Luke 1:15

“For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, etc.] Of Jehovah, the Father; with whom, what is highly esteemed among men, is oftentimes an abomination; and of the Lord Jesus Christ, before whom he was to go, and who pronounced him a prophet, and more than a prophet, and even greater than any born of women, (<401109>Matthew 11:9,11) and of the Lord, the Spirit, with whom he was filled from his mother's womb: he was great, not in birth and blood, in worldly riches and grandeur, but in gifts and grace, in his work, office, and usefulness, and in the esteem of God, and even of men too: and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; which were forbidden the Nazarites, (<040603>Numbers 6:3)…”

“great in the sight of the Lord--nearer to Him in official standing than all the prophets. (See Mat 11:10-11.) drink neither wine nor strong drink--that is, shall be a Nazarite, or "a separated one" (Num 6:2, &c.). As the leper was the living symbol of sin, so was the Nazarite of holiness; nothing inflaming was to cross his lips; no razor to come on his head; no ceremonial defilement to be contracted. Thus was he to be "holy to the Lord [ceremonially] all the days of his separation." This separation was in ordinary cases temporary and voluntary: only Samson (Jdg 13:7), Samuel (Sa1 1:11), and John Baptist were Nazarites from the womb. It was fitting that the utmost severity of legal…”

“Shall be great - Shall be eminent, or distinguished as a preacher. In the sight of the Lord - Greek, “before the Lord.” That is, shall be “really” or “truly” great. God shall regard him as such. Shall drink neither wine - The kind of wine commonly used in Judea was a light wine, often not stronger than cider in this country. It was the common drink of all classes of the people. See the notes at John 2:11. The use of wine was forbidden only to the Nazarite, Numbers 6:3. It was because John sustained this character that he abstained from the use of wine. Strong drink - It is not easy to ascertain precisely what is meant by this word, but we are certain that it does not mean strong drink in our…”

“He shall be great before the Lord - God the Father: of the Holy Ghost and the Son of God mention is made immediately after. And shall drink neither wine nor strong drink - Shall be exemplary for abstemiousness and self - denial; and so much the more filled with the Holy Ghost. Luke 1:16”

“1:15 He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks: In the Old Testament, abstaining from alcohol was part of the Nazirite vow of special dedication to God (see Num 6:1-21). This vow was usually temporary (see Acts 18:18; 21:23, 26); for some individuals such as Samson (Judg 13:4-7), Samuel (cp. 1 Sam 1:11), and John the Baptist, it was a lifelong commitment. • filled with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth: See Luke 1:41, 44.”

“great: Luk 7:28; Gen 12:2, Gen 48:19; Jos 3:7, Jos 4:14; Ch1 17:8, Ch1 29:12; Mat 11:9-19; Joh 5:35 and shall: Luk 7:33; Num 6:2-4; Jdg 13:4-6; Mat 11:18 filled: Zac 9:15; Act 2:4, Act 2:14-18; Eph 5:18 even: Psa 22:9; Jer 1:5; Gal 1:15 Luke 1:16”