C. Hymns of Praise, with which the expectation of the Messiah’s Birth, and the actual Birth of the Baptist, were greeted. Ch.Luk_1:39-80
(Luk_1:57-80, the Lesson for the day of John the Baptist, 24th of June.
Luk_1:67-79
, the Gospel for the first day of Advent in the Grand-Duchy of Hesse and elsewhere.)
39And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill-country with haste, into a city of Juda; 40And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost [Spirit]: 42And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should44come to me? For, lo [behold], as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mineears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.45And blessed is she that believed: for [believed that] there shall be a performance [fulfilment,
ôåëåßùóéò
] of those things which were told her from the Lord.
46 And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. [,]
48 For [In that] He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden; [handmaid.]
for [For], behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49 For He that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is His name. [,]
50 And His mercy is on them that fear Him from generation to generation.
51 He hath showed [wrought] strength with His arm:
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats [princes from thrones],
and exalted [raised up] them of low degree.
53 He hath filled the hungry with good things;
and the rich He hath sent empty away.
54 He hath holpen [helped] His servant Israel [Is., His servant],
in remembrance of His mercy; [,]
55 As He spake to our fathers, [(As He spake to our fathers)]
to Abraham, and his seed for ever [to A. and his seed, for ever].
56And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought fortha son. 58And her neighbours and her cousins [kindred,
óõããåíåῖò
] heard how the Lord, had showed great mercy upon [toward] her; and they rejoiced with her.
59And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. 60And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 61And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63And he asked for a writing-table [tablet,
ðéíáêßäéïí
], and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all [they all wondered]. 64And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised65[blessing,
åὐëïãῶí
] God. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill-country of Judea. 66And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! [What then will this child, be?] And [For] the hand of the Lord was with him.
67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost,, and prophesied, saying,
68 Blessed be the Lord [, the,
ὁ
] God of Israel; [,]
for [that] He hath visited and redeemed His people,
69 And hath raised up an [a] horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David [of David, His servant,
Äáâὶä ôïῦ ðáéäὸò
,
áὐôïῦ
];
70 As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets, which have been since the world began [of His holy prophets of old];
71 That we should be saved [salvation,
óùôçñßáí
] from our enemies,
and from the hand of all that hate us;
72 To perform the mercy promised [to show mercy,
ðïéῆóáé ἔëåïò
] to our fathers,
and to remember His holy covenant,
73 The oath which He sware to our father Abraham [to Abraham, our father],
74 That He would grant [to grant] unto us,
that we, being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,
75 In holiness and righteousness before Him, all the days of our life [all our days].
76 And [also] thou, [O] child, shalt be called the Prophet of the Highest:
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways;
77 To give knowledge of salvation unto His people,
by [in,
ἐí
] the remission of their sins,
78 Through the tender mercy [mercies,
äéὰ óðëÜã÷íá ἐëÝïõò
] of our God;
whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,
79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,
to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80 And the child grew, and waxed [became] strong in spirit, and was in the deserts
till the day of his showing [manifestation,
ἀíáäåßîåùò
] unto Israel.
EXEGETICAL AND CRITICAL
Luk_1:39. Into a city of Juda.—It does not seem probable that these enigmatical words denote so much as a city of the tribe of Judah, much less that they point out Jerusalem or Hebron. The supposition, that
Ἰïýäá
has been substituted for
Ἰïýôá
(mentioned Josh. 15:65), is far more credible; nor is it unlikely that this less strictly correct orthography is derived from Luke himself. Juta is to this day a considerable village, inhabited by Mohammedans. See Röhr’s Palestine, p. 187.
Luk_1:39-40. Mary arose—and entered.—According to Jewish customs, it was improper, or at least unusual, for single or betrothed females to travel alone. Mary, however, may have undertaken this journey with Joseph’s consent, and, perhaps, partly in the company of others. Extraordinary circumstances justify extraordinary measures, and Lange correctly remarks: “the obedience of the cross makes truly free.”—The supposition, that Joseph had taken his betrothed bride to his home, after a public solemnization of their nuptials, before this journey (Hug, Ebrard), seems improbable; but still more so, that Mary had already apprised him of the fact of the angelic visitation. Her part throughout was to announce nothing, but simply to wait till He, who had destined her to the highest honor ever bestowed, should, in His own good time, also make clear her innocence to the eyes of her husband and the world. By this state of affairs only, can Luke’s account be reconciled with Matthew’s, who, after the words
åὑñÝèç ἐí ã
.
ἔ÷
., describes the discovery of Mary’s state as an unexpected, and hence a disquieting, discovery to Joseph. Mary leaves it simply to God to enlighten Joseph, as He had enlightened her. Nor does she undertake a journey to Elisabeth to consult with her, or to avoid her husband, but to seek that confirmation of her faith pointed out to her by the angel.
Luk_1:41. And it came to pass.—The salutation of Mary, the ecstasy of Elisabeth, and the leaping of the babe in her womb, are three circumstances occurring at the same moment. At Mary’s arrival, Elisabeth is filled with joy, and her babe moves. Luke mentions the latter circumstance first, as being the most extraordinary, although, in itself, it was rather the consequence than the cause of the emotion felt by Elisabeth at Mary’s salutation. The aged woman, filled with the Holy Spirit, recognizes, by the extraordinary movement of the child, the presence of the future mother of her Lord; and thus the yet unborn John already offers involuntary homage to the
êáñðὸò ôῆò êïéëßáò
of Mary.
