Limitless Word
To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
Luke 1:77 · King James Version
Parallel translations
  • WEB to give knowledge of salvation to his people by the remission of their sins,
  • BSB to give to His people the knowledge of salvation through the forgiveness of their sins,
  • NKJV To give knowledge of salvation to His people By the remission of their sins,
  • NASB To give His people the knowledge of salvation By the forgiveness of their sins,
  • NLT You will tell his people how to find salvation through forgiveness of their sins.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Quick answer

John would prepare people by making known a salvation that comes through the forgiveness of sins. It matters because true deliverance is from sin, not merely from earthly foes.

Overview

Zechariah clarifies the nature of the salvation John heralds: it is found in the remission of sins. This redirects expectation from political rescue to spiritual redemption. The forgiveness John pointed to would be accomplished by Christ, whose death secures the pardon every sinner needs.

Cross-references & the web

Cross-references · 19

  • Acts 5:31Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins.
  • Acts 2:38Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
  • Acts 10:43To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins.
  • John 1:34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God.
  • Eph 1:7In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;
  • Acts 3:19Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
  • John 1:29The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.
  • Luke 7:47–50Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much: but to whom little is forgiven, the same loveth little.
  • John 1:7–9The same came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light, that all men through him might believe.
  • John 3:27–36John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven.
  • Luke 3:3And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;
  • Jer 31:34And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
  • Acts 19:4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus.
  • Mark 1:3–4The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
  • Luke 3:6And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.
  • Rom 3:25Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God;
  • Acts 13:38–39Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins:
  • Rom 4:6–8Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works,
  • John 1:15–17John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me.

Themes, concepts, people & topics

Topics (6)

Resources, by level

Commentaries & study tools

  • VideoBibleProject — Luke videosBibleProject · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Free animated overview and word-study videos for this book.

  • VideoWatch teaching on Luke 1:77YouTube · Lay · Free

    Sermons and teaching on this passage from across YouTube.

  • CommentaryEnduring Word — verse-by-verseDavid Guzik · Lay · Free · evangelical

    Clear, readable, conservative exposition — the best free place to start on any passage.

  • CommentaryClassic commentaries for this verseBibleHub (20+ works) · Pastoral · Free

    Matthew Henry, Barnes, Gill, the Pulpit Commentary, Ellicott, Cambridge, and more — stacked on one page for this exact verse.

  • CommentaryMatthew Henry on LukeMatthew Henry · Pastoral · Free · evangelical

    The beloved Puritan exposition of this whole book — warm, devotional, and verse by verse (free, CCEL).

  • ReferenceInterlinear, lexicon & Strong'sBlue Letter Bible · Seminary · Free

    Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.

Christ at the center

Luke shows Jesus the Savior for all — outsiders, the poor, the nations — the one who, on the Emmaus road, opened all the Scriptures to show they were about himself.

How Luke 1:77 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.

Original language

Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Greek word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.