Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible · Luke 第1章

Luke 1:2. Ministers of the word;— Some have supposed, that by the word, St. Luke meant Christ himself. See John 1:1. Others however underhand by the word, the transactions of our Lord's public life or the gospel; called the word, as being the great subject of the preaching of the apostles, who were eye and ear witnesses of these things. It seems as plain as possible, from this verse, that they could not be false or heretical gospels to which St. Luke alludes.

See commentary on Luk 1:1

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Luke 1:3. Having had perfect understanding—from the very first, &c.— By tracing them from their first rise. Παρηκολουθηκοτι πασιν ακριβως, plainly signifies that accuracy of investigation, on which the perfect understanding of his subject was built. To write in order, may signify to give a particular detail, in opposition to an abridgement, or a concise account; and the evangelist may, with great propriety, be said to have given an orderly account of the history of Christ, as the leading facts are in their due series, though some particulars are transposed. The title of most excellent, Κρατιστε, was commonly given to persons in the highest stations of life. Accordingly St. Paul, speaking to the governors Felix and Festus, uses it in his addresses to them; wherefore their opinion seems to be groundless, who, attending to the signification of the Greek wordTheophilus, "beloved of God," imagine that the evangelist does not mean any particular person, but all true Christians, and lovers of God. Theophilus seems to have been a Greek, and a person of high rank. Probably Luke, while in Greece with St. Paul, had received particular civilities from him, and in testimony of his respect, inscribedhis two books to him, bestowing on him thereby a fame which will last while Christianity subsists. St. Luke might have a thorough knowledge of the facts which he here refers to, by intimate conversation with the apostles, and particularly St. Paul; or, he might have been present himself ata number of the transactions which he has recorded. The assurance with which he speaks of his own knowledge of these things, leads us to think that he was an eye-witness of some of them. On this supposition, his reasoning in the preface to his history, will be more conclusive than on any other, and will stand thus: "Seeing many have written from the information of eye-witnesses, and ministers of the word, I, who from the very first have had perfect knowledge of all things, both by conversing with the eye-witnesses, and by being present myself at many of the transactions of Jesus, thought it incumbent on me to write his history, for the more certain information of mankind."

See commentary on Luk 1:1

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Luke 1:4. Wherein thou hast been instructed.— Κατηχηθης, the original word, expresses with great accuracy the instructions given to those whowere training up for admission into the Christian church, whose name ofcatechumens was derived hence, and applied without any particular regard to the age of the persons concerned. See Acts 18:25. Rom 2:18 and Doddridge.

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Luke 1:5. In the days of Herod, &c.— See on Matthew 2:1. The descendants of Aaron multiplied to such a degree, that they could not all do duty in the temple at once; David therefore divided them into twenty-four courses, who ministered weekly in their turns. The time of their ministration was, called εφημερια, as was likewise the course itself; but the name belonged originally to the Athenian magistrates, called Prytaneis, who, being fifty men chosen by lot out of a tribe, and each man governing the city a single day, the days which any tribe governed, as well as its fifty Prytaneis succeeding one another, were called εφημερια . Hence, because the Jewish courses of priests resembled the Athenian Prytaneis in several respects, they had their name applied to them by those who wrote in Greek. The course of Abia, to which Zacharias belonged, was the eighth in David's regulation; but whether the courses were the same now as at the first institution, it is impossible to determine. Comp. 1 Chronicles 23:6; 1Ch 24:10 and see Potter's Antiquities.

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Luke 1:6. In all the commandments and ordinances— The critics are generally agreed that these words signify, the one the moral, the other the ceremonial precepts of the law; butthey are greatly divided in fixing the particular sense of each. The truth is, undoubted examples may be produced, to prove that both words were used promiscuously in both senses; for which reason, to dispute nicely about them is needless. The plain meaning is, that this exemplary couple were faithfully observant both of the moral and ceremonial institutions of the law; so that they were not only of a fair character in their dealings with men, but likewise illustrious for their piety, and sincere in their worship of God. This appears to be St. Luke's meaning. See Bell's Inquiry into the Missions of St. John, &c. p. 46.

