Translation
and he will be great in the LORD’S eyes;
he will not
drink wine and fermented, intoxicating drink,
Go to footnote numberand he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even from his mother’s womb.
Go to footnote numberParaphrase
and he will be great because he will do what pleases THE SUPREME RULER and THE SUPREME RULER will prosper him; not only so, but he will be committed to God in a relationship especially established by God in order to show extraordinary spiritual devotion, and
he will be controlled by the Holy Spirit even from the time he is in his mother’s womb.
Footnotes
1: “Not drink … intoxicating drink”
To a Jew of Bible times this was a clear indication that John would be a Nazarite, one who takes a vow to follow stricter rules than the rest of the population in order to show his extraordinary devotion and gratitude toward God. Even though the word Nazarite is not used, and the other regulations for being a Nazarite are not spelled out, it would not matter. This was enough to indicate to them that John would indeed be a Nazarite. Therefore, in my opinion, the drawings of John for Sunday School material, etc. should show John with very, very long hair, possibly down to his waist.
2: “from his mother’s womb”
The idea of being filled with the Holy Spirit is best explained by Paul’s analogy “Do not be drunk with wine . . . but be filled with the Spirit” (Eph 5:18). Just as too much wine controls a person’s responses and personality, so the Holy Spirit can control us.