27 To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favored; the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. 29 And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be. 30 And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favor with God. 31 And behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring 23. The Lord is with thee; or, the Lord be with thee; that is, the Lord be favorable to thee. This was one of the forms of salutation among the Hebrews. Compare Judges 6: 12. Ruth 2: 4. 31. Jesus. See on Matt. 1: 21. 32. Give unto him the throne of his father David. The son of Mary would be a lineal descendant of David, and would be the king of the Jews, the long-expected Messiah. See on Matt. 1: 1. 33. The house of Jacob. Jacob, or Israel, was the father of the twelve patriarchs, the progenitors of the Jewish nation. Thus the whole nation might be designated as the house, or family, of Jacob. Since the family of Jacob, or the Jewish nation, had been set apart as the people of God, the two phrases house of Jacob and people of God came to be of the same signification; and even when the people of God, strictly speaking, that is, the truly pious, were meant, the phrase house of Jacob would naturally be employed. In this verse, the true people of God, owning subjection to the Messiah, are meant, of whom the house of Jacob was an emblem. The Jews supposed that their nation would 2 VOL. II. forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. 32 He shall be great, and Ishall be called the Son of the. Highest; and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. 33 And he shall reign over the house of Jacob forever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end. 34 Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man? 35 And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall be perpetuated, and that the blessings of the Messiah's reign would be communicated to other nations, by their becoming attached to the Jewish nation and owning the sway of the Messiah, the king of the Jews; so that, with them, the people of the Messiah and the Jews were synonymous terms. But the Messiah's object was a spiritual one, the deliverance of men from sin; and only those are in reality his people who are truly pious. It is over his believing and redeemed people, distinguished by the name house of Jacob, that he will rule forever. Of his kingdom; of his reign, his royal administration. There shall be no end. He will never cease to reign in the hearts of his people. While the world stands, and the work of redemption is going forward, he will rule as King and Lord of the new dispensation; and when the work of redemption is completed, and his of fice, as the Mediator, shall cease, still the great principles of his government shall rule in the hearts of those whom he shall have saved. Compare 1 Cor. 15: 24. -- 35. The Holy Ghost· -the power of the Highest. These expressions are here equivalent. Such repetitions of overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. 36 And behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren: that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things 37 For with God nothing shall which were told her from the be impossible. 38 And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. 39 And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hillcountry with haste, into a city of Juda, 40 And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And 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. 42 And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence is this to me, the same thought by different forms of speech are frequent in the Bible. 36. Thy cousin. The more general term relative would here be preferable; it would more exactly represent the original word. 39. The hill country. There was much hilly country in Judea, the south part of Palestine. A city of Juda. What particular city the parents of John the Baptist lived in, is unknown. 41. Filled with the Holy Ghost; the influence of the Holy Spirit. exciting Lord. 46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: 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 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, and exalted them of low degree. 53 He hath filled the hungry fervent gratitude and the language of praise. 51. He hath showed strength; he manifests his power, performs mighty deeds. The proud in the imagination of their hearts; those who indulge haughty thoughts and purposes, in opposing the will of God. He hath scattered; he breaks up their combinations, and defeats their purposes. 52. The mighty from their seats; more properly, rulers from their thrones. with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away. 54 He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; 55 As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed, for ever. 56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house. 57 Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. 58 And her neighbors and her cousins heard how the Lord had showed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her. 59 And 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. 60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. 55. As he spake, &c. Reference is made to the oft-repeated promises of protection and favor to the descendants of Abraham. The beautiful language of Mary in vs. 46-55, celebrating the power of God, and his condescension to the lowly, is in the true spirit of the Hebrew poetry. It should be compared with the grateful acknowledgment of Hannah in 1 Sam. 2: 1—10. 58. Cousins; relatives. 61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. 62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called. 63 And he asked for a writing-table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God. 65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hillcountry of Judea. 66 And all they that heard them, laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be? And the hand of the Lord was with him. 67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, were frequent in Jewish houses. || Saying. A person may speak either by audible expressions or by signs. Zacharias was at that time without the power of speech; but he expressed his wishes by writing. 64. His mouth was opened, &c. Compare v. 20. 65. Fear. More properly, amazement. 66. The hand of the Lord was with him; the Lord was with him in a 59. The eighth day. See Gen. 17: merciful manner. 12. 60. John. Compare v. 13. 62. They made signs to his father. Compare v. 20. 