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Luke 1:9. His lot— Because some parts of the sacred service were more honourable than others, both the priests and Levites divided the whole among them by lot. The Jews tell us, that there were three priests employed about the service of the incense; one carried away the ashes left on the altar at the preceding service; another brought a pan of burning coals from the altar of sacrifice, and, having placed it on the golden altar, departed; a thirdwent in with the incense, sprinkled it on the burning coals, and, while the smoke ascended, made intercession for the people. This was the part that fell to Zacharias, and the most honourable in the whole service. Dr. Heylin renders this verse, According to the custom of distributing the sacerdotal functions, the lot fell upon him to enter into the sanctuary, and offer incense.

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Luke 1:10. The whole multitude, &c.— Because it sometimes happened, that, on ordinary week-days, few or none of the people attended the morning and evening sacrifices, there were four and twenty men employed to attend this service, as representatives of the people of Israel, to lay their hands on the heads of the sacrifice, to pray, and to receive the blessing. These were called, from their office, stationary men. Wherefore the manner in which the evangelist has expressed himself on this occasion—the whole multitude of the people, shews that an unusual concourse was in the temple when Zacharias had this vision. Probably the day on which he burned this incense was a sabbath, or some high festival, when there was always a great multitudeassembled.Zacharias'sremaininginthe temple beyond the usual time, must thus have been taken notice of by many. See Luke 1:21. There were likewise many, who, upon his coming out dumb, conjectured that he had seen a vision, Luke 1:22. Matters of so public a nature, the truth or falsehood whereof so many must have known, would never have been thus openly appealed to by St. Luke, if they had been false. The evangelist adds, that the people were praying without at the time of incense.—As the daily sacrifice represented the sacrifice of Christ, and the incense the prayers of the saints, Rev 8:1-4 the incense was ordered to be burned while the sacrifice was offering, to teach mankind that it was through the sacrifice of Christ they had access to God. Accordingly, the sacrifices and incense both morning and evening were fitly accompanied with the prayers of the people; and that not in the temple only, but every where else; pious men choosing to put up their supplications particularly at the hours of sacrifice, while the ministers of religion interceded for the nation. Hence these hours were called hours of prayer, Acts 3:1. What is above-mentioned was the foundation of that elegant figure by which prayer is so often compared in scripture to incense: perhaps one reason of ordaining incense might be to intimate the acceptableness of those pious prayers which were to accompany it; and indeed burning fragrant perfumes was, and in Eastern nations still is, so important a part of the entertainment of illustrious families, that one might well expect it in the house of God, where so great a part of the worship was of the ceremonial kind. It is so plain that this was only an office of daily ministration, and that Zacharias was one of theordinary priests, that one cannot but be surprised that any should conclude from this circumstance, that Zacharias was sagan, or assistant to the high-priest, and was now performing his grand office on the day of atonement, and so on this foundation should calculate the birth of John the Baptist and of Christ, and all the other feasts which depend upon them; yet this is done in the calendars both of the Roman and Greek churches. See Doddridge and Hammond.

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Luke 1:11. There appeared unto him an angel— It is altogether uncertain whether this happened at the morning or evening sacrifice. Grotius thinks it was in the morning; others fancy it was in the evening; but neither opinion is properly supported. It is observable from the rabbinical writings, that these divine appearances used generally to be made at the time of burning incense.

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Luke 1:12. He was troubled, &c.— That is, according to the Hebrew idiom, he was exceedingly afraid. The angel's form was such, as shewed him plainly to be a being of a superior nature. See Judges 13:6. But Zacharias knew not on what errand he was come: no wonder then that he was exceedingly terrified.

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Luke 1:13. Thy prayer is heard;— We cannot imagine that this holy man, at so advanced an age, and on such an occasion, would pray for the pregnancy of his wife, who was very old. The priests in this office considered themselves as the mouth of the people, and made the welfare of the nation the subject of their prayers. Wherefore, since it is reasonable to suppose that Zacharias now interceded for the coming of the Messiah, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed, we may consider the angel's words as having a reference to such a prayer, thus: "The Messiah, for whose coming thou prayedst, is about to be born; for thy wife shall bring forth his forerunner." Some indeed are of opinion, that those prayers are meant which Zacharias may have put up for offspring when he and his wife were young; yet the time and place of the vision give reason to believe that the object of it was a matter of more general concernment. It was the office of the father to name the child, as appears from Luke 1:62. John, in the Hebrew tongue, signifies The grace of God. Hence it was fitly given to the Messiah's forerunner, who was sent to proclaim the immediateaccomplishmentofGod'smercifulintentionstowardsmen,theexpectation of which had been raised in them by all the preceding dispensations of religion. Αγαλλιασις, which we render gladness, in the next verse, properly answers to the word exultation or leaping for joy. See 1 Peter 1:8; 1Pe 4:13 and Matthew 5:12.

