KJV
Click to Change
Return to Top
There are no apparent parallel Gospel accounts of Luke 1:46-56.
In Luke 1:46-56, Mary responds to Elizabeth’s blessing with a song of praise, exalting the LORD for His mercy, power, and faithfulness to His promises, especially in lifting the humble and fulfilling His covenant with Israel. Mary returned to her home to Nazareth after staying with Elizabeth for three months.
The traditional name given to Mary’s song of praise recorded in Luke 1:46-55 is “the Magnificat.” It is called "the Magnificat" because the first word of the song in the Latin Vulgate translation is “Magnificat.” In Latin, Magnificat means “magnifies,” “glorifies,” or “exalts.” It is taken from Mary’s opening line: My soul exalts (magnifies) the Lord (v 46b).
“Magnificat” reflects the tone and content of the song, which glorifies and exalts God for His mercy, power, and faithfulness to His people.
The Background
Soon after the angel Gabriel told the virgin Mary that she would be overshadowed by the Holy Spirit and conceive a child who would be the Messiah and Son of God (Luke 1:30-38), she left her home of Nazareth (in Galilee) and went to visit her cousin Elizabeth in a town of the hill country of Judah, a journey of roughly a hundred miles (Luke 1:39).
The elderly Elizabeth was herself six months pregnant with Jesus’s cousin, John the Baptizer—the Messianic forerunner (Luke 1:26, 1:36).
“When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb” (Luke 1:41) and Elizabeth became filled with the Holy Spirit and, with a loud voice, cried out a prophetic blessing over Mary, the mother of the Messiah (Luke 1:42-45).
Luke, who possibly interviewed Mary when he investigated the exact truth of the Gospel’s origins (Luke 1:1-4), now records (Luke 1:46-55) Mary’s response to Elizabeth’s prophecy. Mary’s response is a song of praise.
In many respects, Mary’s song of praise parallels Hannah’s song of praise from 1 Samuel 2:1:1-10. This commentary will first consider Mary’s words in the context of Luke. Then it will consider how Mary’s song relates to Hannah’s song.
The Song of Mary
Mary’s song can be interpreted as having two parts with the first part singing praises for what God has and is doing (v 46-50) and the second part singing praises for what God has done and will do (Luke 51-55). The first part is past and present. The second is past and future. There are other ways Mary’s song can be outlined, but this commentary will follow the two-part outline described in this paragraph.
Before we begin, one of the most striking things about Mary’s song is that it is saturated with scripture. Mary paraphrases not only Hannah’s song, but many passages from the psalms. She also alludes to or references countless events throughout Israel’s history all the way back to God’s covenant with Abraham (v 55). This commentary will point out some of these allusions and references as it explains what Mary said.
From this song, it is probable that even as a young virgin (teenager), Mary already had an intimate knowledge of the scriptures and had hidden His word in her heart. It is possible that God miraculously revealed scripture to Mary. But given Jewish culture and Mary’s devotion, is is more likely that God used what was already present to do His work. It could be that many of these words were thoughts Mary had dwelt upon during her multi-day journey to see her relative.
Luke introduces Mary’s song with the phrase: And Mary said: (v 46a).
Mary’s song begins with a burst of praise that establishes her theme and sets the tone for her entire song:
My soul exalts the Lord,
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior (v 46b-47).
After hearing Elizabeth’s prophetic words, the first words out of Mary’s mouth are an expression of pure and total worship: My soul exalts the Lord.
To exalt means to “lift up,” “magnify,” or “glorify.” To exalt someone means to show how great and important they are—like giving them special honor, lifting them up in praise, or pointing out how awesome they are in front of others.
Mary is exalting the Lord—God. She is proclaiming God’s glory in recognition and response to His greatness. And she is not doing so mindlessly or half-heartedly—Mary’s soul is worshiping the Lord. That is, Mary is exalting God from the core of her being.
A person’s soul is the center of their life—the essence of who they are—and it represents the center of their thoughts, emotions, will, and their identity. It is a person’s soul that decides the three things an individual can control: who to trust, what perspective to take, and how to act. A person’s soul is the defining essence of who that person is—everything else about a person are mere attributes. (The words for “soul” and “himself” are used interchangeably in the parallel teachings found in Matthew 16:26 and Luke 9:25).