Luk_1:42. Blessed art thou—and blessed is the fruit, etc.—The first beatitude of the New Testament, and, in a certain sense, the root of all the rest. Elisabeth, while extolling the blessedness of Mary on account of her faith and obedience, was undoubtedly reflecting with compassion on the condition of Zachariah, whose unbelief had been reproved with loss of speech, while the believing Mary was entering her house with joyful salutations.
Luk_1:45. For there shall he a fulfilment, etc.—It is grammatically possible, yet not logically necessary, to refer the
ὅôé
to the object of Mary’s faith (“which believed that there,” marg.). The assurance, that verily the things promised should be fulfilled without exception, though not indispensable in Mary’s case, must yet have been a confirmation of her faith, which she would most gladly welcome. It is self-evident how much the abruptness of the sentences in which Elisabeth pours out the fulness of her heart, enhances the beauty of this passage. A psalm-like tone, better felt than expressed, seems to resound in her words, forming a prelude to Mary’s “Magnificat.”
[Luk_1:46-55. The Magnificat of the Virgin Mary (so called from the old Latin version of
Ìåãáëýíåé
, Luk_1:46 : Magnificat anima mea Dominum), and the Benedictus of Zachariah, Luk_1:68-79 (so called from its beginning:
Åὐëïãçôüò
, Luk_1:68, Benedictus Dominus Deus Israel), are the Psalms of the New Testament, and worthily introduce the history of Christian hymnology. They prove the harmony of poetry and religion. They are the noblest flowers of Hebrew lyric poetry sending their fragrance to the approaching Messiah. They are full of reminiscences of the Old Testament, entirely Hebrew in tone and language, and can be rendered almost word for word. Thus
ìåãáëåῖá
corresponds to
âְּãֹìֹåú
(Psa_71:19; Psa_106:21; Psa_136:4);
ὁ äõíáôüò
to
âִּáּåֹø
(Psa_24:8);
åἰò ãåíåὰí êáὶ ãåíåÜí
(as Cod. Sin. reads) to
ìְãֹø åָãֹø
. It is worth while to read the first two chapters of Luke in the Hebrew translation of the New Testament. These hymns form a part of the regular morning service in the Anglican liturgy, and resound from Sabbath to Sabbath in Christian lands. Dr. Barrow says of the Magnificat: “This most excellent hymn is dedicated by a spirit ravished with the most sprightly devotion imaginable; devotion full of ardent love and thankfulness, hearty joy, tempered with submiss reverence.” Wordsworth: “This speech, full of Hebraisms, has a native air of originality, and connects the eucharistic poetry of the gospel with that of the Hebrew dispensation. … Thus the voices of the Law and the Gospel sound in concert with each other; and utter a protest against those who would make the one to jar against the other.”—The Magnificat is divided into four stanzas, each of which contains three verses, viz.: (1) Luk_1:46-48 (to
áὐôïῦ
); (2) Luk_1:48 (from
ἰäïý
) to Luk_1:50; (3) Luk_1:51-53; (4) Luk_1:54-55. The Benedictus of Zachariah contains five stanzas, each with three verses. So Meyer and Ewald. See Ewald’s translation in his: Die drei ersten Evangelien, pp. 98 and 99, where he divides the Magnificat into 12, the Benedictus into 15 lines.—P. S.]
Luk_1:46. And Mary said.—The angel’s visit was vouchsafed to Mary later than to Zachariah, yet her song of thanksgiving is uttered long before his: faith is already singing for joy, while unbelief is compelled to be silent. The Magnificat is evidently no carefully composed ode, but the unpremeditated outpouring of deep emotion, the improvisation of a happy faith. It was easy for Mary, a daughter of David’s royal race, well acquainted with the lyrics of the Old Testament, favored by God and filled with the Holy Spirit, to become in an instant both poetess and prophetess. The fulfilment of the angel’s words with respect to Elisabeth, in which she saw a pledge and token of the full performance of his other promises, and of the realization of her most cherished hopes, seems to have been the immediate cause of this song of praise.
My soul doth magnify the Lord.—Mary’s hymn recalls, besides the song of Hannah (1Sa_2:1), several passages in the Psalms, especially in Ps. 113. and 126. The beginning plainly refers to Psa_31:8, according to the Septuagint. The whole may be divided into three or four strophes, forming an animated doxology. The grace of God (Luk_1:48), His omnipotence (Luk_1:49-51), His holiness (Luk_1:49; Luk_1:51; Luk_1:54), His justice (Luk_1:52-53), and especially His faithfulness (Luk_1:54-55), are here celebrated. It sounds like an echo, not only of David’s and Hannah’s, but also of Miriam’s and of Deborah’s harps; yet independently reproduced in the mind of a woman, who had laid up and kept in her heart what she had read in Holy Scripture.
Luk_1:47. God my Saviour.—Undoubtedly Mary was looking for civil and political blessings, through the birth of the Messiah; but we overlook the clearness of her views, and the depth of her mind, by thinking that her expectations were only, or chiefly, fixed upon these. The temporal salvation which she expected, was in her eye only the type and symbol of that higher salvation, which she desired above all things.
Luk_1:48. The low estate.—Not humility, or lowliness of mind, but of condition, humilis conditio.