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Luke 1:15. He shall be great, &c.— By this some understand that true greatness, whereof God is the sovereign judge, in opposition to that greatness which men acknowledge, who very often err in their opinion of things. "He shall be great in the sight of God, not of man." But great in the sight of God seems to be a Hebrew expression of the same form with αστειος τω Θεω, Act 7:20 fair to God, or exceeding fair, and signifies, he shall be exceeding great; namely, in respect of his character, his office, his inspiration, and the success of his ministry, as it is explained by the angel himself. He was to drink neither wine nor strong drink; that is, to convince mankind that he was separated in a peculiar manner for the service of God. He was to live the life of the Nazarites, Num 6:3 who were esteemed as devoted to God's service in a particular manner. He was to be filled with the Holy Ghost, which, in Scripture, commonly signifies that degree of inspiration by which the prophets anciently spake. Accordingly, in this chapter it is applied to Elizabeth, to Mary, and Zacharias, in cases where they all spake by a particular inspiration.

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Luke 1:17. And he shall go before him, &c.— That is, before Jesus Christ, here stiled the Lord their God. The son of Zacharias had the spirit of Elijah, equalling if not exceeding him in severity of manners, in courage, and in sustaining persecutions; for he was clad in a garment of camel's hair, fed on locusts and wild honey, rebuked sinners of the highest distinction with great boldness, and was put to death on that account. He had the power also of Elijah; for though he did no miracle, he was honoured with the like success in restoring the lost spirit of true religion among his countrymen. Nay, he even excelled Elijah in that, which is properly the power of a prophet, and to which all his other gifts were subservient,—the power of converting men; being in this more successful without miracles, than Elijah had been with them. By his preaching he made such a general change in the manners of the nation, that he turned the hearts of the fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to their children the Jews, from whom they had been alienated, on account of their wickedness; and the hearts of the children to their fathers, by be-getting in them a love of religion and religious characters, and by so doing prepared a people for the coming of the Lord. See the note on Mal 4:5-6 and on Mark 9:10. Some, however, render the passage, To turn the hearts of the fathers with the children, and the disobedient to a sense of righteousness, &c. Dr. Doddridge translates and paraphrases it thus: "He shall meet with such glorious success in his ministry, as to convert the hearts of the fathers with those of the children; that is, he shall bring many, both of the rising and the declining age, to that real piety towards God, which will be the surest band of their mutual duty towards each other: and many of those who have hitherto been disobedient to the wisdom of the just (that is, insensible of the obligations to real religion, which is the greatest: wisdom,) shall be made ready, as a people prepared for the Lord; their minds being raised to an expectation of the Messiah, and a disposition to welcome him when he shall appear."

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Luke 1:18. And Zacharias said, &c.— In the Old Testament there are instances of holy men, who, on occasions like this, spake as Zacharias is said to have done; and who, instead of being reproved, are greatly commended for their faith. (Compare Gen 15:8 with Romans 4:19-20.) Nevertheless, the treatment which he met with, will not appear hard, when it is considered that the dispositions of his mind were very different from those of the persons mentioned. They believed the messages which were brought them, and desired to be confirmed in the faith thereof; consequently the language of their demand was, "Lord, I believe; help mine unbelief." Whereas Zacharias hardly believed at all, or was exceedingly doubtful. This we are expressly told, Luke 1:20. His sin therefore was great, and his punishment just; and the more so, as he could not but often have read the account which the Scripture gives of the births of Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Samson, Samuel, &c. all descended from mothers who had been long barren. The resemblance in circumstances might well have produced a peculiar regard to them, and one would have imagined that he should immediately have recollected the history of the angel's appearance to Manoah in particular. See Judges 13:2-14.

