Luke 1:68

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(68) Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.—The whole hymn is, like the Magnificat, pre-eminently Hebrew in character, almost every phrase having its counterpart in Psalm or Prophet; and, like it, has come to take a prominent place in the devotions of the western Churches. Its first appearance, as so used, is in Gaul, under Cæsarius of Aries.

Visited.—Better, looked upon, regarded. The four centuries that had passed since the last of the prophets are thought of as a time during which the “face of the Lord” had been turned away from Israel. Now He looked on it again, not to visit them (as we more commonly use the word) for their offences, but to deliver.

Redeemed his people.—Better, wrought redemption for His people. The noun is formed from that which is translated “ransom” in Matthew 20:28, where see Note. Its occurrence here is noticeable as showing how large an element the thought of deliverance through a ransom was in all the Messianic expectations of the time. (Comp. Luke 2:38.) The past tense (in the Greek the aorist) is used by Zacharias as, in the joy of prophetic foresight, seeing the end of what had been begun. The next verse shows that he looked for this redemption as coming not through the child that had been born to him, but through the Son, as yet unborn, of Mary.

Benson Commentary

Luke 1:68-70. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel — Who is also the God of the spirits of all flesh: but Zacharias, speaking of the work of redemption calls him only the God of Israel, because to Israel the prophecies, promises, and types of redemption, had hitherto been given, and to them the first offers and proposals of it were now to be made. Israel, as a chosen people, was a type of the people of God to be called out of all nations and ages, whom God had a particular eye to in sending the Saviour. For he hath visited, &c., his people — In sending the Messiah, God made a gracious visit to his people, whom, for many ages, he had seemed to neglect, and be estranged from. He is said to have visited his people in bondage, when he delivered them, Exodus 3:16; to have visited them in famine, when he gave them bread, Ruth 1:6. He had often sent to them by his prophets, and had kept up a correspondence with them, but now he himself made them a visit, for Christ was Immanuel, God with us, God manifest in the flesh. And redeemed his people — Εποιησε λυτρωσιν τω λαω αυτου. He hath wrought out redemption for his people, complete and illustrious redemption. This was the errand on which Christ came into the world, to redeem those that were sold for sin and sold under sin; even God’s own people, his Israel, need to be redeemed, and are undone if they be not. Christ redeems them by price out of the hands of God’s justice, and redeems them by power out of the hands of Satan’s tyranny, as Israel out of Egypt. And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us — That is, a mighty, victorious, and glorious Saviour, who saves his people with an abundant salvation. The expression is metaphorical, taken from beasts, whose strength, defence, and victory over other animals, lies chiefly in their horns, as also the beauty and glory of several of them; the property likewise of the ancients consisting chiefly in their flocks and herds. Accordingly, the word horn is used in Scripture emblematically, to denote strength or power, Lamentations 2:3; Lamentations 2:17; Psalm 75:10; also honour and triumph, as, when the horn is exalted, Psalm 89:24. From the union of these, it signifies the power of a king or kingdom, Revelation 13:1. This is the chief import of the word in this place, the house of David being the regal family, and the word Saviour, implying deliverer, protector, and ruler; the horn of salvation in the house of David denotes the kingdom of Christ. As he spake — That is, as he promised; by his holy prophets, which have been since the world began — Απ’ αιωνος, from the beginning of ages, the promise being made to Adam, Genesis 3:15, that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent’s head; and to Abraham and the other patriarchs, that in their seed all nations of the earth should be blessed. “It cannot,” however, as Dr. Doddridge justly observes, “certainly be inferred from hence, as some have argued, that there was from the beginning of the world a series of prophets, or that every individual prophet spoke of the Messiah, which can never be proved without doing great violence to the remaining writings of some of them.” The words of Zacharias only amount to this, that the generality of prophecies in all ages refer to this great event. See Acts 10:43.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

1:67-80 Zacharias uttered a prophecy concerning the kingdom and salvation of the Messiah. The gospel brings light with it; in it the day dawns. In John the Baptist it began to break, and increased apace to the perfect day. The gospel is discovering; it shows that about which we were utterly in the dark; it is to give light to those that sit in darkness, the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. It is reviving; it brings light to those that sit in the shadow of death, as condemned prisoners in the dungeon. It is directing; it is to guide our feet in the way of peace, into that way which will bring us to peace at last, Ro 3:17. John gave proofs of strong faith, vigorous and holy affections, and of being above the fear and love of the world. Thus he ripened for usefulness; but he lived a retired life, till he came forward openly as the forerunner of the Messiah. Let us follow peace with all men, as well as seek peace with God and our own consciences. And if it be the will of God that we live unknown to the world, still let us diligently seek to grow strong in the grace of Jesus Christ.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

Blessed - See the notes at Matthew 5:3.