From henceforth.—The first beatitude, uttered by Elisabeth, is a token of an unutterable number, of which one at least is recorded, Luk_11:27 : “Blessed is the womb that bare Thee, and the paps which Thou hast sucked.”
Luk_1:49. And holy is His name—No mere apposition to
äõíáôüò
(Kuinoel), but a new and independent sentence (comp. 1Sa_2:2).
Luk_1:52. The mighty (
äõíÜóôáò
).—Mary would have been no true daughter of David, if she could have spoken these words without primary reference to Herod; but no believing Israelite, if she had thought of Herod alone. The overthrow of all anti-Messianic power seems, in her imagination, to begin with the fall of the Idumæan usurper.
Luk_1:53. He hath filled the hungry with good things.—The supposition, that only the good things of this world are here alluded to (Meyer), is as little to be entertained, as that the satisfying of a spiritual hunger is exclusively intended (de Wette). Such an alternative is certainly unnecessary in the case of Mary, whose earthly hunger and nourishment were both the type and resemblance of a higher need and a higher satisfaction, and who had certainly felt what Goethe afterward sung: “Alles Vergängliche ist nur ein Gleichniss.” At this time, the spiritual craving was most powerfully felt among the outwardly needy. How exclusively materialistic, or how exclusively spiritualistic, would Mary have been, if she could have wholly confined her meaning to either of these ideas!
Luk_1:55. Abraham and his seed.—A remarkable proof that Mary’s expectations concerning the Messiah’s appearance were not of a particularistic and exclusive, but of a universal nature. For the seed promised to Abraham was to be a blessing to the whole world.
Luk_1:56. And returned to her own house.—To keep silence before Joseph, as she had broken silence before Elisabeth. Even the distasteful manner in which what passed between the betrothed pair is embellished in apocryphal literature (Protevang. Jac. Luke 11, 12; see Thilo’s Codex Apocr. N. Ti, p. 215), is better than the opinion that Mary made a sort of confessio auricularis to her husband. To suppose it psychologically and morally impossible that Mary kept silence and waited, even after her visit to Elisabeth, betrays a very superficial appreciation of her frame of mind. Hers was no transient kindling of mere enthusiasm, but a constant and steadily burning flame of divine inspiration.
Luk_1:59. To circumcise the child.—On the origin, intention, and sacredness of circumcision, see de Wette, Archœologie, § 150 [also Jahn’s Archœology, and the Bibl. Cyclopædias of Winer, Kitto, Smith, Herzog, etc., sub voce]. According to Gen_21:3-4, the performance of circumcision, and the bestowing of a name, had been simultaneous from the very origin of the rite. It is remarkable how much the custom of giving the name on the seventh or on the eighth day after a child’s birth has been practised in the East, even where the rite of circumcision has been unknown. According to Ewald, Israel. Allerthümer, p. 110, the first of these practices is found to exist among the Khandi in India, and the second among the Negroes; he also connects their use with the ancient sacred division of time into weeks. Among the Greeks and Romans also it was customary to name the child on the day of purification.
Luk_1:60. And his mother answered.—Ex revelatione, according to Theophylact, Euthym. Zigabenus, Bengel, and Meyer. But it is not said here, that she was filled with the Holy Spirit; and it is highly improbable that Zachariah should have kept the matter concealed from her during so many months. Needless multiplication of the miraculous is quite as censurable as arbitrary denial.
Luk_1:62. And they made signs.—Certainly not because he was also deaf, as Ewald and many ancient writers have supposed; for the very fact that a sign was considered sufficient for Zachariah, shows that he had already silently heard the friendly contention.
Luk_1:63. A writing-tablet.—Tertullian well says: “Zacharias loquitur in stylo, auditur in cera;” and Bengel: “Prima hœc scriptura N. T. incipit a gratia.” [
ÉÉ éíáêßäéïí
was “a tablet smeared with wax, on which they wrote with a style.”—P. S.]
Luk_1:64. And his mouth was opened immediately.—Neither by the force of joyful emotion (Kuinoel), nor by his breaking a voluntary silence (Paulus), but by a miracle, whereby the word of the angel (Luk_1:20) was fulfilled at exactly the right time. Now that his soul is fully released from the chains of unbelief, his tongue is released from the chains of dumbness. His first use of his recovered faculty is not to utter a complaint, but a doxology: a proof that the cure had taken place in his soul also.
Luk_1:65. And fear came on all.—Not a remark in anticipation of the history (de Wette), but the first immediate impression produced by what occurred at the birth and naming of the child. The Evangelist does not say that Zachariah uttered his song of praise on this eighth day. In the whole of Luke’s previous history, as well as in other parts of Holy Scripture, fear has always been the first effect produced upon man by the consciousness that heavenly beings are entering into nearer and unusual intercourse with him (Luk_1:12; Luk_1:29; Luk_2:9). This fear, which now spread only through the hill-country of Judæa, afterward’ filled the heart of all Jerusalem. It was undoubtedly kept up, as well as the expectation of some greater thing to follow, by the unusual manner in which the child John was brought up.
Luk_1:66. For the hand of the Lord was with him.—An evident reference to the prophecy of the angel (Luk_1:15), and a summing up of the whole history of John’s childhood. With Lachmann and Tischendorf, we prefer the reading
êáὶ ãὰñ ÷åßñ
to
êáὶ ÷åὶñ
of the Recepta. The question of surprise is thus modified, and the surprise indirectly expressed as constantly increasing.
