spoken by Hannah. 1 Sam. ii. 2-10. There are few pieces of poetry-for this is poetry, and almost the only poetry in the New Testamentt-more beautiful than this. It is the language of a humble, thankful, pious female heart, praising God; 1st. For his mercy to her, (vs. 46-49); 2d. For his mercy to all men -his general goodness, (vs. 50-53); and, 3d. His special goodness to his people, (vs. 54-55). 59. On the eighth day. This was the day on which it was required to circumcise children. Gen. xxi. 4. ¶ And they called him Zacharias. The name of the child was commonly given at the time of the circumcision. Gen. xxi. 3, 4. The name commonly given to the eldest son was that of the father. 60. Shall be called John. This was the name which the angel had said should be given to him, and which Zacharias had probably informed Elisabeth by writing. 61. There is none of thy kindred, &c. The Jewish tribes and families were kept distinct. To do this, and to avoid confusion in the genealogical tables, they probably gave only those names which were found among their ancesters. Another reason for this, common to all people, is the respect which is felt for honored parents and ancestors. 63. He asked. That is, by signs. A writing table. The table, denoted by this word, was made of pine, and covered with wax, and was small, per 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. b 63 And he asked for a writingtable, 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 hill country of Judea; 66 And all they that heard them b ver.13. c ver.20. 1 or, things. haps as large as a sheet of paper. The ancients used to write on such tables, as they had not the use of paper. The instrument used for writing was an iron pen or stile, by which they marked on the wax which covered the table. Sometimes the writing table was made entirely of lead. 64. His mouth was opened, &c. That is, he was enabled to speak. For nine months he had been dumb, and it is probable that they supposed him to be afflicted with a paralytic affection, and would not recover. Hence their amazement when he spoke. For one act of disbelief, all this calamity had come upon him, and it had not come without effect. With true gratitude, he offered praise to God for the birth of a son, and for his restoration to the blessings of speech. 65. And fear came, &c. The word fear often denotes religious reverence. The remarkable circumstances attending the birth of John, and the fact that Zacharias was suddenly restored to speech, convinced them that God was there, and filled their minds with awe and veneration. 66. What manner of child, &c. Such were the remarkable circumstances of his birth, that they apprehended he would be distinguished as a prophet, or that great events would result from his life. The hand of the Lord was with him. The word hand is used to denote aid, protection, favor. We stretch out a 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, a c.2.19,51. b Ps.80.17. the hand to aid those whom we wish to help. The expression then means that God aided him, protected him, or showed him favor. Some think that these words are a part of the speech of the neighbors; What manner of child shall this be! God is so evidently with him!' 67. Filled with the Holy Ghost. See ver. 15. And prophesied. The word prophesied means, 1st. To foretell future events. 2d. To celebrate the praises of God, (see 1 Sam. x. 5, 6; 1 Kings xviii. 29); then to teach, or preach the gospel, &c. This song of Zacharias partakes of all. It is principally employed in the praises of God, but it also predicts the future character and preaching of John. 68. Blessed. See Note, Matt. ver. 3. Hath visited. The word here rendered visited means properly to look upon; then to look upon in order to know the state of any one; then to visit for the purpose of aiding those who need aid, or alleviating misery. Compare Matt. xxv. 43. In this sense it is used here. God looked upon the world-He saw it miserable-He came to relieve it, and brought salvation. And redeemed. That is, was about to redeem, or had given the pledge that He would redeem. This was spoken under the belief that the Messiah, the Redeemer, was about to appear, and would certainly accomplish his work. The literal translation of this passage is, "He hath made redemption, or ransom for his people." A ransom was the price paid to deliver a captive taken in war. A is a prisoner taken in war by B. B has a right to detain him a prisoner by the laws of war, but C offers B a price if he will release A, and suffer him to go at liberty. The price which he