Hath visited - The word here rendered "visited" means properly "to look upon;" then to look upon in order "to know the state of anyone;" then to visit for the purpose of "aiding those who need aid," or alleviating misery. Compare Matthew 25:43. 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 a "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 as 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 law is holy, and God, as a just governor, must see that the law is honored and the wicked punished; but if anything can be done which will have the same "good effect" as the punishment of the sinner, or which 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 secure 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 sufficient "reason" why the sinner should not be punished; it is an equivalent for his sufferings, and God is satisfied. The "blood of Jesus" - that is, 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 the 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. So God gave his Son a "ransom" to show his love, his regard to justice, and his willingness to save people; and his Son, in his death, was a ransom. He is often so called in the New Testament, Matthew 20:28; Mark 10:45; Titus 2:14; Hebrews 9:12. For a fuller view of the nature of a ransom, see the notes at Romans 3:24-25.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

68-79. There is not a word in this noble burst of divine song about his own child; like Elisabeth losing sight entirely of self, in the glory of a Greater than both.

Lord God of Israel—the ancient covenant God of the peculiar people.

visited and redeemed—that is, in order to redeem: returned after long absence, and broken His long silence (see Mt 15:31). In the Old Testament, God is said to "visit" chiefly for judgment, in the New Testament for mercy. Zacharias would, as yet, have but imperfect views of such "visiting and redeeming," "saving from and delivering out of the hand of enemies" (Lu 1:71, 74). But this Old Testament phraseology, used at first with a lower reference, is, when viewed in the light of a loftier and more comprehensive kingdom of God, equally adapted to express the most spiritual conceptions of the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Ver. 68-70. God is not the God of Israel only, but of all the nations of the earth also; but he is peculiarly called

the God of Israel, both here and in many other places, Psalm 41:13 72:18 Psalm 106:48, &c., in regard of the covenant which he had specially made with them, and the special advantages they had, mentioned by the apostle; to them were committed the oracles of God, Romans 3:2; and to them pertained the adoption, the glory, the covenants, the giving of the law, and the service of God, and the promises, Romans 9:4. Zacharias pronounces God blessed, and desires that he may be blessed, that is, honoured, and celebrated, and spoken well of, for that he had

visited and redeemed his people. The word may be extended to all God’s deliverances of Israel, but it seemeth to be here more specially restrained by what followeth to the redemption by Christ.

And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us. An horn of salvation signifies a mighty, powerful salvation, by a metaphor taken from beasts, which much exert their power by their horns. The beast’s ten horns, Daniel 7:7, are expounded to be ten kings, Luke 1:24; so Psalm 75:10, where David saith he will cut off all the horns of the wicked; so Lamentations 2:3, where God is said to have cut off all the horn of Israel. In the house of his servant David. This agreeth to the prophecy, Jeremiah 30:9, where Christ is called David; They shall serve the Lord their God, and David their King, whom I will rise up unto them; who is also called a righteous Branch raised unto David, Jeremiah 23:5. God is said to have raised up this horn of salvation in the house of David. The house of David was now down, lapsed and decayed. God promises to raise up to the Israelites a mighty salvation from the house of David. This was fulfilled in Christ.

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began. All the prophets, or many of them at least, prophesied of Christ as the Son of David, and of a great salvation to be raised up to Israel from his house.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel,.... This was a form of blessing of long standing, Psalm 72:18 and very likely was in use, more or less, ever since Israel was distinguished from other nations, became a body politic, and were settled in the land of Canaan, in the enjoyment of peculiar privileges, both civil and religious; see other forms before it in Genesis 9:26 and now, this was very near being antiquated, and out of date; for upon the birth of Christ, the Son of God manifest in the flesh, the New Testament form of blessing runs, as in 2 Corinthians 1:3 The reason of its being now made use of might be, because the Messiah, the principal subject of this song, was peculiarly promised unto Israel, was raised up for them, and sent unto them. To bless God, is not to invoke a blessing on him; for there is none greater than he to ask one of; nor does he stand in need of any, being the Creator, who is blessed for ever in himself, and is the fountain of blessedness to his creatures: and therefore, also, cannot signify to confer a blessing on him, but to praise and glorify him, on account of the perfections of his nature, and the works of his hands; and to give thanks unto him for all mercies, spiritual and temporal; and especially for Jesus Christ, his mission, incarnation, and salvation by him, which are the things the God of Israel is blessed for in this song:

for he hath visited, and redeemed his people; as he did Israel of old, Exodus 3:16 when the Lord looked upon them, and delivered them out of the bondage of Egypt, and which was a type and resemblance of redemption by Christ; and to which reference here seems to be had. The "people" here said to be visited, and redeemed, design all the elect of God, not only among the Jews, but Gentiles also; all those whom God has chosen to be his people, and has in his covenant taken and declared to be such; whom he has given to Christ, as his people and portion; for whose sins he was stricken, and made reconciliation, and whom he saves from their sins. The act of "visiting" them, as previous to redemption, may include God's look of love upon them from everlasting; his choice of them in Christ unto salvation; the appointment and provision of a Saviour for them; the covenant of grace made with them in Christ, the foundation and security of their salvation; and particularly the mission of Christ in human nature, in consequence of the council, covenant, and promise of God: or it designs his incarnation, for he was now actually conceived in the womb of the virgin: so that God had visited, and looked upon his people, and remembered his love and mercy, his covenant and promise to them: and the "redemption" of them, which was now said to be made, or done, because Christ was now sent to do it, and because it was as sure, as if it was done, intends the spiritual and eternal redemption of them by the price of his blood, from the slavery of sin, the bondage of the law, and curse of it, and the captivity of Satan, and a deliverance out of the hands of every enemy; a redemption which reaches both to soul and body, and secures from all condemnation and wrath to come; and includes every blessing in it, as justification, forgiveness of sins, adoption, sanctification, and eternal life; and is a plenteous, full, complete, and everlasting one.

Geneva Study Bible

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath {g} visited and {h} redeemed his people,

(g) That he has shown himself mindful of his people, to the extent that he came down from heaven himself to visit us in person, and to redeem us.

(h) Has paid the ransom, that is to say, the price of our redemption.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Luke 1:68 f. Zacharias’ hymn of praise concerns the great rause, which his new-born son is to serve—the Messianic deliverance and blessing of the people, which he now at once looks upon as already accomplished, for in his new-born son there has, in fact, already appeared the preparer of the way for the Messiah (Luke 1:16 f.). Comp. on Luke 1:51. The entire hymn bears the priestly character, which even the apostrophe to the infant, Luke 1:76, does not efface.

εὐλογητὸς κ.τ.λ.] sc. εἴη Comp. Psalm 40:14; Psalm 72:18; Psalm 106:48.

λύτρωσιν (comp. Luke 2:38) applies primarily to the Messianic deliverance under its political aspect Comp. Luke 1:71; Luke 1:51 ff.; Plut. Arat. 11 : λύτρ. αἰχμαλώτων. With this, however, Zacharias knew (comp. also Luke 1:16 f.) that the religious and moral regeneration of the people was inseparably combined, so as to form the one Messianic work, Luke 1:75; Luke 1:77; Luke 1:79.[32] The ἐπεσκέψ. is absolute, as in Sir 32:17 : he has looked to, he has made an inspection. Comp. Acts 15:14.

ἤγειρε] still dependent upon ὅτι.

κέρας σωτηρίας] a horn of deliverance (genitive of apposition), i.e. a strong, mighty deliverance, according to the figurative use of the Hebrew קֶרֶן, 1 Samuel 2:10; Psalm 18:3; Psalm 89:18; Psalm 132:16 f., Psalm 148:14; Sir 47:5; Sir 47:7; Sir 47:11, al.; Gesenius, Thes. III. p. 1238; Grimm on 1Ma 2:48. See Rabbinical passages in Schöttgen, Hor. p. 258 f. ΚΈΡΑς· Ἡ ἸΣΧῪς ΠΑΡᾺ Τῇ ΘΕΊᾼ ΓΡΑΦῇ, ἘΚ ΜΕΤΑΦΟΡᾶς ΤῶΝ ΖΏΩΝ ΤῶΝ ΚΑΘΩΠΛΙΣΜΈΝΩΝ ΤΟῖς ΚΈΡΑΣΙ ΚΑῚ ΤΟΎΤΟΙς ἈΜΥΝΟΜΈΝΩΝ, Suidas. Comp. the Latin cornua addere, cornua sumere, and the like. It is true that Jensius (Ferc. lit. p. 34), Fischer (de vit. Lex. p. 214), and Paulus find the reference in the horns of the altar of burnt-offering which served as an asylum (1 Kings 1:50; 1 Kings 2:28 ff.; Bähr, Symbol. I p. 473 f.; Knobel on Exodus 27:2). But apart from the inappropriate relation to the frequent use of the O. T. figure elsewhere, how inadequate for the due and distinct expression of the Messianic idea would be the conception of the mere protection, which was afforded by the laying hold of the horns of the altar!