Luk_1:67. And prophesied.—This word, both here and in many other places, must not be understood in the sense of vaticinium edere, but of uttering inspired words of praise to God. The last prophecy concerning Christ before His birth, by the mouth of Zachariah, has the character, not of an oracle of Delphi, but of a psalm of David. It can scarcely be better described than in the words of Lange, Leben Jesu, ii. p. Luke 90: “The song of praise now uttered by Zachariah, had so gradually and completely ripened in his soul, that he could never forget it in future. This song depicts the form and stature of his faith; it is the expression of the gospel, as his heart had received it. It is with a truly priestly intuition that Zachariah sees the reconciliation and transformation of the world in the advent of the Messiah. The coming Christ appears to him the true altar of salvation for His people, who henceforth, delivered from their enemies, shall perform true, real worship, celebrating the service of God in perpetual freedom. It is this that is his heart’s delight as a priest. His heart’s delight as a father is, that his son John shall be the herald of the Lord, to give the knowledge of His salvation, even to them who sit in darkness and the shadow of death.”
Luk_1:68. For He hath visited and redeemed.—Here, as also in Mary’s song, the aorist is most properly used to express the prophetic consciousness, to which the salvation, still partly hidden in the future, appears already present. In the eyes of Zachariah, all the benefits to be bestowed by the Messiah are summed up in the one word
ëýôñùóéò
; and this
ëýôñùóéò
is the fruit of the gracious look, which God has just cast (
ἐðåóêÝøáôï
) upon Israel. Zachariah passes over from speaking of Israel only, in Luk_1:68, to describe these benefits as bestowed generally (Luk_1:79) on all those who sit “in darkness and the shadow of death:” a beautiful climax, and worthy of notice.
Luk_1:69. A horn of salvation.—The well-known Biblical meaning of
÷ֶøֶï
(1Sa_2:10; Psa_132:17, and elsewhere) must be here understood, and not the horns of helmets, nor the horns of the altar. A strong, powerful defender is pointed out; nor does Zachariah forget that this horn is to spring from David’s race, though it is remarkable how much less the Davidic element prevails in his song than in Mary’s.
Luk_1:70. As He spake by the mouth of His holy prophets.—Zachariah is here taking up the golden thread which had dropped from Mary, Luk_1:55.
Luk_1:71. Salvation (
óùôçñßáí
) from our enemies.—Undoubtedly the political element was chiefly present to Zachariah. The priest is at the same time the patriot in the best sense of the term, deeply moved by the sight of Roman tyranny. But he chiefly prizes this political liberation as the means to a higher end, the reformation of divine worship: Luk_1:74-75.
Luk_1:72. The mercy promised to our fathers.—The fulfilment of the promises concerning Messiah, is not only a matter of rejoicing for the present, and a source of hope for the future, but also a healing balm for past sorrows. The fathers had, for generations, wept over the decay of their nation, and were now living with God to look down from heaven upon the fulness of the time. Comp. Luk_20:37-38; Joh_8:56.
Luk_1:74. That He would grant unto us.—We are not to understand here the matter of the oath, but the púrpose for which God once swore it, and was now about to fulfil it. For the oath itself, seeGen_22:16-18.
Without fear.—Not the fear of God, which is rather the Old Testament token of piety, but the fear of enemies, which had often made Israel incapable of serving the Lord with joy. “How many times had the Macedonians, especially Antiochus Epiphanes, and the Romans, hindered the Jews in the exercise of their worship!” (De Wette.)
Luk_1:75. In holiness and righteousness before Him.—
Ὁóéü ôçò
and
äéêáéïóýíç
are so far different, that the former refers more to piety considered in itself, the latter to piety with respect to God. [This expression sufficiently proves that the song of Zachariah looks by no means simply to the temporal greatness of the Messianic kingdom, but to the spiritual also.—P. S.]
All the days of our life, or rather all our days.—Both the number and weight of critical authorities justify us in expunging the words
ôῆò æùῆò
from the Greek text. Zachariah, then, is here speaking, not of the lives of individuals, but of the continuous national existence of highly favored Israel. Uninterrupted national prosperity, based upon true religion, is the ideal of his aspirations.
Luk_1:76. And also thou, O child—Zachariah, as a prophet of God, now begins to foretell the career of the last and greatest of the prophets. A striking proof of the prevalence of the theocratic over the paternal feeling in his song, is seen in the fact, that the Messiah is always placed in a more prominent position than His forerunner. Zachariah, however, at last, cannot forbear speaking of the latter, and with evident reference to Isa_40:3 and Malachi 4. He is to go before the face of the Lord (Jehovah), whose glory appears in the advent of the Messiah. The foundation of the salvation which he proclaims is forgiveness, and the conditio sine qua non of this forgiveness is the knowledge of salvation: comp. Heb_8:11-12.
Luk_1:78. The day-spring from on high.—An emblematic allusion to Messiah and His salvation, again referring to Mal_4:2. There is a remarkable coincidence between the last Messianic prophecy of the Old Testament, and the very last before the incarnation of the Divine Word.
Luk_1:79. Those sitting in darkness and the shadow of death.—The glance of the prophet here takes a far wider range than Israel. He beholds very many, deprived of the light of truth and life, sitting in darkness and the shadow of death, but sees in spirit the Sun of Righteousness rising upon them all: Isa_9:2; Isa_60:1.