pays, and which must be satisfactory to B, that is, be a reason to B why he should release him, is called a price or ransom. Men are sinners. They are bound over to just punishment by the law. The 68 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, 69 And hath raised up an horn of salvation d for us, in the house of his servant David; c Ps.72.18. d Ps.111.9. law is noty, and God, as a just govern or, must see that the law is honored, and the wicked punished. But if any thing can be done which will have the same good effect as the punishment of the sinner, or will be an equivalent for it, that is, be of equal value to the universe, God may consistently release him. If he can show the same hatred of sin, and deter others from sinning, and accomplish the purity of the sinner, the sinner may be released. Whatever will accomplish this is called a ransom, because it is in the eye of God a suffi cient reason why the sinner should not be punished; is an equivalent for his sufferings, and God is satisfied. The blood of Jesus, i. e. his death, in the place of sinners, constitutes such a ransom. It is in their stead. It is for them. It is equivalent to their punishment. It is not itself a punishment for that always supposes personal crime-but it is what God is pleased to accept in the place of eternal sufferings of the sinner. The king of the Locrians made a law that an adulterer should be punished with the loss of his eyes. His son was the first offender, and the father decreed that his son should lose one eye, and he himself one also. This was the ransom. He showed his love, his regard for the honor of his law, and the determination that the guilty should not escape. God gave his Son a ransom to show his love; his regard to justice; and his willingness to save men-and his Son, in his death, was a ransom. He is often so called in the New Testament, Matt. xx. 28. Mark x. 45. us ii. 14. Heb. ix. 12. For a fuller ew of the nature of a ransom, see Notes on Rom. iii. 24, 25. So 69. And hath raised up a horn. A horn is a symbol of strength. The fig. ure is taken from the fact that in horned animals the strength lies in the horn. Particularly the great power of the rhinoceros or unicorn, is manifested by the use of a single horn of great fTit.2.11,12. d Ge.22.16,17. e Ro.6.22. 1 Pe.1.14,15. g Re.2.10. founded on the fact that mercy to children is regarded as kindness to the parent. Blessing the children was blessing the nation, was fulfilling the promises made to the fathers, and showing that he regarded them in mercy. ¶ His holy covenant. The word covenant a Je.23.5,6. Da.9.24. b Is.54.7-17. Je.30. 10,11. c Le.26.42. Ps.105.8-10. Eze.16.60. strength, placed on the head, near the end of the nose. When the sacred writers therefore speak of great strength they often use the word horn. Ps. cxlviii. 14. Deut. xxxiii. 17. Dan. vii. 7,8; viii. 21. The word salvation, connected here with the word horn, means that this strength, or this mighty Re-means compact, or agreement. This is deemer, was able to save. It is possible that this whole figure may be taken from the Jewish altar. On each of the four corners of the altar there was an eminence, or small projection, called a horn. To this, persons might flee for safety, when in danger and were safe. 1 Kings i. 50; ii. 28. Comp. Note on ch. i. 11. So the Redeemer may be called the "horn of salvation" because those who flee to him are safe. In the house. In the family, or among the descendants of David. 70. His holy prophets, &c. All the prophets are said to have alluded to the Messiah from the beginning of the world. The most striking of these were Jacob (Gen. xlix. 10); Moses, (Deut. xviii. 15); Isaiah, (ix. 6, 7; liii.) Since the world began. This is not to be taken literally, for there were no prophets immediately after the creation. It is merely a general expression, designed to denote that all the prophets had predicted the coming of the Messiah. 