The Bible teaches that we are to love God “with all your soul” (Deuteronomy 6:5). In this moment Mary reveals how she is worshiping and loving God will all her soul. She is emulating King David’s example, who once sang:
“Bless the LORD, O my soul,
And all that is within me, bless His holy name.”
(Psalm 103:1)
The context in which Mary said: My soul exalts the Lord, appears to be an extemporaneous outburst of genuine praise.
Consider how Mary simply greeted Elizabeth upon entering her house (Luke 1:40) after a four-to-seven-day journey from Nazareth. This trip was likely to seek wisdom and temporary reprieve from possible scorn and ostracism from close friends who did not believe Mary’s miraculous circumstances. Elizabeth’s special baby leapt for joy at the sound of Mary’s voice (Luke 1:41, 45) and Elizabeth prophesied affirmations and blessings over Mary and her soul (Luke 1:42-45).
Mary’s response does not appear to have been premeditated but rather seems to have been spontaneous overflow of praise to God that arose from her soul. Mary’s words of praise were authentic and full of admiration for the Lord and what He was doing in her life and in the life of her nation.
After saying My soul exalts the Lord, Mary reiterates her opening words of praise with an exclamation of who the Lord is:
And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior (v 47).
Once again, Mary reveals that her innermost, immaterial self—my spirit—has found joy in God.
In abstract terms, the line my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior expresses a deep, inward celebration in response to being rescued or cared for by God. A person’s spirit represents the inner, immaterial part of a person—where their deepest hopes, desires, and awareness of truth reside. To say it has rejoiced means it has found lasting joy, not in temporary circumstances, but in the unchanging character and saving work of God.
Mary’s line of praise reflects an overwhelming inner gladness that springs from recognizing God as the source of ultimate help, hope, and deliverance.
This line of worship, unlike the previous one which contained a present tense verb, refers to Mary’s past. The verb—has rejoiced—refers to the past tense. This indicates that Mary’s spirit has rejoiced in God her Savior previously in her life and before this moment.
Mary’s song is worshipping God for what He is personally doing in her life—bringing the Messiah into the world through her virgin body; and for what He has personally done for her in the past—specifically how He saved her from her sins. This could refer to her thought process after hearing and believing the amazing announcement from the angel Gabriel.
We know Mary was a sinner, not only from Paul’s general statement about humanity “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23), but also from this specific line where she described God as my Savior. It is sinners who are in need of a Savior. In calling God “my Savior,” Mary is confessing that she is a sinner, and she is praising God for saving her from her sins. In this she demonstrates her humility before God.
The context and tense of the verb, rejoiced, indicates that Mary has found joy and has celebrated her salvation in the past. Now through her song, Mary is recelebrating and rejoicing in her salvation in God her Savior once again.
On a side note, Mary specifically said it was my spirit that has rejoiced...from a biblical perspective, a person’s spirit and soul are closely related but distinct (Hebrews 4:12).
Both the spirit and soul refer to the immaterial part of a person in contrast to their physical body. In this sense, the two terms can be considered synonyms. But spirit and soul also can refer to distinct parts of a person’s immaterial existence.
As described above, a person’s soul refers to the core essence of a person. It refers to their individual’s very self—the unique identity of that person. A person’s soul is who they are. For this reason, a person’s soul (in Greek - ψυχή, G5590, pronounced: “psū-ché”) is often used to refer to a person’s life.
The organs of the soul are:
A person’s spirit (in Greek - πνεῦμα, G4151, pronounced: “pne-ū-mah”) is the God-conscious part of a person, the dimension that allows relationship with God, understanding of spiritual truth, and reception of divine influence (John 4:24, Romans 8:16). Just as a person’s physical body enables him to interact with the physical world, so does a person’s spirit enable him to interact with God and the spiritual world.
According to the Bible, humans were created in three parts (Genesis 2:7), reflecting the Trinity of God, (Genesis 1:26-27). These three parts are a body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). Humans are therefore a unified yet multi-dimensional being created to relate both to the physical world and to God.
Mary then gives three reasons stating why her soul exalts the Lord. Each of these reasons begins with the word—For.
The first reason is: For He has had regard for the humble state of His bondslave (v 48a).
This reason expresses Mary’s amazement and gratitude that God has looked upon her with favor despite her lowly status.