To guide our feet.—The end for which the day-spring should “give light” as this again was the end for which it “visited” our dark world. The hymn concludes with a boundless prospect into the still partly hidden future.
[Alford: “Care must be taken, on the one hand, not to degrade the expression of this song of praise into mere anticipations of temporal prosperity, nor, on the other, to find in it (except in so far as they are involved in the inner and deeper sense of the words, unknown save to the Spirit who prompted them) the minute doctrinal distinctions of the writings of St. Paul. It is the expression of the aspirations and hopes of a pious Jew, waiting for the salvation of the Lord, finding that salvation brought near, and uttering his thankfulness in Old Testament language, with which he was familiar, and at the same time under prophetic influence of the Holy Spirit. That such a song should be inconsistent with dogmatic truth, is impossible: that it should unfold it minutely, is in the highest degree improbable.”—Augustine (Medit.): “O blessed hymn of joy and praise! Divinely inspired by the Holy Ghost, and divinely pronounced by the venerable priest, and daily sung in the church of God; Oh, may thy words be often in my mouth, and the sweetness of them always in my heart! The expressions, thou usest, are the comfort of my life; and the subject, thou treatest of, the hope of all the world.”—P. S.]
Luk_1:80. And the child grew.—A summary description of the twofold development of the youthful Nazarite, both in mind and body. Thirty years passed before the “fear” which arose at his birth (Luk_1:65), was replaced by the universal agitation caused by his powerful voice. It is certainly possible, but neither certain nor probable, that during his sojourn “in the wilderness,” he came in contact with the Essenes who dwelled in the neighborhood of the Dead Sea (Plinius: Hist. Nat. v. 17). [Comp. the similar conclusion on the physical and spiritual development of the child Jesus in Luk_2:40.—P. S.]
DOCTRINAL AND ETHICAL
1. The new covenant is greeted, at its first appearance, with hymns of joyful praise. What a contrast to the fear and terror accompanying the introduction of the Old! These songs present a happy interfusion of the letter of the Old, with the spirit of the New Testament. That of Mary is more individual, that of Zachariah more national, in its character. The former is more nearly akin to David’s thanksgiving after the promise made to him, 2Sa_7:18; the latter, to his hymn of praise at Solomon’s anointing, 1Ki_1:48. It is worthy of remark, how entirely in the spirit of the Old Testament are the Messianic expectations expressed in both songs, and how pure and free they are from narrow and exclusively Jewish notions.
2. The three songs of Elisabeth, Mary, and Zachariah contain important contributions to the right understanding of their Christology. Each is thoroughly persuaded that the Messiah is to be the head of the prophetic brotherhood, the source of temporal as well as spiritual prosperity to Israel, the highest blessing to the world, the highest gift of grace, the supreme manifestation of the glory of God. We may easily disregard the absence of metaphysical speculations in the compositions of those whose views are so purely theocratic. Their hopes are just as material as might be expected from pious Israelites of their times, but at the same time so indefinite, that they could only belong to the period of the beginning of the sacred narrative. The relative want of originality in the song of Mary, which is full of reminiscences, offers a psychological proof of its authenticity. Such songs as these would never have been composed so many years after the appearance of Jesus. Indeed, they may be considered as representative of the state of Messianic expectation just before the “rising of the Sun of Righteousness;” and are, in tone, form, and spirit, much older than the apostolic preaching of Christ’s spiritual kingdom. At what other time could such lays have gushed forth, than just at that happy season, when the most exalted poetry became reality, and reality surpassed the ideal of poetry?
3. It is striking, that while it is said of both Elisabeth and Zachariah, before they uttered their songs, that they were filled with the Holy Spirit (Luk_1:41; Luk_1:46), the same is not said of Mary. The Spirit seems no longer to have come upon her, after the Old Testament manner, for a few moments, but to have dwelt in and acted upon her in the gospel manner. The royal spirit is. more expressed in her song; the priestly character, in that of Zachariah. In his, the Old Testament type, in hers the New, prevails.
4. The enthusiasm of faith attains its highest point just before the time of vision begins (Luk_10:23-24). It makes the aged Elisabeth young; transforms the youthful bride of the carpenter into the inspired prophetess of her future Son; renders the priest the herald who announces the coming of the forerunner; and even communicates its rapture to the child unborn. The dogmatizer has as little right to build upon this latter circumstance a doctrine of fides infantium (as Calovius, a strict Lutheran divine of the seventeenth century, did), and thus make the exception the rule, as the neologian has, to deride a phenomenon of a history, whose religious importance and world-wide influence he is utterly unable to appreciate. Comp. also Aristot. Hist. Anim. vii. 3, 4.
5. The song of Zachariah is a proof how much his spiritual life, and his insight into the divine plan of salvation, had increased, during the months of silence which succeeded his reception of the angelic message.
6. Theologians who deny the existence of Messianic prophecies so called—i.e., of special promises given by God Himself, with respect to the coming of Christ—should take a lesson from Mary and Zachariah. In their view, “God spake by the mouth of His holy prophets;” spake for centuries past; spake to Abraham and to his seed, of the coming Christ; spake so, that all future ages should believe, and expect, that all that was yet unfulfilled, would surely come to pass in due season. We have here a complete outline of Old Testament Christology, to be remembered by the divines and preachers for all time to come.