63. He asked; by signs, doubtless. || A writing-table; a tablet, a small board covered with a substance suitable for writing on. Such tablets 67. Filled with the Holy Ghost. See on v. 41. Prophesied. The word prophet is applied, in the Scriptures, to persons who spoke, or acted, under a divine influence, whether in predicting future events, or in uttering the praises of God, or exhorting to religious duty. The verb prophesy 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of his servant David: 70 As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: 71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; 72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; 73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 74 That he would 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. 76 And thou, 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 salis used with the same extent of mean- as the Jews had been, with flocks and ing. The language of Zacharias on herds. The phrase horn of salvation, this occasion was mostly praise to or power of salvation, is equivalent to God for having now so signally com- the phrase powerful one, by whom demenced the fulfilment of the promises liverance will be wrought, that is, powrespecting the Messiah. He also dis-erful, mighty deliverer, or saviour. || In tinctly mentioned the office which the the house, &c.; in the family of Dainfant would hereafter perform, as the vid. See Matt. 1: 1. herald of the Messiah. commenced immediately after the fall of Adam, and continued during the time of God's employing prophets to announce his messages to men. 70. Since the world began; from the 68. Visited; visited with favor, earliest times. Predictions concernkindly regarded. || Redeemed; deliv-ing the Messiah, the future Saviour, ered from a lowly and afflicted condition. The Jews had long been in subjection to other nations, and they deeply felt this as a state of political degradation, and as marring the glory of their religion. They fondly anticipated the times of the Messiah, as days of prosperity, both in their secular and their spiritual affairs. Those days such a man as Zacharias would hail in view of the religious prosperity which would then begin to bless the world. But as a Jew, even he would probably connect with this religious prosperity special temporal good for his nation in its being ele- 73. To our father Abraham. Comvated to power. Under a divine in-pare Gen. 12: 2, 3. 22: 18. fluence, he spoke of the desired deliverance as actually commenced. 69. A horn of salvation. In the Scriptures, a horn is employed as an emblem of strength, or power. Compare 1 Sam. 2: 10. Ps. 75: 10. 89: 17. See, too, Deut. 33: 17. Such a use of the word horn was natural to people who were so much occupied, 71. That we should be saved, &c. The Jews were in subjection, and were regarded by other people with unfriendly feelings. Such a state of things the pious among them would consider as unfavorable to their religious prosperity, and would regard deliverance from it as a most desirable event. 72. Covenant; promises, engagements. 74. Compare vs. 68, 71. 75. Holiness and righteousness; piety towards God and integrity towards men. 76. Prophet. See on v. 67. || Before the face of the Lord; probably, before the Lord Messiah. || To prepare his ways. Compare Matt. 3: 3. 77. Unto his people. The Jews vation unto his people, by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender mercy 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. were the Lord's people, and to them first was to be announced the salvation which the Messiah would effect. 78. The day-spring from on high; a celestial morning, the dawn of a heavenly day. The coming of the Messiah was, as it were, the commencing of heaven on earth. At his coming, it might well be said, that light had shone forth from heaven, that God had caused a celestial sun to arise upon the earth. Compare Is. 9: 2. 60: 1, 3. 79. The shadow of death. See on Matt. 4: 16. || The way of peace; the way of true happiness. Zacharias anticipated the richest blessings for the world in connection with the coming of the Messiah. From the Messiah was to proceed salvation; the Messiah was to be the celestial sun, by whose benignant rays light would be shed on man's darkness, so as to guide him to everlasting bliss. And has not the gospel of Jesus Christ proved itself to be a light from heaven? Are we walking in this light? 80. Waxed strong in spirit. The word spirit here has respect both to the mind and the heart, to the intellectual and to the moral qualities. As John advanced in age, he also gave evident proofs of a strong mind and a pious heart. The deserts. See on the word wilderness in Matt. 3: 1. The day of his showing unto Israel; the time of his publicly coming forth as the forerunner of the Messiah. CHAPTER II. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his showing unto Israel. CHAPTER II. AND it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Cesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed. Roman emperor at the time here spoken of. All the world. This expression is to be understood in a limited sense. The Romans were in the habit of designating the Roman empire by this extensive term. It was also used in a still more restricted sense, as signifying the country inhabited by the Jews, that is, so to speak, the Jewish world. The same word is used in this last sense in Acts 11: 28, where a famine is spoken of, which afterwards took place in Palestine. The Hebrew word signifying earth is frequently used in the Old Testament with reference to the land, the country of the Jews. This manner of speaking would naturally lead to a similar use of the word which Luke employed. It may also be observed, that none of the civil historians of the time referred to by Luke make mention of a decree, on the subject here spoken of, affecting the whole empire. They would hardly fail to speak of so extensive a decree, had one been issued in respect to the whole empire. But a decree affecting only a distant and comparatively unimportant appendage of the empire, might well be passed over in silence by them. In the view of Luke, however, it was a highly important item, as connected with the birth of Christ. || Should be taxed; more properly, should be enrolled. A census was ordered, rather than a levying of taxes for the Roman government. The country of the Jews was not, at the time spoken of, a Roman province. It was a 1. Cesar Augustus; the name of the kingdom under Herod the Great, and |