The word regard conveys intentional respect, attention, and/or care. Mary described her situation as a humble state.
Mary’s humble state could mean one or more of the following three things:
Nazareth was a city with a poor reputation in Israel (John 1:46).
Her humble state could also refer to her poverty. As we will see, throughout her song, Mary identifies herself as someone who is poor.
Mary’s humble state could also refer to her humble posture and attitude toward God. Mary’s response to Gabriel’s life-changing announcement was “LET IT BE….” (Luke 1:38). This extraordinary reply of faith and humility seems to have been a typical reaction of her character.
God saw Mary in her humility and found favor with her (Luke 1:28). The Lord regarded Mary’s humble state—He thought highly of her character and lifted her up. God’s high regard for and choosing of Mary exemplifies His consistent pattern of exalting the humble. This is consistent with a biblical theme that God exalts the humble (1 Peter 5:5-6).
Just as God chose David, the youngest and least expected (1 Samuel 16:7-12), He now chooses a young, unknown virgin from Nazareth to bear the Savior. God is not bound by human rank or recognition. He sees the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). He lifts up the humble to accomplish His saving work.
Mary refers to herself as His bondslave. A bondslave is a person who devotes their life and energy to accomplish the will of their lord or master. Mary uses this term to depict the totality of her submission and the fullness of her devotion. Her posture mirrors the servant-hearted attitude commended throughout Scripture:
“But to this one I will look, to him who is humble and contrite of spirit, and who trembles at My word.”
(Isaiah 66:2)
Mary’s son Jesus would have a similar attitude and posture toward God (Luke 22:42). It seems as He grew in wisdom and stature (Luke 2:52) that Jesus had a terrific example of humility and obedience from the daily example of His mother.
The second reason Mary gives for why her soul exalts the LORD is: For behold, from this time on all generations will count me blessed (v 48b).
Here, Mary recognizes and praises God out loud for the everlasting work He is bringing forth into the world through her Child. This is not prideful boasting, but a recognition that Mary’s role in bearing the Messiah will be remembered and honored for all time.
The word behold is a call to reflect, observe, or consider. Behold is often used in prophecy to draw special attention to what is being said about what God will do. That Mary is thanking God for this is a further demonstration of her faith; she expresses no doubt that what the angel has spoke will come to pass.
What Mary invited Elizabeth (and Luke invites us) to behold is the remarkable fact that from this time on all generations will count her blessed.
The expression from this time on means from the present moment when Mary originally spoke this until the end of time and into eternity. The expression all generations means the present generation and every future generation of people from now (then) on.
And what all generations from then on will do is count me (Mary) blessed. That is, whenever any and all generations from this time on consider Mary and her life, they will count Mary as someone who is supremely fortunate.
The Greek term that is translated as blessed in verse 48 is the word “makarios” (μακάριος—G3107).
“Makarios” describes a state of supreme happiness uninfluenced by circumstances, so could be translated “fortunate.” The word captured the highest ideals of “the Good Life” that the Greeks so actively pursued. Here, Mary is repeating what Elizabeth had just prophesied of her when Elizabeth said:
“Blessed [speak well of] are you among women, and blessed [speak well of] is the fruit of your womb! …And blessed [“makarios”] is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what had been spoken to her by the Lord.”
(Luke 1:42, 45).
Mary's blessing flows entirely from God’s initiative and grace, not her own status or merit. She is blessed because of what the Mighty One has done for her (v 49), and this blessing is part of God’s larger redemptive plan.
The third reason is: For the Mighty One has done great things for me; And holy is His name (v 49).
This reason centers on the character and power of God.
Mary calls God: the Mighty One. This title recognizes the Lord’s sovereignty, strength, and authority. Sometimes this title is used to depict God as a strong warrior (Psalm 45:3, Isaiah 1:24). And sometimes the title of Mighty One is used to describe God as a redeemer (Isaiah 49:26, 60:16).
For Mary, the great things the Mighty One has done include:
Mary’s phrase great things reflect a common biblical way of acknowledging God's redemptive acts throughout history. Moses tells the Israelites:
“He [the LORD] is your praise and He is your God, who has done these great and awesome things for you which your eyes have seen.”
(Deuteronomy 10:21)
Similarly, the psalmist declares:
“The LORD has done great things for us; we are glad.”
