Luke 1:47-56

1:47 and my spirit has begun to rejoice ¹  in God my Savior,

1:48 because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant. ² 

For ³  from now on ⁴  all generations will call me blessed, ⁵ 

1:49 because he who is mighty ⁶  has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

1:50 from ⁷  generation to generation he is merciful ⁸  to those who fear ⁹  him.

1:51 He has demonstrated power ¹⁰  with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance ¹¹  of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ¹²  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ¹³ 

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ¹⁴  and has sent the rich away empty. ¹⁵ 

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ¹⁶  his mercy, ¹⁷ 

1:55 as he promised ¹⁸  to our ancestors, ¹⁹  to Abraham and to his descendants ²⁰  forever.”

1:56 So ²¹  Mary stayed with Elizabeth ²²  about three months ²³  and then returned to her home.

[1:47]  ¹ tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.

[1:48]  ² tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.

[1:48]  ³ tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ⁴ sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).

[1:48]  ⁵ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

[1:49]  ³ tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

[1:50]  ⁴ tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.

[1:50]  ⁵ sn God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.

[1:50]  ⁶ tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.

[1:51]  ⁵ tn Or “shown strength,” “performed powerful deeds.” The verbs here switch to aorist tense through 1:55. This is how God will act in general for his people as they look to his ultimate deliverance.

[1:51]  ⁶ tn Grk “in the imaginations of their hearts.” The psalm rebukes the arrogance of the proud, who think that power is their sovereign right. Here διανοίᾳ (dianoia) can be understood as a dative of sphere or reference/respect.

[1:52]  ⁶ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ⁷ tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:53]  ⁷ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ⁸ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[1:54]  ⁸ tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ⁹ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:55]  ⁹ tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalhsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.

[1:55]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “fathers.”

[1:55]  ¹¹ tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

[1:56]  ¹⁰ tn Grk “And.” Here (kai) has been translated as “so” to indicate the conclusion of the topic.

[1:56]  ¹¹ tn Grk “her”; the referent (Elizabeth) has been specified in the translation for clarity.

[1:56]  ¹² sn As is typical with Luke the timing is approximate (about three months), not specific.