[7. “And (John) was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation unto Israel,” Luk_1:80. Here we see combined the wisdom of temporary retirement (the truth underlying the monastic system), and the duty of public usefulness in society (which the system of Protestant ethics makes most prominent). The former is a preparation for the latter. “Es bildetein Talent sich in der Stille, sich ein Character in dem Strom der Welt” (Goethe). On temporary retirement Bishop Horne (On the Life and Death of John the Baptist) remarks: “He who desires to undertake the office of guiding others in the ways of wisdom and holiness, will best qualify himself for that purpose by first passing some time in a state of sequestration from the world; where anxious cares and delusive pleasures may not break in upon him, to dissipate his attention; where no skeptical nor sectarian spirit may blind his understanding, and nothing may obstruct the illumination from above; where every vicious inclination may be mortified through grace, by a prudent application of the proper means, and every fresh bud of virtue, sheltered from noxious blasts, may be gradually reared up into strength, beauty, and fragrance; where, in a word, he may grow and wax strong in spirit until the day of his showing unto Israel. Exo_3:1; Eze_1:1-3; Dan_9:3; Dan_9:23; Rev_1:9; Act_7:23.” On the other hand, Milton (Areopagitica) justly censures the permanent monastic retirement of idleness or selfish piety in these words: “I cannot praise a fugitive and cloistered virtue, unexercised and unbreathed, that never sallies out and sees her adversary, but slinks out of the race, where the immortal garland is to be run for, not without dust and heat. Assuredly, we bring not innocence into the world; we bring impurity much rather: that which purifies us is trial; and trial is by what is contrary.”—P. S.]
HOMILETICAL AND PRACTICAL
The silence of faith and the silence of unbelief contrasted in the cases of Mary and Zachariah.—Meeting of Elisabeth and Mary, emblematic of that of the Old and New Covenant at their respective limits.—Mary’s greeting a comfort to Elisabeth in her sorrow, at her husband’s loss of speech.—The Holy Spirit in the yet unborn John glorifying the Divine Word, before His birth in the flesh.—The great hymn of praise of the dispensation of grace begun.—Humility perplexed at the ineffable manifestations of grace.—The blessing pronounced: 1. Upon her who first believed; 2. in her, upon all believers of the New Covenant.—Faith leads to sight; sight to increase of faith.—Mary’s song of praise: 1. The climax of all the hymns of the Old, 2. the beginning of all the hymns of the New, Covenant.—Deep conviction of the reception of the highest favors combined with personal humility.—The manifestation of righteous retribution combined with unlimited grace.—All the perfections of God glorified in the gift of the Saviour: 1. Grace. 2. power, 3. holiness, 4. mercy, 5. justice, 6. faithfulness.—The new day of salvation, the fruit of ancient promises.—The fruit of faith in Christ’s salvation is joy; which is: 1. A thankful joy; 2. an humble joy; 3. a hopeful joy; 4. a God-glorifying joy.—A heart devoted to God, the best psalter.—Mary and Eve: Faith in God’s word the source of supreme joy; unbelief of God’s word the source of deepest sorrow.—Mary, the Hannah of the New Testament, and, like her, despised, exalted, rejoicing.—The coming of Jesus is: 1. The exaltation of the lowly; 2. the putting down of the mighty; 3. the satisfying of the hungry; 4. the leaving empty of those who regard themselves as spiritually rich.—God’s faithfulness and Israel’s unfaithfulness.—The mercy of God shown: 1. To Mary; 2. through Mary to Israel; 3. through Israel to the world.
The three months of Mary’s sojourn with Elisabeth, an emblem: 1. Of the communion of saints on earth; 2. of the intercourse of the blessed in heaven.—The birth of John, a sign of God’s faithfulness and truth.—The silence of Heaven at the birth of John, and the rejoicing of the angels at the birth of Jesus.—The import of bestowing a name: 1. In the case of the forerunner; 2. generally.—Every child a gift of God.—The obedience of faith, in the case of Zachariah: 1. Tried, 2. shown, 3. rewarded.—The Hallelujah of man succeeds the Ephatha of God.—The “report” of God attentively received, at first awakens a just fear, and afterward drives away all fear.—A question and answer at the birth of a child: 1. The natural question, What manner of child shall this be? 2. the satisfactory answer, The hand of the Lord will be with him.
The true father also a priest: the true priest filled with the Holy Spirit; the true fulness of the Holy Spirit manifested in words of praise to God.—Redemption, a visit made by God to His people, by Heaven to earth.—Novum Testamentum in Vetere latet, Vetus in Novo patet [St. Augustine].—No national prosperity without the fear of God; no fear of God unaccompanied with beneficial effects upon national prosperity.—Redemption, God remembering His God-forgetting people.—The true service of God is a service without fear: 1. Without timid fear of man; 2. without slavish fear of God.—No salvation without forgiveness of sins; no forgiveness of sins without knowledge of the truth; no knowledge of the truth without divine revelation; no divine revelation without divine mercy, grace, and faithfulness.—The rising sun an emblem of Christ: 1. The darkness preceding both; 2. the light spread by both; 3. the warmth given by both; 4. the fruitfulness caused by both; 5. the joy with which both are hailed.—Darkness and the shadow of death: 1. cast down, 2. enlightened, 3. dissipated.—The Prince of Peace, the guide into the way of peace.