(Psalm 126:3)
Mary’s personal experience of the great things the Mighty One has done for her connects her to this larger narrative of Israel. That is, her testimony places her individual blessing within the ongoing history of God's faithfulness and power. For Mary, the great things the Mighty One has done include choosing her to bear the Messiah and fulfilling His promises to send the Messiah to Israel.
Mary concludes her three reasons for why her soul exalts the Lord with the phrase: holy is His name.
This expression emphasizes God’s perfection. God is holy. That is, He is apart from all other things because He is eternal, sovereign, and good. Any life, power, and/or goodness which any other beings possess are derived from Him. God alone is worthy of all praise and His name alone is holy.
In the Bible, God's name represents His character and essence. And to say His name is holy is to acknowledge that He is utterly set apart from everything in creation. Mary’s praise holy is His name is a refrain of Psalm 111:9, which declares: “Holy and awesome is His name.”
We often do not understand God’s ways—especially as we experience them in the present flow of time. God’s ways are higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8-9, Romans 11:33). But God’s mighty acts are never random, they flow from His holy (eternal, completely sovereign, and perfectly good) nature.
This includes His wondrous choice to have Mary, a humble obscure virgin from Nazareth to be the mother of the Messiah and give birth to God’s humanity in baby Jesus.
After praising God for who He is and the great things He has done in the past, Mary’s song begins to transition to declare God’s praise for the great things He will do in the future:
And His mercy is upon generation after generation
Toward those who fear Him (v 50).
Once again, Mary’s line echoes the psalmist:
“But the lovingkindness of the LORD is from everlasting to everlasting on those who fear Him.
And His righteousness to children’s children.”
(Psalm 103:17)
Mary uses the line from Psalm 103:17a to be a transition in her song. Mary’s lines in verse 50 divide her song into two halves. The first half praises God for the past and present, and the second part of her song is where she will begin to also praise God for the great things He is about to accomplish in the future.
This verse also begins a shift away from Mary’s personal experience of God’s mercy to His mercy for all humanity—i.e. generation after generation.
The word mercy refers to God’s covenantal lovingkindness and His faithful compassion toward those who depend on Him.
Mary’s line declares that God’s mercy is not limited to one moment or one individual, but rather it extends across time to all who fear Him.
Fearing God means caring what He thinks is right, good, and true above all else. When we fear someone or something we adjust our behavior because of concern for consequences that the someone or something can cause in response to our choice. For example, we might lower our speed because we fear that a policeman might stop us and give us a speeding violation.
When we fear what God thinks about us and/or our situation, we begin to adapt our choices to orient with what God says is true about cause/effect in this world and beyond. We will, accordingly, adopt His perspective which enables us to see things according to reality.
The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Proverbs 1:7), because it is how we begin to see the world as it truly is. The mercy of God is upon those who fear Him and choose to live within His perspective, i.e. that He is powerful and loving; or that we are sinners, etc.
Incredibly, God’s mercy is available to every generation and not just to those generations from the Bible times or those who had unique experiences such as Mary. And Mary is declaring that what God has done for her is part of His unchanging pattern of mercy toward the faithful across generations—past, present, and future.
To learn more about what it means to fear Him and receive His mercy, see The Bible Says article: “What Does it Mean to Fear the LORD?”
Even as Mary continues to describe God’s faithfulness in the past, starting with verse 51 through verse 54, Mary’s song can be understood as being prophetic of what God will do as well as what He has already done.
She does this by using past tense verbs, but these lines can simultaneously be understood as what is called “the prophetic past.” The prophetic past describes future events with such a degree of certainty that they are spoken of in past tense. The events are so certain to come to pass that they describe these future events in the past tense as though they have already taken place.
Six of the seven lines between verses 51 and 54a begin with the phrase: He has… or And has. All these lines have a dual meaning reflecting upon the great things God has already done and the great things He is about to do. Thus, this portion of Mary’s song is both old and new. These lines are multi-generational, describing God’s past deeds and at the same time prophetically describing things He will do.
Mary’s song, then, is both for and about all times. This is fitting because her son, Jesus, is the focal centerpiece of history. Jesus’s birth is also literally at the center of our dating system with B.C.—“Before Christ” and A.D. “Anno Domini” or “Year of our Lord.” Even the secularized system of B.C.E. and A.C.E.—“Before/After Common Era” still places the birth of Jesus at its center.
