And the child grew and became strong in spirit; and he lived in the wilderness until the time of his public appearance to Israel.
Parallel translations
- WEB The child was growing, and becoming strong in spirit, and was in the desert until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
- KJV And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.
- NKJV So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.
- NASB Now the child grew and was becoming strong in spirit, and he lived in the deserts until the day of his public appearance to Israel.
- NLT John grew up and became strong in spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to Israel.
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 grew strong in spirit and lived in the wilderness until his public ministry began. It matters because God quietly prepared His forerunner for his appointed mission.
Overview
The narrative summarizes John's hidden years of growth and spiritual strengthening in the desert. This wilderness preparation suited the prophet who would later preach there. God often works unseen, readying His servants over long seasons before their public calling, as He did with John before he announced the Messiah.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- Luke 2:40And the Child grew and became strong. He was filled with wisdom, and the grace of God was upon Him.
- Mark 1:3–4“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord, make straight paths for Him.’”
- Luke 2:52And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man.
- 1 Sam 3:19–20And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him, and He let none of Samuel’s words fall to the ground.
- Matt 3:1In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea
- John 1:31I myself did not know Him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that He might be revealed to Israel.”
- Judg 13:24–25So the woman gave birth to a son and named him Samson. The boy grew, and the LORD blessed him.
- Matt 11:7As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began to speak to the crowds about John: “What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed swaying in the wind?
- Luke 1:15for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He shall never take wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
Themes, concepts, people & topics
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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 1:80 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.