66 And all they that heard them, laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of

Z V. 39. m Ch. 2: 19, 51.

and praised God; literally, he spake praising God. The participle denotes the manner in which he employed the gift of speech so suddenly restored to him. He did not pause to address his friends or his wife, although he had not interchanged a word with them from the time he returned from Jerusalem (v. 23), but he immediately broke forth into praises to God, which his tongue had long been waiting to utter. 65. Fear refers here to religious awe. See 5:26; 7:16; 8:37. The circumstances were well adapted to inspire deep reverential feelings. All that dwelt, &c. Reference is had to the immediate neighborhood, although the report of these strange events was doubtless spread throughout the whole hill-country, and may have found its way even to Jerusalem. Sayings, according to Hebrew usage, is here put for things so strange as to be the subject of general conversation. Were noised abroad. 'Were everywhere talked about." Webster and Wilkinson.

66. Heard them, i. e. the events pertaining to the birth of John, included in the preceding narration. Laid them up in their hearts, i. e. pondered over them, and sought their import. Laying refers here especially to the silent expression of thought within, the communings with their own hearts, although it does not preclude the idea of open conversation with one another in reference to these strange events. What manner, &c. The literal translation is: What then (i. e. in view of such wondrous events) will this child turn out to be? What sort of a personage may we expect him to become? This was the point to which their inward musings

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, 68

Blessed be the Lord God

n Ge. 89: 2; Ps. 80: 17; & 89: 21; Ac. 11: 21. o Jo. 2: 28. p 1 Ki. 1: 48; Ps. 41: 13; & 72: 18; & 106: 48.

were directed. They did not ponder so much with idle curiosity and speculation upon the events which had taken place, as upon the future destiny of the child, whose birth had been marked with such manifest tokens of the divine favor. The hand (i. e. the blessing and protection) of the Lord was with him. This is added by the evangelist, as Olshausen remarks, by anticipation, in order to intimate that men's expectations were realized. A similar sentiment is found in Judg. 13: 25. These words preserve the narrative from a harsh break between vs. 66 and 67. Kuinoel's idea that these are the words of the wondering and reflecting people, is forced and unnatural.

67. Zacharias is now filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesies in exalted strains, blessing God for thus visiting his people with salvation. The whole song is Messianic, being referable to John only in v. 76, as the Forerunner of Christ. The structure takes the form of Hebrew poetry, and abounds in Hebrew idioms. Prophesied, i. e. spake under divine influence upon matters of a religious nature. It will be seen that, intermingled with praises and pious ejaculations, Zacharias uttered several predictions. Alford remarks that this hymn of thanksgiving, besides its own immediate interest to every Christian, serves to show to us the exact religious view under which John was educated by his father.

68. God of Israel. See N. on v. 16. Hath visited in mercy. That a visit of judgment is not referred to, is evident from the following verb, hath redeemed (literally, hath effected redemption. See Ñ. on Matt. 20:28), showing the object

69And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us, in the house of his servant David:

and design of this visitation. As Zacharias, like Mary, spake under the influence of the Spirit, we must take the redemption here spoken of, in its high evangelical sense, not however claiming thereby for Zacharias himself higher views of the nature of the Messiah's kingdom, than was entertained by other eminent saints of his time. The idea of a temporal Deliverer was prominent in their thoughts. But we cannot doubt that they were oftentimes elevated by faith to such heights of spiritual vision, as to be able to discern much of the true nature and glory of the kingdom for which they were anxiously waiting. His people refers primarily to the Jews, and then to all the spiritual seed of Abraham. See N. on v. 54.

69. An horn of salvation. As the horn was an emblem of strength and defence (see Ps. 75: 10; 89: 17; Amos 6; 13; Jer. 48: 25; Ezek. 29: 21), these words are here put for strong or mighty Saviour, the abstract for the concrete. The expression seems to have been quoted from 2 Sam. 22: 3. Some find an allusion in the word horn to the horns of the altar, to which criminals fled for refuge (1 Kings 1: 50; 2: 28). But such a sense would be very unsuitable here, and is not the one symbolized by horn, in its general scriptural usage. In the house, &c. It was from the family of David, that this powerful and promised Deliverer was to spring. See Acts 15: 16.