Mary continues with her song:
He has done mighty deeds with His arm (v 51a).
This line has a double meaning with both a past and future tense.
The pronoun—He—in this line and throughout Mary’s song refers to God.
The arm represents the instrument of action. In the first century economy, an arm was necessary to conduct basic industries like farming, smithing, and constructing. God’s arm represents His taking of action. The term His arm can refer to individuals who are instruments whom God has used to accomplish mighty deeds.
Of course God’s arm can represent His direct action, as when He parted the Red Sea. But there are numerous examples of the mighty deeds done with God’s arm in Israel’s past. Throughout Israel’s history, God has done mighty deeds for Israel with His prophets, leaders, judges, and kings.
The above individuals are a few of many examples of how He has done mighty deeds with His arm, in the past.
While the term His arm can generally refer to anyone God uses for His purposes, it also has a prophetic and specific sense. His arm can also be a prophetic term for the Messiah. And it is in this sense that Mary’s line also pertains to the future.
The line He has done mighty deeds with His arm uses the prophetic past tense to describe the mighty deeds which Jesus the Messiah will accomplish.
These mighty deeds include Jesus’s miracles such as healing the sick, blind, and lame, casting out demons, feeding the multitudes, raising the dead. But God’s arm (Jesus, the Messiah) also performs the mightiest of all deeds—perfectly fulfilling the Law, destroying sin, defeating death, and reconciling creation and humanity to God.
Mary continues:
He has scattered those who were proud in the thoughts of their heart (v 51b).
This line too looks to both the past and the future.
The proud foolishly oppose God (Psalm 14:1), because they think their way is best. Those who are proud refuse to see reality. They only accept things they want to be true. Another way of saying this is those who are proud live their own lies and illusions. Those who live according to lies and illusions of reality tend to become scattered in the thoughts of their heart.
Thus, God defeats the proud. And He defeats them by confusing them. The proud become confused and the thoughts of their heart become scattered when God gives them over to their own falsehoods (Romans 1:18-32—especially 1:18, 1:24, 1:26, 1:28).
It is the humble who fear God and gain true perspective.
As this line reflects upon the past, it considers how the Lord has scattered the hearts of the proud and brought them to ruin. Three quick examples of the scattered proud which come to mind include:
From a prophetic standpoint: Jesus also scattered the thoughts of those who were proud.
Jesus’s teachings dumbfounded the religious leaders of the day. He consistently bewildered the scribes and Pharisees by refusing to accept their twisted framing and He exposed them as hypocrites (Luke 6:9-11, 11:37-54, 20:20-26). The Sadducees also failed to entrap Him despite illegally setting up false witnesses to slander Him (Mark 14:55-59). The proud Roman authorities Herod (Luke 23:11) and Pilate (John 18:38, 19:8-10) were also both puzzled by who Jesus was and what to do with Him.
Mary continues her song:
He has brought down rulers from their thrones (v 52a).
This line also speaks of things both past and future from Mary’s point in time.
God brought down rulers from their thrones throughout Israel’s history. Some biblical examples of rulers that God brought down from their thrones include:
From a prophetic perspective, Jesus too will bring down all rulers from their thrones. All rulers will either bow before Him willingly, or they will be defeated for opposing Him (Revelation 19:15). But whether they bow in love or bitter defeat, all will be brought down and the knee of every ruler will bow, and each of their tongues will confess Jesus to be the Lord of all (Philippians 2:10-11).
Jesus is the King of kings and Lord of lords (1 Timothy 6:15, Revelation 17:14, 19:16).
The next thing Mary says is:
And has exalted those who were humble (v 52b).
This line is the counterbalance to the previous two thoughts about how God has brought down rulers and scattered the thoughts of the proud.
It also speaks of the humble people God has exalted throughout Israel’s history and it is prophetic of what God will do through Jesus, the Messiah.
One of the clearest examples of this from Israel’s past is how He exalted the nation of Israel who were humble and abused slaves in Egypt to become His chosen people and a nation of His priests to the world (Exodus 19:4-6, Deuteronomy 7:7-8).
