For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will drink no wine nor strong drink. He will be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother's womb.
The connection between control by drink and control by the Holy Spirit occurs elsewhere in Scripture (Ephesians 5:18). It is difficult, if not impossible, to determine if John was to be a Nazirite (Numbers 6:1-12) or simply devoted to God. The priests were to refrain from strong drink before serving in the sanctuary (Leviticus 10:1-4; Leviticus 10:9-11). There are no other specific indications that John was a Nazirite, though he may have been. His ascetic lifestyle was similar to that of many prophets, particularly Elijah (Luke 1:17; 2 Kings 1:8; Matthew 3:4).