70. As he spake, &c. The burden of prophecy had been the future Messiah. Kings, prophets and holy men, had greatly desired to see his day (Matt. 13: 17; Luke 10: 24). Zacharias alludes to these predictions, as now about to have their fulfilment. Bengel says

71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

72 'To perform the mercy

t Le. 26: 42; Ps. 98: 3; & 105: 8, 9; & 106: 45; Ez. 16: 60; v. 54.

66

that he begins where Mary left off in v. 55. By the mouth. Holy men spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." 2 Pet. 1: 21. Holy prophets. There was not one of the prophets whom God made use of to reveal his ways to men, of whom the epithet holy might not be properly used, so far as the term is applicable to frail and erring man. Balaam against his will was forced to bless Israel (Numb. 23 : 8–10, 19-24; 24: 3-9), and utter a remarkable Messianic prediction (Numb. 24: 17); but not being voluntary in the act, and besides being a very bad man (2 Pet. 2: 15, 16), he has no claim whatever to be numbered among the holy prophets of the Lord. Which have been, &c.

The whole line and succession of prophets is here referred to. The prophetic eye of all these holy men was directed to the times of the Messiah. Since the world began is equivalent to from the most ancient times, which some refer to the prophetic promise made to Abraham (Gen. 12; 3; 22: 18), and renewed to Isaac (Gen. 26: 4), and to Jacob (Gen. 28: 14). It is better, however, to refer it to the first great Messianic prediction made in Eden (Gen. 3: 15), the fountain-head of the stream of prophecy, which flowed down the ages, in an ever widening and deepening channel.

71. That we should be saved, &c. Literally, (and he hath raised up) salvation (i. e. the means of salvation) from our enemies, the construction being continued from v. 69, the intermediate verse being parenthetic. Enemies, not political but spiritual. Here was the great error of the Jewish people in relation to the Messiah. They regarded his mission as political and not spirit

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

u Ge. 12: 8; & 17: 4; & 22: 16, 17; He. 6: 13, 17.

ual. Such, however, was not the meaning of Zacharias, speaking as he did under the influence of the Holy Ghost. And from the hand, &c. A continuation of the preceding sentiment, according to the laws of poetic parallelism.

72, 73. To perform the mercy, &c. This is to be referred in construction to v. 69, showing the object or purpose of God in raising up this mighty Deliverer. The word promised in our common version is unnecessarily supplied, the phrase, to perform mercy to (i. e. towards or in behalf of) our fathers, being the same as to show mercy, &c. The next clause, according to the structure of Hebrew poetry, carries out the same general sentiment, the verb to remember including also the sense of fulfilling or executing. His holy covenant is explained in the following verse, which is put with it in explanatory apposition. The oath (i. e. even the oath) is grammatically dependent on the verb to remember, although in the original it is put in the same case as the relative which. This is not an unmeaning construction, but serves to connect oath more emphatically and indissolubly with the relative clause, in the sense of the very oath which he sware, &c. This was the ground and foundation of all the promises made by God to his chosen people, and deserved a distinct and emphatic reference in this song of praise.

74. That he would grant, &c. The verb is grammatically connected with to perform, the structure of the original, which cannot be well transferred into English without circumlocution, denoting in what the action of that verb consisted: to perform mercy in the granting unto us, &c. If this view VOL. II.-2

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

Ro. 6:18, 22; He. 9:14. y Je. 32:39, 40; Ep. 4: 24; 2 Th. 2: 13; 2 Ti. 1:9; Tit. 2:12; 1 Pe. 1: 15; 2 Pe. 1: 4.

seems inadmissible to any, I would suggest the connection of it with v. 71, as showing that not only deliverance from their enemies was now to be effected, but that the true service and fear of God would also result from the advent of the Messiah. Some expositors give to this clause the idea of purpose. Others think that it serves to denote the tenor or purport of the oath made to Abraham. This seems to have been the view of the translators in our common version. Him, the Lord God of Israel. Being delivered out of the hand; literally, being drawn out of the hand (i. e. power of). The idea is one of extrication from the midst of peril and trouble. Without fear or molestation in the exercise of religious duties. Alford refers to the prohibition of the Jewish worship by Antiochus Epiphanes, and by the Romans, as being most calamitous to the people.