71. Saved from our enemies. The enemies of man are his sins, his carnal propensities, his lusts, and the great adversary Satan and his angels, that continually seek to destroy him. From these the Messiah came to save us. Compare Gen. iii. 15. Matt. i. 21. ¶ The hand. The power, to save us from them. 72. To perform the mercy. To show the mercy promised. The expression in the original is "to make mercy with our fathers;" i. e. to show kindness to our fathers. And the propriety of it is its use among men. It implies equality in the parties; freedom from constraint; freedom from previous obligation to do the thing now covenanted; and freedom from obligation to enter into a compact, unless a man chooses so to do. Such a transaction can never evidently take place between man and God, for they are not equal. Man is not at liberty to decline what God proposes, and he is under obligation to do all that God commands. When the word covenant, therefore, is used in the Bible, it means sometimes a command; sometimes a promise; sometimes a regular law- -as the covenant of the day and night; and sometimes the way in which God dispenses mercy, that is, by the old and new covenants. In the place before us it means the promise made to Abraham, as the following verses clearly show. 73. The oath. This oath is recorded in Gen. xxii. 16, 17. It was an oath in which God swore by himself (because he could swear by no greater, Heb. vi. 13, 14), that he would surely bless Abraham and his posterity. That promise was now to be entirely fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah. 74. Might serve him. Might obey, honor, and worship him. This was regarded as a favor. This was what was promised. And for this Zacharias praised God. Without fear. Fear of death, of spiritual enemies, or of any external foes. In the sure hope of God's eternal favor beyond the grave. 75. In holiness, &c. In piety, and us, 76 And thou, child, shalt be call- I spring from on high hath visited ed The Prophet of the Highest, for thou shalt go a before the face of the Lord, to prepare his ways; 1 77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remission of their sins, 78 Through the tender 2 mercy of our God; whereby the day 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. 80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel. c Is.9.2. 49.9. strict justice. Before him. In the ing light, the aurora, the rising of the presence of God. Performed as in his sun. It is called the day-spring from presence, and with the full conscious-on high, because the light of the gospel ness that God sees the heart. The ho- shines forth from heaven. God is its liness was not to be merely external, author, and through his mercy it shines but spiritual, internal, pure, such as on men. There is here, doubtless, a God would see and approve. All the reference to Isa. lx. 1, 2; indeed, aldays of our life. To death. True re- most the very words of that place are ligion increases and expands till death. quoted. Compare also Rev. xxii. 16. 76. And thou, child, &c. Zacharias predicts in this and the following verses, the dignity, the employment, and the success of John. He declares what would be the subject of his preaching, and what his success. Prophet of the highest. Prophet of God; a prophet appointed by God to declare his will, and to prepare the way for the coming of the Messiah. The face of the Lord. The Lord Jesus, the Messiah that was about to appear. To go before the face of one, is the same as to go immediately before one, or to be immediately follow-rest-to heaven. 79. To give light, &c. See Note, Matt. iv. 16. To guide our feet, &c. The figure in these verses is taken from tra. vellers, who being overtaken by night know not what to do, and who wait patiently for the morning light, that they may know which way to go. So man wandered. So he became benighted. So he sat in the shadow of death. So he knew not which way to go until the sun of righteousness arose, and then the light shone brightly on his way, and the road was open to the promised land of ed by another. To prepare his ways. This song of Zacharias is exceedingly This is taken from Isa. xl. 3. See Note on Matt. iii. 3, and on Isa. xl. 3. beautiful. It expresses with elegance the great points of the plan of redemption, the doings of John, and the mercy of God in providing that plan. That mercy was great. It is worthy of praise; of our highest, loftiest songs of thanksgiving; for we were in the shadow of death-sinful, wretched, wanderingand the light arose, the gospel came and men may rejoice in hope of eternal life. 77. Knowledge of salvation. Knowledge of the way of salvation; that it was provided, and that the author of salvation was about to appear. By the remission of their sins. The word remission means pardon, forgiveness, or it denotes a treatment of the sinner, as if he had not committed the sin. This implies that the salvation about to be offered was that which was connected 80. Waxed strong in spirit. That with the pardon of sin. There can be is, in courage, understanding, and purno other. God cannot treat men as his poses of good, fitting him for his future friends unless they come to him by re-work. The word wax means to increase, pentance and obtain forgiveness. When that is obtained, which he is always disposed to grant, they can be treated with kindness and mercy. 