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Luke 1:19. I am Gabriel, that stand, &c.— As much as to say, "I am the angel Gabriel, the same servant of God (so the name signifies, being by interpretation vir Dei,—a man or servant of God) who, as the Scripture informs thee, appeared anciently to the prophet Daniel, with a message concerning the Messiah. (See Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21.) The truth of this thou mayest know from the place where I now stand, and from the time at which I appear to thee; for I am now in the presence of God, even in his sanctuary, where no evil spirit, pretending a commission from him, can possibly enter. I, who now stand in the presence of God, am Gabriel (for so the words may be rendered). Moreover, I am not come of myself, but I am sent of God, to tell thee the glad tidings of the near accomplishment of the things which I long ago shewed to Daniel at a great distance. Thou therefore, whose advanced age ought to have been venerable by an advanced knowledge of divine things, as well as by a strong faith in the power of God, art much to blame for calling in question the truth of my message; especially as by the prophesies of Daniel thou mightst have understood that this is the period determined for the coming of the Messiah, and his forerunner."

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Luke 1:20. Thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak,— The affirmation of a thing joined with the denial of its contrary, is an idiom peculiar to the Jewish language, and is the strongest affirmation possible. The style of St. John is remarkable for the frequency of this idiom. See on Luke 1:22.

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Luke 1:21. The people waited for Zacharias,— They waited for his blessing, and could not imagine what had detained him so much longer than usual. See Numbers 6:0.

23-27. Leviticus 9:22-23. All that is here recorded, might have passed in a few minutes; it seems probable therefore, that, since the people took notice of his continuing so much longer than ordinary in the holy place, he spent some time in secret devotion, where, in the mixture of holy affections arising on so great and extraordinary an occasion, he might easily forget how fast the moments passed away.

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Luke 1:22. For he beckoned unto them,— He made signs to them. The word Κωφος, rendered speechless, signifies deaf, as well as dumb, the latter being generallythe consequence of the former; and accordingly it is concluded from Luk 1:62 that Zacharias lost his hearing with his speech during that interval.

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Luke 1:26. In the sixth month— Namely, of Elisabeth's pregnancy. Galilee was the most northern part of Palestine. It was bounded on the north by Lebanon and Syria, on the west by Phoenicia, on the south by Samaria, and on the east, according to Josephus, by Jordan and the sea of Tiberias; yet from the gospel it appears, that a part of the country north of the sea, and eastward of Jordan, was reckoned Galilee. Galilee therefore comprehended the possessions of the tribes of Issachar, Zebulun, Naphtali, and Asher. It was divided into upper and lower Galilee, whereof the former was called Galilee of the Gentiles, (Matthew 4:15.) because it bordered upon the Gentile nations, and was partly inhabited by them. Josephus tells us (Bel. L. 3. 100: 2.) that the whole country was exceeding populous and veryfruitful; that the number of its towns and villages was great; and that even in the lesser towns there were no less than fifteen thousand inhabitants.

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Luke 1:27. To a virgin espoused, &c.— I should render the verse thus: to a virgin of the house of David, betrothed to a man, whose name was Joseph; and the virgin's name was Mary. The original will bear this translation: and what makes for this interpretation is, that this and the preceding verse refer wholly to the virgin; who is described by the place of her residence, Nazareth; by her relation to Joseph, being espoused to him; by her lineage and descent, of the house of David; and by her name, Mary. See Whitby and others.

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Luke 1:28. Hail, thou that art highly favoured,— Thou who hast found favour, or mercy with God, as it is expounded, Luke 1:38. It follows, Blessed art thou among women: so it is said of Jael, Jdg 5:24 of Ruth 3:10. See also 1 Samuel 25:33. Again, the Lord is with thee, is said to Gideon, Jdg 6:12 and the words, Luke 1:30 thou hast found favour with God, are said of Noah, Gen 6:8 of Joseph, Gen 39:4 and of David, Acts 7:46. So that here is nothing said of the blessed virgin in this salutation, which was not before said of others. Instead of among women, some read above women; which appears a just translation: for the Jews do not express their degrees of comparison by any change at the end of the words, like other nations, but by doubling or trebling the positive, or by adding a preposition, such as with, or among; and accordingly, this salutation, which is expressed in the Hebrew idiom, signifies, that she was superlatively blessed. Dr. Campbell renders it, thou happiest of women. But this salutation gives no room for any pretence of paying adoration to the virgin, as having no appearance of a prayer, or of worship offered to her.

