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Luke 1:5-56

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Birth of John the Baptist Foretold

5 1In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah,[a]2of 3the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6 And they were both 4righteous before God, walking 5blamelessly in all the commandments and statutes of the Lord.
7 But they had no child, because 6Elizabeth was barren, and 7both were advanced in years.
8 Now 8while he was serving as priest before God when 9his division was on duty,
9 according to the custom of the priesthood, he was chosen by lot 10to enter 11the temple of the Lord and burn incense.
10 And the whole multitude of the people 12were praying 13outside at the hour of incense.
11 And there appeared to him an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of 14the altar of incense.
12 And Zechariah was troubled when he saw him, and 15fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for 16your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and 17you shall call his name John.
14 And you will have joy and gladness, and many will 18rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be 19great before the Lord. And 20he must not drink wine or strong 21drink, and 22he will be 23filled with the Holy Spirit, 24even from his mother's womb.
16 And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God,
17 and 25he will go before him 26in the spirit and power of Elijah, 27to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and 28the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, 29to make ready for the Lord a people prepared."
18 And Zechariah said to the angel, 30"How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years."
19 And the angel answered him, "I am 31Gabriel. 32I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news.
20 And behold, 33you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time."
21 And the people were waiting for Zechariah, and they were wondering at his delay in 34the temple.
22 And when he came out, he was unable to speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in 35the temple. And 36he kept making signs to them and remained mute.
23 And 37when his time of 38service was ended, he went to his home.
24 After these days his wife Elizabeth conceived, and for five months she kept herself hidden, saying,
25 "Thus the Lord has done for me in the days when he looked on me, 39to take away my reproach among people."

Birth of Jesus Foretold

26 In the sixth month the angel 40Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named 41Nazareth,
27 42to a virgin betrothed[b] to a man whose name was Joseph, 43of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary.
28 And he came to her and said, "Greetings, 44O favored one, 45the Lord is with you!"[c]
29 But 46she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be.
30 And the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for 47you have found favor with God.
31 And behold, 48you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and 49you shall call his name Jesus.
32 He will be great and will be called the Son of 50the Most High. And the Lord God 51will give to him the throne of 52his father David,
33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob 53forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end."
34 And Mary said to the angel, "How will this be, since I am a virgin?"[d]
35 And the angel answered her, 54"The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of 55the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born[e] will be called 56holy--57the Son of God.
36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her 58who was called barren.
37 For 59nothing will be impossible with God."
38 And Mary said, "Behold, I am the servant[f] of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." And 60the angel departed from her.

Mary Visits Elizabeth

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into 61the hill country, to a town in Judah,
40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth.
41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth 62was filled with the Holy Spirit,
42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, 63"Blessed are you among women, and 64blessed is 65the fruit of your womb!
43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of 66my Lord should come to me?
44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.
45 And 67blessed is she who believed that there would be[g] a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord."

Mary's Song of Praise: The Magnificat

46 And Mary said, 68"My 69soul 70magnifies the Lord,
47 71and my 72spirit rejoices in 73God my Savior,
48 for 74he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations 75will call me blessed;
49 for 76he who is mighty 77has done great things for me, and 78holy is his name.
50 And 79his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation.
51 80He has shown strength with his arm; 81he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts;
52 82he has brought down the mighty from their thrones 83and exalted those of humble estate;
53 he has filled 84the hungry with good things, and the rich 85he has sent away empty.
54 He has 86helped 87his servant Israel, 88in remembrance of his mercy,
55 89as he spoke to our fathers, 90to Abraham and to his offspring forever."
56 And Mary remained with her about three months and returned to her home.
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Luke 1:5-56 Meaning and Commentary

