2:1 Hannah prayed, 1
“My heart rejoices in the Lord;
my horn 2 is exalted high because of the Lord.
I loudly denounce 3 my enemies,
for I am happy that you delivered me. 4
1:69 For 5 he has raised up 6 a horn of salvation 7 for us in the house of his servant David, 8
1 tn Heb “prayed and said.” This is somewhat redundant in contemporary English and has been simplified in the translation.
2 sn Horns of animals have always functioned as both offensive and defensive weapons for them. As a figure of speech the horn is therefore often used in the Bible as a symbol of human strength (see also in v. 10). The allusion in v. 1 to the horn being lifted high suggests a picture of an animal elevating its head in a display of strength or virility.
3 tn Heb “my mouth opens wide against.”
4 tn Heb “for I rejoice in your deliverance.”
5 tn Grk “and,” but specifying the reason for the praise in the psalm.
6 sn The phrase raised up means for God to bring someone significant onto the scene of history.
7 sn The horn of salvation is a figure that refers to the power of Messiah and his ability to protect, as the horn refers to what an animal uses to attack and defend (Ps 75:4-5, 10; 148:14; 2 Sam 22:3). Thus the meaning of the figure is “a powerful savior.”
8 sn In the house of his servant David is a reference to Messiah’s Davidic descent. Zechariah is more interested in Jesus than his own son John at this point.