The threefold hymns of praise.—Variety and oneness in the minds of those who here glorify the grace of God in Christ.—Mary begins with what is individual, and ascends to what is general; Zachariah begins with what is general, and descends to what is individual; Elisabeth must precede, before Mary can follow.—In the case of Zachariah, the silence of unbelief is exchanged for the song of praise; in that of Mary, the song of praise is exchanged for the silence and expectation of faith.—All three sing on earth the first notes of a song which shall perfectly and eternally resound in heaven, the one song of an innumerable multitude of voices.
The hidden growth of one designed for a great work in the kingdom of God.—Solitude the school of the second Elijah.—The last silence of God, before the first words of the desert preacher.
Starke:—Christians should not travel from sinful curiosity, but for some good purpose.—The loving salutation of the children of God.—When the heart is full, the mouth overflows.—We may well be filled with grateful astonishment, that the Lord should come unto us in His incarnation, in His Supper, through His word, and through faith.—As we believe, so it happens to us.—Mary says, My Saviour: the is then a sinner, needing a Saviour like any other child of Adam.
Quesnel:—The more God exalts an individual, the more should he humble himself.—Langii Op. Bibl.:—Pride of heart the greatest sin before God.—Zeisius:—Christians should give their children names which tend to edification.—Brentii Op.:—God makes the speaker dumb, and the dumb man to speak.—Osiander:—Hymns of praise, from sanctified hearts, are the most acceptable sacrifice to God.—Compare Luther’s exposition of the Magnificat, for Prince John Frederick of Saxony (Werke, vii. 1220–1317), wherein he well says: “It is the nature of God to make something out of nothing; therefore, when any one is nothing, God may yet make something of him.”
Heubner:—The faith of the less (Elisabeth) may strengthen the stronger (Mary).—Mary the happiest of all mothers.—Religion the foundation of true friendship.—Pious mothers a blessing to the whole race of man.—The Spirit must open a man’s lips, or he is spiritually dumb.—John a guide into the way of peace, because a guide to Christ.—God carries on His work in secret.—Mature preparation for public work, especially for the work of the preacher.
Arndt:—Mary’s visit to Elisabeth: 1. How it strengthens her faith; 2. how it called forth her praise.
Palmer:—To the art of praising God (Luk_1:46-55) belong: 1. A clear eye to estimate the works of God; 2. a joyful heart to rejoice in them; 3. a loosened tongue to express this joy aright. (The first might also be exemplified in Elisabeth, the second in Mary, the third in Zachariah, and thus the theme and parts be applied to the whole pericope, Luk_1:39-80.)
Schroter (in a baptismal sermon on Luk_1:66):—In what sense was this question asked? How ought it to be asked?—F. W. Krummacher:—The dayspring from on high.—The festival at Hebron.—The Benedictus of Zachariah. (Adventsbuch, Bielefeld, 1847, pp. 140–172.)
Footnotes:
Luk_1:41.—Better: And it came to pass, as Elisabeth … that the babe … So the Revised N. T. of the Am. B. U. The best authorities place
ἡ Ἐëéó
. after
ôῆò Ìáñ
., while the Elzevir text reads:
ἡ Ἐë
.
ôὸí ἀóðáóìὸí ôῆò Ìáñ
. (an intentional transposition).
Luk_1:43.—This is the shortest rendering of
ðüèåí ìïé ôïῦôï
, sc.
ãÝãïíåí
, and preferable to what would be otherwise more in keeping with the modern usus loquendi: How hath this happened to me. Comp. the Vulgate: Unde hoc mihi; Luther and van Oosterzee: Woher (kommt) mir das.
Luk_1:44.—An immaterial difference in the order of words in the Greek text. Griesbach, Scholz, Tischendorf read: to
ôὸ âñÝöïò ἐí ἀãáëëéÜóåé
, for the text. rec.:
ἐí ἀã
.
ôὸ âñ
. The latter is supported by B., C., D., F., L., and Cod. Sin., and should be retained with Lachmann, Alford, and Meyer.
Luk_1:45.—There is a difference of opinion as to the meaning of
ὅôé
. Van Oosterzee agrees with Luther, the old Latin and the English Versions, and translates: denn. See his Exegetical Note. But Grotius, Bengel, de Wette, Ewald, Meyer, etc., render it that, making it depend upon
ðéñôåýóáóá
, as in Act_27:25 :
ðéóôåýùí ãὰñ ôῷ èåῷ ὅôé ïὗôïò ἔóôáé
. I prefer the latter, because the supernatural conception foretold by the angel, Luk_1:31; Luk_1:35, had then already taken place.
Luk_1:48.—
Ἐðὶ ôὴí ôáðåßíùóéí ôῆò äïýëçò áὐôïῦ
, the lowliness, humility, humble condition of his handmaid.
Ôáðåßíùóéò
refers not to the humility of mind, but the humility of station or external condition. Luther and van Oosterzee: Niedrigkeit.
Luk_1:50.—Better with the Latin Vulgate, Luther, van Oosterzee, the Revised N. T. of the Am. B. U., etc.: His mercy is from generation to generation, to them that fear Him,
ôὸ ἔëåïò áὐôïῦ åἰò ãåíåὰò ãåíåῶí
(or with the older MSS.:
åἰò ãåíåὰò êáὶ ãåíåὰò
, or with Cod. Sin.:
åἰò ãåíåὰí êáὶ ãåíåὰí
, which corresponds literally to the Hebrew
ìְãֹø åָãֹø
, and is preferable to the other readings)
ôïῖò öïâïõìÝíïéò áὐôüí
. The C. V. favors the connection of from generation to generation with
öïâïõìÝíïéò
instead of
ἔëåïò
.