INTRODUCTION TO LUKE

The writer of this Gospel, Luke, has been, by some, thought, as Origen {a} relates, to be the same with Lucius, mentioned in Ro 16:21, but he seems rather to be, and without doubt is, Luke the beloved physician, who was a companion of the Apostle Paul in great part of his travels in the Gentile world: he came with him to Jerusalem, and from thence accompanied him to Rome, and continued with him when in prison, and was with him to the last; see Ac 16:10,11 \Col 4:14 2Ti 4:11 Phm 1:24\. Jerom {b}, and others, say, he was a physician of Antioch in Syria; where it may be the Apostle Paul met with him, and might be the happy instrument of his conversion; so that he seems to be, by nation, a Syrian, as Jerom {c} calls him. Grotius thinks his name is Roman, and that it is the contraction of Lucilius. It is not an Hebrew name, but might be in common use in Syria; for though the Jews reckon owqwl, "Lukus", among foreign names, yet say {d} a it was a very illustrious one, and well known to them, as it may well be thought to be if Syriac, the language being spoke by them: and many Jews lived in Syria, and particularly in Antioch. Some say that this Gospel was written by the advice, and assistance, and under the direction of the Apostle Paul, as the Gospel according to Mark was by that of Peter; though the following preface does not seem so well to accord with this. Eusebius says {e} that it was the sense of the ancients, that whenever the Apostle Paul makes mention of his Gospel, he intends this according to Luke. The time of the writing of it is not certain; some say it was written in the fifteenth year after the ascension of our Lord; others in the twenty second; and others in the twenty seventh. It is commonly thought to have been written after the Gospels of Matthew and Mark, according to the order in which it stands; but this is rejected by some learned men, who rather think that Luke wrote first of all: and indeed, there are some things in his preface which look as if there had not, as yet, been any authentic account published, at least which was come to the knowledge of this evangelist. The place where he wrote it is also uncertain. Jerom says {f}, he wrote it in the parts of Achaia, perhaps at Corinth: according to the titles prefixed to the Syriac and Persic versions, he wrote it in Alexandria: the former of these runs thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, the Evangelist, which he spake and published in Greek in Alexandria the great.''

And the latter thus;

``the Gospel of Luke, which he wrote in the Greek tongue in Alexandria of Egypt.''

However, it is agreed on all hands, that it is genuine, and of divine inspiration. Eusebius {g} relates, that it was affirmed by some, that this Gospel, together with those of Matthew and Mark, were brought to the Apostle John, who approved of them, and bore witness to the truth in them.

{a} In Rom. xvi. 21. {b} Catalog. Script. Eccles. sect. 17. fol. 91. Euseb. Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 4. {c} Praefat in Luc. {d} T. Bab. Gittin, fol. 11. 2. & Gloss. in ib. {e} Ubi supra. (Hist. Eccl. l. 3. c. 39.) {f} Praefat in Luc. {g} Eccl. Hist. l. 3. c. 24.