Another example of God exalting the lowly is how God chose David, the youngest and least-thought-of son of Jesse to be His anointed king (Psalm 78:70-72). And as mentioned above, Mary was also a part of this pattern of God lifting up the humble, when Mary praised God for the regard He had for her humble state when He exalted her to be the mother of His humanity (v 48).
Jesus the Messiah would also fulfill this line of God as He too was a part of this pattern of God exalting the humble. Not only was He Himself lowly regarded (Matthew 13:55-56, John 1:45-46), Jesus also surrounded Himself with disciples who were not highly regarded in Jewish society, including tax collectors and fishermen. It was the sinners who flocked to Jesus and His message.
Because of the repentance of the humble, Jesus will exalt them (1 Peter 5:5-6).
And Jesus said: “Truly I say to you that the tax collectors and prostitutes will get into the kingdom of God before you [the religious leaders]” (Matthew 21:31).
Moreover, many of Jesus’s teachings concerned this principle of God exalting the humble (Matthew 5:5, 18:3-4, 19:30, 20:16, Luke 14:11, 18:13-14).
The next couplet in Mary’s song continues this principle of opposing the proud and exalting the humble:
He has filled the hungry with good things;
And sent away the rich empty-handed (v 53).
In Israel’s past, God filled the hungry with good things.
And Mary’s line about how He has filled the hungry with good things directly alludes to Psalm 107:9, “For He has satisfied the thirsty soul, and the hungry soul He has filled with what is good.”
Mary’s line was also prophetic of Jesus.
The second line of this couplet is: And sent away the rich empty-handed.
This line does not condemn wealth in and of itself. Rather, it speaks against the attitude of self-reliance and spiritual complacency that wealth can easily foster (Matthew 19:24-26). In this context, the rich are those who trust in their own abundance and see no need for God. A proverb of Agur the son of Jakeh warns of this dangerous perspective,
“Keep deception and lies far from me,
Give me neither poverty nor riches;
Feed me with the food that is my portion,
That I not be full and deny You and say, ‘Who is the Lord?’”
(Proverbs 30:8-9a)
Jesus scolds His church in Laodicea who have become deceived by their riches. The Laodiceans assure themselves: “I am rich, and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing,” but do not realize they are “wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked” (Revelation 3:17)
One example from Israel’s past where God sent away the rich empty-handed:
Those who trust in their riches (instead of God) will eventually be left with nothing (Proverbs 11:28). It was in this sense (trusting in riches instead of God) that Jesus said: “But woe to you who are rich, for you are receiving your comfort in full” (Luke 6:24).
Mary’s line that God sent away the rich empty-handed is also prophetic of Jesus.
When the law-following rich young ruler came to Jesus to see how he could maximize his place in the Messiah’s kingdom and inherit the most he could of eternal life, he walked away sad—empty-handed—because he loved his money more than following Jesus (Luke 18:18-24). Jesus then remarked about this rich man’s decision:
“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.”
(Luke 18:25)
Taken together, Mary’s lines in this couplet epitomize a powerful biblical truth: God fills the hands and hearts of those who come to Him empty, but He empties those who come to Him full of themselves. This idea challenges the false perspective that equate material wealth with blessing and reveals God’s generous heart for the humble, the poor in spirit, and the dependent.
Mary ended her song by recognizing her Son, Jesus, as the fulfillment of God’s covenant with Abraham,
He has given help to Israel His servant
In remembrance of His mercy
As He spoke to our fathers,
To Abraham and his descendants forever (vv 54-55).
God’s covenant with Abraham is recorded in Genesis 12:1-3 and expanded in Genesis 15 and Genesis 17.
The key promises and provisions that God spoke to Abraham in His covenant with him are:
By Mary’s lifetime some two thousand years later, God’s promises had been partially fulfilled. But the ten tribes making up the northern kingdom had been exiled and never returned while the southern kingdom of Judah and Benjamin had been exiled and only partially returned. Further, the territory of the surviving remnant of the Jews was now occupied and oppressed by Roman Gentiles.
But Mary and her people faithfully clung to the mercy God had promised would last forever when He spoke to their fathers long ago. Mary writes: He has given help to Israel His servant.
The term Israel His servant can refer to the nation/people of Israel as a whole, and it can also refer to the Messiah. In the context of Mary’s song, the phrase Israel His servant can be understood both ways.