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Luke 1:29. She was troubled, &c.— She was disturbed at his discourse, and reasoned with herself, or revolved in her mind, what this salutation should mean. Heylin, and Doddridge.

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Luke 1:33. And of his kingdom there shall be no end.— So the prophet Isaiah 9:6-7. Unto us a child is born, &c. of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end. The kingdom of Christ is twofold. 1. His spiritual kingdom, or the dominion of righteousness in the minds of men. 2. His temporal kingdom, or the outward dispensation of the Gospel, together with an exercise of government over the world, by which all events are managed so as to promote the empire of righteousness in the hearts of believers. This distinction removes the difficulty arising from 1 Corinthians 15:0.

28.—where we are told, that after the worlds are judged, Christ shall deliver up the kingdom to God the Father;—compared with what Gabriel said to Mary on this occasion, and with the other passages of Scripture, which affirm that our Lord's kingdom shall beeverlasting. His temporal kingdom, or the gospel dispensation, will end with the world, being of no farther use. But his spiritual kingdom, or the dominion of righteousness in the minds of intellectual beings, which he came down to establish, will continue to all eternity. See my Annotations on 1 Corinthians 15:0.

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Luke 1:36. Thy cousin Elisabeth,— Mary and Elisabeth might be cousins, as the text affirms, although the former was a descendant of David, and the latter a daughter of Aaron: because the law, Num 36:6 forbidding women to marry out of their own tribes, related only to heiresses, and consequently did not include the tribe of Levi, which had no particular heritable possessions that could be alienated by such marriages. Accordingly, in Lev 22:12 it is supposed as a common case, that a priest's daughter might be married to a stranger. It is remarkable, that Gabriel does not refer the virgin to Sarah or Rebekah, examples in former ages, but to a present one; and to magnify and heighten the miracle, he adds, that Elisabeth was advanced in years, and, what was more, never had a child.

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Luke 1:38. Behold the handmaid, &c.— Mary expressed in this answer both great faith and great resignation. She believed what the angel had told her concerning her conception, and wished for it, not regarding the inconveniences to which she might be exposed thereby; as well knowing that the power of God could easily protect her. It is worthy of our remark, that Mary, though a young virgin, should so readily believe an event, in itself so much more wonderful than that which Zacharias, thoughan aged priest, had found it so difficult to credit; and it may be observed, that the sacred writers are particularly careful to record instances of this kind, in which God does as it were out of the mouths of babes and sucklings perfect his praise.

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Luke 1:39. Went into the hill country— This was a very wise determination, as it was very probable that by communicating the vision she had seen, and perhaps also describing the form in which the angel appeared, she might convince Zacharias and Elisabeth that there was something singular in her case, and so bring in the reputation of such worthy and eminent persons to establish her own, in a circumstance which might otherwise expose her to great suspicion and censure. The city of Judah, where Zacharias and Elisabeth lived, is thought to have been Hebron; because Hebron was not only one of the cities appointed for the priests to dwell in, Jos 20:7 but was situated in the mountains of Judah, Jos 11:21 which, running from south to north, gave the name of the hill country to that part of Judea. Hebron lay south from Jerusalem, at the distance of about twenty-four miles, and was about seventy miles distant from Nazareth.

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Luke 1:42. Blessed art thou among women,— It is remarkable, that this is the salutation wherewith Gabriel had addressed Mary. The words, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, probably allude to the child's being the promised Seed, in whom all the families of the earth were to be blessed, and who for that reason was blessed himself: see Psalms 72:17.

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Luke 1:43. That the mother of my Lord should come, &c.— If Elisabeth had not spoken by inspiration, as we are told, Luk 1:41 she could not so much as have suspected that Mary was to be mother of the Messiah; but it being revealed to her, she was greatly struck with the honour that was done her, and expressed her sense thereof by asking, in a rapture of astonishment, how it came to be conferred upon her? "How have I deserved this honour, that the mother of the Messiah, my Lord and Saviour, should deign to visit me?"