ἤγειρε] excitavit, i.e. according to the context, he has made to grow up (ἐξανατελῶ, Psalm 132:17).

τοῦ παιδὸς αὐτοῦ] Acts 4:25.

[32] Hofmann appropriately remarks, Weissag. u. Erfüll. II. p. 253 (in opposition to Olshausen), that the purity of the Messianic views of Zacharias consists in the unadulterated reproduction of Old Testament knowledge.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Luke 1:68. ἐπεσκέψατο, visited graciously (vide on Matthew 25:36), occasionally used in Sept[14] in the sense of judicial visitation (Psalm 89:33). Note the use of the aorist there, which runs through Luke 1:68-75, in Luke 1:76-79 futures occur. The object of ἐπεσκέψατο is latent in τῷ λαῷ (τὸν λαὸν, cf. Luke 7:16; λαός applied to Israel as the chosen people, ἔθνος to the other nations).

[14] Septuagint.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

68. Blessed] This hymn of praise is hence called the Benedictus. It has been in use in Christian worship perhaps as far back as the days of St Benedict in the sixth century, and it was early recognised that it is the last Prophecy of the Old Dispensation, and the first of the New, and furnishes a kind of key to the evangelical interpretation of all prophecies. It is also a continual acknowledgment of the Communion of Saints under the two dispensations; for it praises God for the salvation which has been raised up for all ages out of the house of His servant David, and according to the ancient covenant which He made with Abraham (see Romans 4:11; Galatians 3:29). Blunt, Annotated Prayer Book, p. 16.

the Lord God] Rather, the Lord, the God.

redeemed] Literally, “made a ransom for.” Titus 2:14.

Bengel's Gnomen

Luke 1:68. Ὅτι, because [for]) Zacharias is especially speaking of Christ, Luke 1:69 : and of John only as it were incidentally: see Luke 1:76.—ἐπεσκέψατο, κ.τ.λ., He hath visited and made redemption) i.e. He hath visited so as to make redemption, etc. The same verb occurs in Luke 1:78.—[λύτρωσιν, redemption) However earnestly desired by Zacharias John was, yet the former speaks first concerning Christ, and that, in an especial manner and most fully: he speaks of John only as it were in passing, Luke 1:76.—V. g.]

Pulpit Commentary

Verses 68, 69. - He hath visited and redeemed,... and hath raised up. The tenses of the verbs used in these expressions show that in Zacharias's mind, when he uttered the words of his hymn, the Incarnation, and the glorious deliverance commenced in that stupendous act of mercy, belonged to the past. He hath visited; that is, after some four hundred years of silence and absence, the Holy One of Israel had again come to his people. About four centuries had passed since the voice of Malachi, the last of the prophets, had been heard. An horn of salvation. A metaphor not unknown in classical writings (see Ovid, 'Art. Am.,' 1:239; Her., 'Od.,' 3. 21. 18), and a much-used figure in Hebrew literature (see, among other passages, Ezekiel 29:2l; Lamentations 2:3; Psalm 132:17; 1 Samuel 2:10). The reference is not to the horns of the altar, on which criminals seeking sanctuary used to lay hold; nor to the horns with which warriors used to adorn their helmets; but to the horns of a bull - in which the chief power of this animal resides. This was a figure especially familiar among an agricultural folk like the Israelites. "A rabbinic writer says that there are ten horns - those of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, the horn of the Law, of the priesthood, of the temple, and of Israel, and some add of the Messiah. They were all placed on the heads of the Israelites till they sinned, and then they were cut off' and given to the Gentiles" (Schottgen, 'Hor. Hebr.,' quoted by Dr. Farrar). In the house of his servant David. Clearly Zacharias looked on Mary, as the angel had done (verse 32), as belonging to the royal house of David. Luke 1:68