Taken from John Gill's Exposition of the Bible

Cross References 90

  • 1. Matthew 2:1
  • 2. 1 Chronicles 24:10
  • 3. ver. 8
  • 4. Luke 2:25
  • 5. Philippians 2:15; Philippians 3:6; 1 Thessalonians 2:10; 1 Thessalonians 3:13; 1 Thessalonians 5:23; [Acts 23:1; Acts 24:16]
  • 6. ver. 36; [Judges 13:2; 1 Samuel 1:2]
  • 7. [Genesis 18:11; Hebrews 11:11, 12]
  • 8. 1 Chronicles 24:19; 2 Chronicles 8:14; 2 Chronicles 31:2; [ver. 23]
  • 9. ver. 5
  • 10. Exodus 30:7, 8; 1 Samuel 2:28; 1 Chronicles 23:13; 2 Chronicles 29:11
  • 11. ver. 21, 22; Revelation 11:2, 19; [Hebrews 9:2, 3]
  • 12. Psalms 141:2; [Revelation 5:8; Revelation 8:3, 4]
  • 13. [Leviticus 16:17]
  • 14. Exodus 30:1-10; Exodus 40:26, 27
  • 15. Acts 19:17
  • 16. [Acts 10:4, 31]
  • 17. ver. 60, 63
  • 18. [ver. 58]
  • 19. Luke 7:28; Matthew 11:11
  • 20. Luke 7:33; Numbers 6:3; Judg. 13:4, 7, 14; Matthew 11:18
  • 21. [Acts 2:15, 17; Ephesians 5:18]
  • 22. [Acts 2:15, 17; Ephesians 5:18]
  • 23. ver. 41, 67; See Acts 2:4
  • 24. Isaiah 49:1, 5; Jeremiah 1:5; Galatians 1:15
  • 25. ver. 76; John 3:28
  • 26. See Matthew 11:14
  • 27. Cited from Malachi 4:6
  • 28. Romans 10:21
  • 29. Luke 7:27; Malachi 3:1; Matthew 11:10; Mark 1:2
  • 30. Genesis 15:8; [Genesis 17:17]
  • 31. ver. 26; Daniel 8:16; Daniel 9:21
  • 32. Revelation 8:2; [1 Kings 17:1; Job 1:6; Isaiah 63:9; Matthew 18:10]
  • 33. [Ezekiel 3:26; Ezekiel 24:27]
  • 34. See ver. 9
  • 35. [See ver. 21 above]
  • 36. ver. 62
  • 37. 2 Chronicles 23:8; [ver. 8; 2 Kings 11:5; 1 Chronicles 9:25]
  • 38. Hebrews 10:11
  • 39. [Genesis 30:23; 1 Samuel 1:6; Psalms 113:9; Isaiah 4:1]
  • 40. ver. 19
  • 41. See Matthew 2:23
  • 42. Matthew 1:16, 18
  • 43. Luke 2:4; Matthew 1:20
  • 44. [Psalms 45:2; Daniel 9:23]
  • 45. Judges 6:12
  • 46. See ver. 12
  • 47. Acts 7:46
  • 48. Isaiah 7:14
  • 49. Luke 2:21; Matthew 1:21, 25
  • 50. ver. 76; Luke 6:35; Acts 7:48; See Mark 5:7
  • 51. ver. 69; 2 Sam. 7:11-13, 16; Psalms 89:4; Psalms 132:11; Isaiah 9:6, 7; Isaiah 16:5; Acts 2:30; [Revelation 3:7]
  • 52. See Matthew 1:1
  • 53. Daniel 2:44; Daniel 7:14, 18, 27; Hebrews 1:8; Revelation 11:15; [John 12:34]
  • 54. Matthew 1:18, 20
  • 55. [See ver. 32 above]
  • 56. John 6:69
  • 57. See Matthew 14:33
  • 58. ver. 7
  • 59. Cited from Genesis 18:14(Gk.); See Matthew 19:26
  • 60. [Judges 6:21; Acts 12:10]
  • 61. ver. 65; Joshua 20:7; Joshua 21:11
  • 62. ver. 15, 67
  • 63. [Judges 5:24]
  • 64. [Deuteronomy 28:4]
  • 65. Psalms 127:3
  • 66. Luke 20:42; John 20:28; [Luke 2:11]
  • 67. John 20:29; [ver. 20]
  • 68. For ver. 46-53, [1 Samuel 2:1-10]
  • 69. 1 Thessalonians 5:23
  • 70. Psalms 34:2, 3; Psalms 69:30; Acts 10:46; Acts 19:17
  • 71. Psalms 35:9; Isaiah 61:10; Habakkuk 3:18; [Acts 16:34]
  • 72. [See ver. 46 above]
  • 73. Psalms 106:21; 1 Timothy 1:1; 1 Timothy 2:3; Titus 1:3; Titus 2:10; Titus 3:4; Jude 25; [2 Timothy 1:9]
  • 74. 1 Samuel 1:11; Psalms 138:6; [Luke 9:38]
  • 75. Luke 11:27; Psalms 72:17; [Malachi 3:12]
  • 76. Psalms 89:8; Zephaniah 3:17
  • 77. Psalms 71:19; Psalms 126:2, 3
  • 78. Psalms 99:3; Psalms 111:9; Isaiah 57:15
  • 79. Deuteronomy 5:10; Deuteronomy 7:9; Psalms 89:1, 2; Psalms 103:17
  • 80. Psalms 89:10; Psalms 98:1; Psalms 118:16; Isaiah 51:9
  • 81. Daniel 4:37; See James 4:6
  • 82. [See ver. 51 above]
  • 83. Job 5:11; Psalms 75:7; Psalms 107:40, 41; Psalms 113:7, 8; Psalms 147:6; Ezekiel 21:26; [James 4:10]
  • 84. Psalms 34:10; Psalms 107:9; [Luke 6:21, 24, 25]
  • 85. Job 22:9
  • 86. Isaiah 41:8, 9; Hebrews 2:16
  • 87. Isaiah 44:21; Isaiah 49:3
  • 88. Psalms 98:3; Micah 7:20; [ver. 72, 73]
  • 89. Genesis 17:19; Psalms 132:11; Galatians 3:16
  • 90. [See ver. 54 above]

Footnotes 7

  • [a]. Greek Zacharias
  • [b]. That is, legally pledged to be married
  • [c]. Some manuscripts add Blessed are you among women!
  • [d]. Greek since I do not know a man
  • [e]. Some manuscripts add of you
  • [f]. Greek bondservant; also verse 48
  • [g]. Or believed, for there will be
The English Standard Version is published with the permission of Good News Publishers.