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Luke 1:45. And blessed is she that believed, &c.— Dr. Heylin, in agreement with the margin of our English version, renders it, And blessed is she who believed that there shall be, &c. Elisabeth in these words plainly commended the faith and humility which Mary had expressed when the angel assured her that she should become pregnant in her virgin state; with an oblique reference to the behaviour of Zacharias, who probably had informed her by writing of all that had happened; or, as is more likely, she might attain the knowledge of the whole by revelation.

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Luke 1:46. And Mary said, &c.— The virgin, having heard Elisabeth speak thus, was likewise filled with the Holy Ghost; so that being inspired she expressed the deepest sense of her own unworthiness, and of the infinite goodness of God, in choosing her to the high honour of being the Messiah's mother. This she did in a hymn, which, though uttered extempore, is remarkable forthe beauty of its style, the sublimity of its sentiments, and the spirit of piety which runs through the whole. It is a proof how conversant the virgin was in the books of the Old Testament; for most of the expressions in this hymn are borrowed thence, especially from the song of Hannah, in which there are many passages remarkably suitable to her own case. See 1Sa 2:1-10 and the passages in the margin.

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Luke 1:47. My spirit hath rejoiced— When a person, speaking of himself, mentions his soul or spirit as doinga thing, it is the strongest expression in human language, and intimates his doing the thing mentioned with the utmost energy of all his faculties: Mary, therefore, by saying, that her soul magnified the Lord, and that her spirit rejoiced in God, meant to declare, that she exerted the utmost vigour of all her faculties in setting forth the perfections of God, which constitute his greatness: and that the consideration of his goodness towards her, filled her withjoy, to the utmost extent of her capacity.

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Luke 1:48. For he hath regarded— 'Επεβλεψεν ; "he hath looked with a distinguishing regard, and wonderful condescension. Though I am a person in the lowest station, and had not the least reason to expect that any thing extraordinary should arise from me; yet God hath put such honour on my condition, as to make me the instrument of bringing into the world the Messiah, the desire of all nations; for which reason all generations shall esteem me peculiarly happy."

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Luke 1:49. Hath done to me great things;— Μεγαλεια, miracles. So Μεγαλα and Μεγαλεια often signify in the Old Testament, being often applied to the miracles wrought in Egypt, and in the wilderness. See Deuteronomy 10:21; Deuteronomy 11:7; Deuteronomy 34:12. Doubtless, Mary had now in her thoughts the miraculous conception of the Messiah. She adds, and holy is his name, making this remark to signify her humble faith in God's wisdom and goodness. She was astonished that God should have chosen her, a person of the meanest condition, to be the mother of the Messiah; yet, from her belief of the divine perfections, she was convinced that all was done in wisdom and truth.

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Luke 1:50. His mercy is on them that fear him— "So great is the goodness of God, that he rewards the piety of his servants upon their posterity to the thousandth generation." Exodus 20:6. By making this observation, the virgin modestly insinuated, that she imputed the great honour that was done her, not to any piety of her own, but to the piety of her ancestors, Abraham and David, which God thus rewarded upon their latest posterity.

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Luke 1:51. He hath shewed strength, &c.— It is an observation of Grotius, that God's great power is represented by his finger; his greater, by his hand; and his greatest by his arm. The production of lice was the finger of God, Exo 8:19 and the other miracles in Egypt were done by his hand, Exo 3:20 but the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in the Red-Sea was brought to pass by his arm, Exodus 15:16. Wherefore the virgin's meaning is, that in this dispensation of his providence, God mightily manifested his sovereign power. He hath scattered the proud, &c. means theproudgreatwomen,whoindulgedmanyfondimaginationsconcerningthe honour that should accrue to them from giving birth to the Messiah. "He hath filled them with shame, to such a degree, that they have scattered and hid themselves;"—in allusion to an army of cowards, who breaking their ranks run off in despair. See Eccl'us, Luke 10:15. Dr. Doddridge explains the passage, "He hath often dispersed the haughty sinners who exalt themselves against him, and confounded them in those schemes which were the most laboured imaginations of their own hearts." These words, says he, are thus peculiarly applicable to the gospel, in which God doth not only cast down imaginations, and every high thing, 2Co 10:5 by the humbling scheme of his recovering grace, but hath remarkably confounded his most insolent enemies in their own most elaborate projects, and established his sacred cause by the violent attempts which they have made to suppress it. Compare Psalms 2:1-3. The version of 1729 renders it, He hath confounded the proud by the devices of their own hearts.