78. Whereby the day-spring, &c. The word day-spring means the morn to grow, from an old Saxon word. ¶ In the deserts. In Hebron, and in the hill country where his father resided. He resided in obscurity, and was not known publicly by the people. Until the day of his showing. Until he entered on his CHAPTER II. cree from Cesar Augustus, that all AND it came to pass in those the world should be taxed. days, that there went out a de public ministry as recorded in Matt. iii. That is, probably, until he was about thirty years of age. See Luke iii. CHAPTER II. 2 (And this taxing was first made 1 or, inrolled. appointment under the Roman emperor. and was subject in most matters to him. Farther, as this enrolment was merely to ascertain the numbers and property of the Jews, it is probable that they were very willing to be enrolled in this manner; and hence we hear that they went willingly, without tumult-contrary to the common way when they were to be taxed. 1. In those days. About the time of the birth of John and of Christ. A decree. A law, commanding a thing to be done. Cæsar Augustus. This was the Roman emperor. His first name was Octavianus. He was nephew of 2. And this taxing was first made, Julius Cæsar, and obtained the empire &c. This verse has given as much after his death. He took the name Au perplexity, perhaps, as any one in the gustasi. e., august, or honorable-as New Testament. The difficulty has a compliment to his own greatness; and consisted in the fact that Cyrenius, or from him the month August, which was Quirinius, was not governor of Syria before called Sextilis, received its name. until twelve or fifteen years after the That all the world. There has been birth of Jesus. Jesus was born during much difficulty respecting this passage, the reign of Herod. At that time Vafrom the fact that no such taxing of all rus was president of Syria. Herod was the world is mentioned by ancient wri- succeeded by Archelaus, who reigned ters. It should have been rendered the eight or nine years; and after he was whole land-i. e., the whole land of removed, Judea was annexed to the Palestine. The whole land is mention- province of Syria, and Cyrenius was ed to show that it was not Judea only, sent as the governor. Josephus, Ant. but that it included also Galilee, the B. xvii. § 5. The difficulty has been place where Joseph and Mary dwelt. to reconcile this account with that in That the passage refers only to the land Luke. Various attempts have been of Palestine, and not to the whole world, made to do this. The one that seems or to all the Roman empire, is clear most satisfactory is that proposed by from the following considerations: 1st. Dr. Lardner. According to his view, The fact that no such taxing is men- it means, "This was the first census tioned as pertaining to any other coun- of Cyrenius, governor of Syria.' try. 2d. The account of Luke is con- called the first, to distinguish it from fined to this country only. 3d. The one afterwards taken by Cyrenius. Acts words world, and whole world, are not v. 37. It is said to be the census taken unfrequently used in this limited sense by Cyrenius, governor of Syria; not as confined to a single country. See that he was then governor, but that it Matt. iv. 8, where Satan is said to have was taken by him who was afterwards shown to Christ all the kingdoms of the familiarly known as governor. Cyreworld-that is, of the land of Judea. nius, governor of Syria, was the name See also Josh. ii. 3; Luke iv. 25, (Greek); by which the man was known; and it Luke xxi. 26; Acts xi. 28. Should be was not improper to say that the taxtaxed. Our word tax means to levy ing was made by Cyrenius, the goverand raise money for the use of the go-nor of Syria, though he might not have vernment. This is not the meaning of the original word here. It means rather to enrol, or take a list of the citizens with their employments, the amount of their property, &c., equivalent to what was meant by census. Judea was at this time tributary to Rome. It paid taxes to the Roman emperor; and though Herod was king, yet he held his It is been actually governor for many years afterwards. Thus Herodian says that "to Marcus the emperor were born several daughters and two sons," though several of those children were born to him before he was emperor. Thus it is not improper to say that Genera. Washington saved Braddock's army, or was engaged in the old French war |