Luke 1:48-55

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

For ²  from now on ³  all generations will call me blessed, ⁴ 

1:49 because he who is mighty ⁵  has done great things for me, and holy is his name;

1:50 from ⁶  generation to generation he is merciful ⁷  to those who fear ⁸  him.

1:51 He has demonstrated power ⁹  with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance ¹⁰  of their hearts.

1:52 He has brought down the mighty ¹¹  from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; ¹² 

1:53 he has filled the hungry with good things, ¹³  and has sent the rich away empty. ¹⁴ 

1:54 He has helped his servant Israel, remembering ¹⁵  his mercy, ¹⁶ 

1:55 as he promised ¹⁷  to our ancestors, ¹⁸  to Abraham and to his descendants ¹⁹  forever.”

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

[1:48]  ² tn Grk “for behold.”

[1:48]  ³ 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]  ⁴ sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.

[1:49]  ⁵ tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”

[1:50]  ⁶ tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.

[1:50]  ⁷ 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]  ⁸ tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.

[1:51]  ⁹ 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]  ¹⁰ 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]  ¹¹ tn Or “rulers.”

[1:52]  ¹² tn Or “those of humble position”

[1:53]  ¹³ sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.

[1:53]  ¹⁴ sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).

[1:54]  ¹⁵ tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.

[1:54]  ¹⁶ tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”

[1:55]  ¹⁷ 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]  ¹⁸ tn Grk “fathers.”

[1:55]  ¹⁹ tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).