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Luke 1:52. He hath put down the mighty, &c.— Δυναστας απο θρονων, the rulers from their thrones. The kings who sprung from David had, no doubt, one after another expected to be the parents of the Messiah; and when the kingdom was taken from them, such of the royal progeny as were in the highest station would reckon this as their certain and greatest privilege: but now their hope was wholly overthrown; they were brought down by God from that height of dignity, to which in their own imagination they had exalted themselves; while a person in the meanest condition of all the royal seed was raised to it.

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Luke 1:53. He hath filled the hungry, &c.— Both the poor and the rich are here beautifullyrepresented as waiting at God's gate in the condition of beggars; the rich, in expectation to receive the honour of giving birth to the Messiah; the poor, in expectation, not of that blessing, but of such small favours as suited their condition. While they are thus waiting, God, by an exercise of his sovereignty, bestows the favour so much coveted by the rich, on a poor family, to its unspeakable satisfaction; and sends away the rich, disappointed, and discontented; for such is the force of the original word εξαπεστειλε .

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Luke 1:59. And they called him Zacharias,— The law did not enjoin that the child should have his name given him at circumcision; it was an incidental circumstance, which custom had added; possibly because at the institution of the rite God changed the names of Abraham and Sarah, Genesis 17:5; Genesis 17:15.

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Luke 1:63. And he asked for a writing-table— Πινακιδιον, a writing-tablet, or little book.

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Luke 1:67. Zacharias—prophesied,— Some imagine that by Zacharias's prophesying, St. Luke means only that he celebrated the praises of God with great elevation and affection of soul. And it must be acknowledged, that the word has this sense in other passages of Scripture, particularly 1Ch 25:1 where Asaph and Jeduthun are said to prophesy with the harp and cymbal, which is explained Luk 1:3 by their giving praise and thanks to God. However, as Zacharias is said on this occasion to have been filled with the Holy Ghost, and to have uttered a prophesy concerning his son, the ordinary sense of the word may very well be admitted here.

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Luke 1:68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel;— "Let all honour and glory be ascribed to the Possessor and Governor of the world, the God of Israel, because he hath visited and redeemed his people." For God to visit his people, is a metaphorical expression, signifying to shew them great favour: it is taken from the custom of princes, who commonly visit the provinces of their kingdom, in order to redress grievances, and to confer benefits. The great benefits accruing to the people of God from the visitation which this holy man speaks of here, is their redemption or deliverance from all their spiritual enemies, by the coming of the Messiah, the horn of salvation; that is to say, the power which works or brings salvation. See on Psalms 18:2. &c. &c.

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Luke 1:70. Which have been since the world began:— 'Απ αιωνος : "from the beginning of the world." By the world, in this passage, some understand the Jewish dispensation, because, before the giving of the law, no prophet spake either of God's raising up a Horn of Salvation in the house of David, or of performing his covenant with Abraham. And to these promises they suppose Zacharias now alluded, because the general strain of his discourse seems to respect the temporal deliverance which the Jews imagined the Messiah would accomplish for the Israelites. Nevertheless, if we carefullyattend to the text, we shall be sensible that this 70th verse is connected, not with the verse which precedes, but with that which follows it, in this manner: "He hath raised up an Horn of Salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, &c. as the accomplishment of a promise which he made by the prophets from the beginning of the world; which promise was, that we, the spiritual Israel, should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all that hate us." Accordingly we find that a promise of this sort was made to the parents of mankind immediately after the fall, and by them handed down to their posterity, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. This sense renders Zacharias's words more consistent than the other, which can never shew how a horn of salvation in the house of David was promised by the prophets from the beginning of the Jewish dispensation. And though it should be granted, that Zacharias had not now in his eye the general spiritual deliverance of the people of God, yet, as he spake by inspiration, the meaning of the Holy Ghost here, as in many other prophesies, is much more extensive than the ideas of the prophet by whom he spake, and who often did not understand what he uttered; as St. Peter informs us, 1 Ephesians 1:10-11.