In the past, God has given help to the nation of Israel—His chosen people who were called to serve His will.
The Lord has given help to Israel when He:
Throughout all these events (and the rest of Israel’s history) the Lord has acted toward Israel in remembrance of His mercy—specifically the covenant mercy He promised to our fathers—Israel (Jacob), and his father Isaac, as well as his father Abraham.
The motivation for God’s help was not Israel’s merit but His mercy. God’s promise to Abraham and Israel is rooted in His covenant love—His mercy (in Hebrew: His “hesed”). God’s “hesed”/mercy is a loyal, steadfast love which endures forever (Psalm 136).
Mary’s heartfelt praise of God’s remembrance of His mercy recalls similar praises from multiple psalms, particularly Psalm 98:3 and Psalm 106:45.
As she sums up her song of God’s exaltation, she recalls His covenant with Abraham amidst the present aches and cries of her people suffering under the Roman occupation and praises the Lord because she perceives that the Child she will bear is the fulfillment of God’s ancient covenantal commitment to His people, Israel. Mary believes God’s pronouncement to her through Gabriel that Her Son is the promised One who will set her people free.
From the content of her song, it seems as though Mary’s focus is on her Son’s deliverance of Israel as a nation. But Jesus did not liberate Israel in a political sense. He did not end the Roman occupation during His first advent. God will establish His political kingdom when Jesus returns to earth a second time, at the end of the age (Acts 1:11).
But in a much greater sense, Jesus brought spiritual freedom and ended the deadly oppression of sin which was keeping Israel away from God. And what’s more, Jesus not only liberated Israel from her sins, but He did so for the entire world—for whoever would believe in Him (John 3:16).
Luke’s narrative of Jesus’s life was written to the Gentiles and was the prequel to the Book of Acts, which describes how the Gospel’s reach came to extend all the way to the heart of the Roman Empire into the capital city itself (Acts 1:8, 28:30-31). It is fascinating how Luke’s Gospel account narrowly begins with a focus on the nation of Israel.
Taken together, the narrative of Luke-Acts begins narrowly about an elderly Jewish priest and his wife and peculiar Jewish rituals (Luke 1:5-10), angelic visitations concerning Jewish prophecies (Luke 1:17, 1:30-35) and ancient Jewish covenants (Luke 1:32-33, 1:55), but ends with the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation for the entire world (Acts 28:31).
This expansion of the Gospel to the Gentiles was always according to God’s design (Genesis 12:3, Isaiah 49:1-6), and Mary’s son Jesus is at the center of it.
Mary rightly sees her child as the fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant. And just as God has given help to the nation of Israel, He also will give help to Jesus who is Israel His servant.
As mentioned above, in this context, Israel refers to both God’s people and God’s Messiah. The expression His servant is a direct allusion to the Servant Songs of Isaiah (Isaiah 42, 49, 50, 52-53) which are prophetic of God’s Servant—the Messiah.
Thus, Mary’s line He has given help to Israel His servant is prophetic of how God will give help to Mary’s Son Jesus, who is the Messiah, as He accomplishes His mission to redeem Abraham’s descendants and the world.
Here are a few ways demonstrating the help God gave His servant Jesus during His Messianic mission:
One of the reasons God helped His servant Israel (Jesus) was to fulfill the covenant mercy God spoke to Abraham and to his descendants that would last forever.
This concludes Mary’s song of praise.
Luke wraps up his account of Mary’s visit to her cousin, Elizabeth, in the hill country of Judah (Luke 1:39-56) with a narrative remark:
And Mary stayed with her about three months, and then returned to her home (v 56).
Mary’s visit lasted about three months. After her visit, Mary then returned to her home in Nazareth. Mary (still a virgin) would have been about three months pregnant at that time.
One of the reasons she may have returned was because Joseph expressed to her (in person or by message) his intention to proceed with plans to marry her. Joseph had a vision from Gabriel affirming Mary’s purity and God’s incredible plan to bring His Messiah into the world through his betrothed (Matthew 1:20-25). The Bible does not specify exactly when Gabriel came to Joseph in a dream to tell him these things. It only tells us that it happened after Mary became pregnant and before she gave birth to Jesus. It is possible that this angelic visitation happened during the three months Mary stayed with Elizabeth.