75. In holiness and righteousness. These words have here no great differ ence in signification, but are employed to give fulness to the expression. The former refers more especially to conformity with the divine law, the latter to the fulfilment of human laws and duties. These words show, beyond all question, that Zacharias in v. 74 referred to deliverance from sin, or, as Webster and Wilkinson interpret it, justification from sin. The result was to be a state of holiness or sanctification, in which God's people would continue to the end of life. The words of life are generally regarded as spurious, the genuine text being all our days, which denotes simply the idea of perpetuity.

76. Zacharias now pauses in his glowing rehearsal of the benefits to accrue from the reign of Messiah, and ad

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 salva

Is. 40:8; Mal. 3:1; & 4:5; Mat. 11:10; v. 17.

dresses the child in language of great beauty and spiritual richness. Instead however of dwelling on his future gifts and eminent success as a reformer, he thinks of him only as the prophet and forerunner of this Personage, of whose glorious mission he has just been speaking. A clear spiritual view of Christ causes all things else to sink into comparative insignificance. Shalt be called. See N. on v. 32. The prophet of the Highest. Olshausen, contrasts this with Son of the Highest in v. 32. The word prophet is often used in the New Testament, of religious teachers, or such as make known to men the ways of God. For thou shalt go before (see v. 17), &c. denotes the reason why John was to be called the prophet of the Highest. He was to precede and prepare the way for the son of the Highest (v. 32).

77. To give knowledge of salvation, i. e. to teach the people the true method of salvation through repentance and reformation of life (see Matt. 3: 2), which alone would secure the remission of their sins. This was the essential and crowning feature of the Messianic dispensation. Salvation was made accessible through faith and repentance, not by the observance of legal forms and ceremonies, as under the Mosaic dispensation. Some expositors construct by or in the remission of their sins with salvation, as denoting its only and true ground. But salvation is not so much the subject of thought here, as the knowledge of the way of salvation through the remission of sin.

78. The salvation here referred to was to be wholly gratuitous. It was tendered to the race through the tender mercy of God, without any goodness either existing or foreseen in those to whom it was offered. Such clear and comprehensive views of the scheme of salvation, show that Zacharias was in

spired of the Holy Ghost. It is doubtful whether the most pious and enlightened of the Jews, had ever fully attained to this idea of gratuitous justification from sin through the promised Messiah, unless, like Zacharias, they were specially instructed by divine illumination. Bengel constructs through the tender mercy of our God, with remission instead of salvation. This does not affect, however, the general sense, since remission of sin is included in salvation, the knowledge of which was to be first made known by John. The word rendered tender mercy literally signifies the inwards, bowels, which were supposed by the ancients to be the seat of compassion, mercy, and love. It is a word of strong import, as when we speak of one's bowels yearning over a beloved son. Whereby refers to the tender mercy of God, and introduces the result of this merciful and gracious provision. Dayspring; literally, the rising, as of a heavenly body, and hence figuratively, the dayspring or dawn applied to the Messiah, who was to be the Light of the world. See Isa. 92; 49:6; 60: 1-3. That it is not here to be referred to John the Baptist, is evident from the following context. The words from on high are very significant. The heavenly bodies rise from the depths of the horizon, but this spiritual dayspring is revealed from on high, as it were from a distant and glorious system, and descending to our view from the very zenith of the heavens. Compare 24: 49, where the same expression from on high, is employed of the descent and outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. So also to on high (Eph. 4: 8) quoted from Ps. 68: 19. The LXX.. translate the Hebrew of Ps. 18: 17; 144: 7, by the same Greek words here rendered from on high, all which show conclusively that, stripped of its high