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Luke 1:71. That we should be saved from, &c.— Salvation from, &c.

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Luke 1:74. Without fear,— Αφοβως,— without a slavish fear, or that spirit of bondage, mentioned Romans 8:15. For the whole of this promise, both as it was originally made to Abraham, and as it is here applied to the coming of the Messiah, respected a spiritual deliverance; though the Jews generally understood it of a deliverance from their enemies on earth, as possibly Zacharias also did.

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Luke 1:75. And the days of our life.— Serving God in holiness and righteousness, as well as deliverance from enemies, being spoken of as in the merciful grant of God, we may reasonably conclude that it refers to those passages, in which God promised to pour out extraordinary degrees of a pious spirit on his people, under the reign of the Messiah. Compare Isaiah 44:1-5. Jer 31:31-34 and Ezekiel 36:25-27.

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Luke 1:76. And thou, child,— Zacharias here either pointed to John, or took him in his arms: the messenger or forerunner in Malachi was to be a prophet; Zacharias says of his son, Thou shalt be called the prophet of the Most High; and our Saviour declares, that John was more than a prophet; that is, he was a great preacher of righteousness, who called aloud unto the people torepent that they might be forgiven, and declared that the kingdom of heaven was at hand. See Malachi 3:1; Malachi 4:5. Isa 40:3 and Sharpe's Second Argument.

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Luke 1:78. The tender mercy— Σπλαγχνα ελεους, the bowels of mercy. These two words are often used in Scripture both jointly and separately. They signify pity, because that passion is commonly attended with a motion in the bowels, especially when the object of it is one we have an interest in. See Isaiah 63:15.Philippians 2:1; Philippians 2:1. Col 3:12 where the bowels of mercy signify the most tender mercy. The phrase used by itself signifies any strong affection whatever. Thus Philemon 1:7. The bowels of the saints are refreshed by thee, brother. The day-spring from on high, is in the original Ανατολη εξ υψους . As the phrase, Ανατολη σεληνης, the rising of the moon, (Isaiah 60:19.) signifies the moon itself; so ανατολη, the elliptical expression here used for ανατολη ηλιου, may signify the sun. For Zacharias is alluding to those passages in the prophetic writings, which describe the Messiah by the metaphors of the light and the sun; particularly Mal 4:2 where he is called the sun of righteousness, both on account of the light of his doctrine, and of the joy produced by his appearing. See also Isaiah 60:1-2; Isaiah 60:19. Indeed, no figure was ever more happily imagined, or more naturally applied, than this, which represents the promised seed under the notion of the sun. For most aptly may Jesus be likened to the rising sun; his doctrine being to the souls of men what light is to their bodies. It is altogether necessary for directing our steps in the paths of truth and righteousness; it is exceedingly pleasant to the spiritual taste, by discovering the most important and delightful truths; nay, like the light, it throws a beauty and pleasantness upon everything in this lower world, which, without the assurance of God's reconcileableness, would be but a dark and dreary scene to sinners, however noble and beautiful in itself. Dr. Doddridge renders Ανατολη by the dawning of the day; for it is well known, says he, that the word properly signifies that part of the heavens where the light begins toarise,—and the first shining of that light. The dawning of the day, seems therefore a very literal version; and I apprehend it more beautifully describes the state of things just at this interval, than if the sun had been represented as actually risen.

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Luke 1:79. Them that sit in darkness, &c.— These phrases, with peculiar propriety, describe the ignorant and miserable state of the Gentile world, and perhaps the former part of the verse may refer to them. But as Christ's preaching to the Jews in Galilee; (for it was almost entirely to Jews that he preached) is said, Mat 4:14-16 to be an accomplishment of Isa 9:1-2 to which Zacharias here probably refers, we are not to confine the sense to the Gentiles only; for indeed the sad character and circumstances of the Jews at this time, as described by Josephus, do well suit the representation here made.

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