It seems as though Mary left the hill country of Judah and returned home just before Elizabeth gave birth to John, which is the next event Luke recounts (Luke 1:57).
Mary’s Song as it Compares to Hannah’s Song
As mentioned at the beginning of this commentary, Mary’s song can be seen as a parallel to Hannah’s song (1 Samuel 2:1-10). This section of our commentary will look at these parallels.
Hannah was a devout woman from the hill country of Ephraim and she was the mother of the prophet Samuel. She was deeply grieved because she was barren and regularly provoked by her rival, Peninnah (1 Samuel 1:2-7). In her distress, she prayed earnestly to the LORD and made a vow that if He gave her a son, she would dedicate him to His service all the days of his life (1 Samuel 1:10-11).
The LORD heard her prayer, and in due time, Hannah bore a son named Samuel, saying, “Because I have asked him of the LORD” (1 Samuel 1:20). True to her vow, she brought Samuel to the tabernacle and entrusted him to the priest Eli, declaring, “For this boy I prayed, and the LORD has given me my petition which I asked of Him” (1 Samuel 1:27).
Hannah’s song is recorded in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. It is a poetic prayer of praise to God in response to His mercy and deliverance. She begins by exalting the LORD with joyful worship: “My heart exults in the LORD; my horn is exalted in the LORD” (1 Samuel 2:1). Her song emphasizes God’s holiness, knowledge, and sovereign power, especially in humbling the proud and lifting up the lowly.
Hannah declares, “The LORD makes poor and rich; He brings low, He also exalts” (1 Samuel 2:7), and rejoices that “He raises the poor from the dust... to make them sit with nobles” (1 Samuel 2:8). Her words reflect trust in God’s justice and foreshadow the establishment of His king: “He will give strength to His king, and will exalt the horn of His anointed” (1 Samuel 2:10).
This prophecy is fulfilled by her son who anointed David as king (1 Samuel 16:13). But it has a double fulfillment in Jesus, David’s descendant and Mary’s son, who is anointed by God to sit on David’s throne forever (Luke 1:31-33).
Another portion of Hannah’s song can be seen as a prophetic allusion to Jesus’s resurrection:
“The LORD kills and makes alive; He brings down to Sheol and raises up.”
(1 Samuel 2:6)
Mary’s song, known as the Magnificat (Luke 1:46-55), mirrors Hannah’s song in themes, wording, structure, and tone. Like Hannah, Mary begins with heartfelt personal praise: “My soul exalts the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior” (Luke 1:46-47). Both women reflect on God’s power to reverse human fortunes—exalting the humble, feeding the hungry, and bringing down the proud.
Mary, too, praises God for His faithfulness to His covenant promises and His mercy across generations (Luke 1:50, 54-55). Their songs reveal a shared understanding that God works through the humble to accomplish His plans of redemption.
Here are several specific ways Mary’s song of praise reflects Hannah’s:
In summary, both miraculous mothers—Hannah and Mary—offer songs that celebrate the character and actions of the LORD. Hannah praised God for answering her personal cry and for His cosmic justice, while Mary praised Him for the coming of the Messiah and the fulfillment of His promises to Israel.
Though centuries apart, both women rejoiced in the same faithful God who exalts the humble, humbles the proud, and brings salvation to His people. Their songs testify that the Mighty One has done great things (v 49).
God continues to do great things and show His mercy throughout all generations.
Used with permission from TheBibleSays.com.
You can access the original article here.
|
Line-By-Line Order:
 Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseSeparate LineVerse OnlyReference Only |
Reference Delimiters:
None — Jhn 1:1 KJV Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]Curly — {Jhn 1:1 KJV}Parens — (Jhn 1:1 KJV) |
|
Paragraph Order:
Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseReference-Only |
Number Delimiters:*
No NumberNo Delimiter — 15Square — [15]Curly — {15}Parens — (15) |
|
Other Options:
 Abbreviate Books Use SBL Abbrev.En dash not Hyphen |
Quotes Around VersesRemove Square BracketsSort Canonically |
* 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding.
Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
©2026 Blue Letter Bible | Privacy Policy
Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.
Loading
Loading
| Interlinear |
| Bibles |
| Cross-Refs |
| Commentaries |
| Dictionaries |
| Miscellaneous |
