; the second in, ‘from the time he is/shall be in his mother’s womb,’ ‘from inside (or, beginning from when he lay in) his mother’s womb’ (Navajo, Apache), ‘from the time his mother is-pregnant-of-him’ (Toraja-Sa’dan), ‘when he has not yet been born’ (Kituba), ‘from the time he (i.e. the child) causes-to-be-pregnant his mother.’ Terms sounding vulgar in the receptors’ ears should certainly be avoided, but the translator should keep in mind that what sounds rather too outspoken in his own ears may be perfectly acceptable and appropriate to his hearers or readers.

Quoted with permission from Reiling, J. and Swellengrebel, J.L. A Handbook on the Gospel of Luke. (UBS Handbook Series). New York: UBS, 1971. For this and other handbooks for translators see here . Make sure to also consult the Handbook on the Gospel of Mark for parallel or similar verses.