Luk_1:55.—The clause: As He spake to our Fathers, should be inclosed in parenthesis, and the punctuation changed thus: In remembrance of His mercy (as He spake to our fathers) to Abraham, etc. For
ìíçóèῆíáé ἐëÝïõò
and
ôῷ ἈâñáÜì
belong together; while the E. V. connects to Abraham with spake, which is inadmissible in the Greek (
ἐëÜëçóåí ðñὸò ôïὺò ðáôÝñáò ἡìῶí
, not
ôïῖò
); comp. Psa_98:3 and Mic_7:20, to which our passage alludes. In any case the words for ever must be connected, not with spake, nor with seed, but with in remembrance of his mercy, and should therefore be separated from seed by a comma.
Luk_1:55.—The Codd. are divided between
åἰò ôὸí áἰῶíá
and
ἕùò áἰῶíïò
. Lachmann, Tischendorf, Meyer, and Tregelles adopt the former.
Luk_1:66.—
Ôß ἄñá
(quid igitur)
ôὸ ðáéäßïí ôïῦôï ἔóôáé
; The force of the ratiocinative
ἄñá
should not be lost; it refers to the peculiar circumstances and auspices of the birth of John; comp. Luk_8:25; Act_12:18, where the
ἄñá
is likewise overlooked in the E. V.
Luk_1:66.—The Sin. and Vatic. MSS. and other ancient authorities read
êáὶ ãÜñ
, etenim, denn auch; while the Elzevir text omits
ãÜñ
, which could easily be missed by a transcriber on account of the following
÷åßñ
. The words: “For the hand of the Lord was with him,” are a remark of Luke in justification of the preceding question of astonishment, as if to say: The people had good reason to expect great things from such a child.
Luk_1:68.—
Åὐëïãçôὸò Êýñéïò ὁ Èåὸò ôïῦ ἸóñáÞë
is the literal version of the Hebrew
áָּøåּêְ éְäåָֹä àֱìּäֵé éּùְׂøָàֵì
, Psa_72:18; Psa_106:48 (see Septuag.). The sentence: the God of Israel, is explanatory and should be separated by a comma, and the article retained (with Norton, Kendrick, Sharpe, Wakefield, Campbell, Whiting, the N. T. of Am. B. U., and the German versions).
Luk_1:70.—
Äéὰ óôüìáôïò ôῶí ἁãßùí
(
ôῶí
)
ἀð
’
áἰῶíïò áὐôïῦ ðñïöçôῶí
. The second
ôῶí
after
ἁãßùí
in the text. rec. is omitted in Codd. Sin., B., L., etc., and by Tregelles and Alford, but retained by Lachmann and Tischendorf (ed. septima), and defended by Meyer.
Ἀð
’
áἰῶíïò
is not to be understood here in the absolute sense, ab orbe condilo, as the E. V. implies (also Calov: imo per os Adami), but relatively, like the Hebrew
îֵòåֹìָí
. Comp.
ἀð
’
áἰῶíïò
, Gen_6:4 (where the E. V. renders: of old); Psa_25:6 (likewise: of old). Meyer (and Alford) quotes Longin. Luke 34:
ôïὺò ἀð
’
áἰῶíïò ἐÞôïñáò
. Luther translates the word: vor Zeiten; van Oosterzee: vor Jahrhunderten; Stier better: von Alters her; Ewald: seiner heiligen uralten Propheten; Norton: from the beginning; Kendrick, Whiting, the N. T. of the Am. B. U.: of old.
Luk_1:71.—
Óùôçñßáí
, etc., is anaphora and further explanation of
êÝñáò óùôçñßáò
, a horn of salvation, Luk_1:69, i.e., a mighty, strong salvation; horn being a metaphorical expression with reference, not to the horns of the altar, which served as an asylum merely (1Ki_1:50; 1Ki_2:28 ff.), but to horned beasts, which are weak and defenceless without, but strong and formidable with, their horns; comp. the Hebrew
÷ֵøֶæ
, 1Sa_2:10; Psa_89:18, etc.
Luk_1:75.—The true reading of the oldest authorities, including Cod. Sin., is:
ðÜóáò ôὰò ἡìÝñáò ἡìῶí
(without
ôῆò æùῆò
of the Elzevir text), all our days.
Luk_1:76.—The oldest reading, confirmed by Cod. Sin., is:
êáὶ óὺ äÝ
, instead of
êáὶ óý
. Meyer: “
Êá ὶ
—
ä
ward gewöhnlich von den unfeinen Abschreibern verstümmelt.”
Luk_1:77.—Van Oosterzee: “Erkenntniss des Heils zu geben [bestehend] in Vergebung ihrer Sünden.”
Ἐí ἀöÝóå ἁìáñôßáò
belongs not to
óùôçñßáò
alone, but to
ãíῶóéí óùôçñßáò
; that they might know that Messianic salvation comes in and through the remission of their sins. Alford: “The remission of sin is the first opening for the
ãíῶóéò óùôçñßáò
: seeLuk_3:7. The preposition
ἐí
has its literal meaning, ‘in.’ ” There should be no comma after ‘people.’—P. S.]
