39 And Mary arose in these days and went into the hill country
with haste, into a city of Judah; 40 and entered into the house of
Zacharias and saluted Elisabeth. 41 And it came to pass, when
Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her
womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit; 42 and she
lifted up her voice with a loud cry, and said, Blessed _art_ thou
among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. 43 And whence
is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?
44 For behold, when the voice of thy salutation came into mine
ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. 45 And blessed is she
that believeth; for there shall be a fulfilment of the things
which have been spoken to her from the Lord. 46 And Mary said,
My soul doth magnify the Lord,
47 And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.
48 For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid:
For behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me
blessed.
49 For he that is mighty hath done to me great things;
And holy is his name.
50 And his mercy is unto generations and generations
On them that fear him.
51 He hath showed strength with his arm;
He hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart.
52 He hath put down princes from _their_ thrones,
And hath exalted them of low degree.
53 The hungry he hath filled with good things;
And the rich he hath sent empty away.
54 He hath given help to Israel his servant,
That he might remember mercy
55 (As he spake unto our fathers)
Toward Abraham and his seed for ever.
56 And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned unto
her house.
The Magnificat, the lovely lyric which comes from the lips of Mary, has
been sung during many centuries as one of the chief canticles of the
Christian Church. Its occasion was a visit paid to her kinswoman,
Elisabeth, by Mary shortly after she had received the promise of the birth
of a son. Elisabeth on hearing the salutation of Mary addressed her in
high spiritual ecstasy, declaring her supremely blessed among women
because of the Son to be born, and wondering at her own honor in being
thus visited by the mother of her Lord, by which phrase she means the
mother of the Messiah; it is to be noted that the Bible does not contain
the phrase “Mother of God.” Elisabeth congratulated Mary upon her faith
and assured her that the promise upon which Mary relied was certain to be
fulfilled.
The name of the song which Mary then sang, the Magnificat, has come from
the first line in its Latin form, _Magnificat anima mea Dominum_. The
model is that of the ancient hymn sung by Hannah when her heart, like that
of Mary, was rejoicing in the promised gift of a son. The verses form a
perfect mosaic of Old Testament quotations. The hymn was not addressed to
Elisabeth or to the Lord; it is rather a meditation upon the mercy and
grace of God.
According to the common division the song is composed of four stanzas of
four lines each, except the third stanza which contains six lines. The
general movement of thought seems to be from the goodness of God to Mary
as an individual, to his consequent kindness to Israel as a nation.
The first stanza, or strophe, vs. 46-48, illustrates, as do those which
follow, one of the chief features of Hebrew poetry, namely, the
expression, in successive lines, of thoughts which are parallel or closely
related. In her “soul” or “spirit” or innermost being, Mary praises or
magnifies the Lord and rejoices in him as her Saviour. This salvation is
not only for her people, but particularly for herself; it is not only
political but also spiritual. It is to be wrought out by the gift God is
granting to Mary. He has chosen her, an obscure village maiden betrothed
to a poor carpenter, and has bestowed upon her such honor that all future
generations will call her “blessed.” While realizing the honor she dwells
most upon her unworthiness while recognizing what it may cost her, she
declares her submission as a true “bondmaid” or slave of the Lord.
Humility and faith could hardly be more sublime.
The second stanza, vs. 49, 50, centers the thought upon the character of
God as revealed in his gracious gift. His power, his holiness, his mercy
are praised. In his goodness to Mary he had shown his divine power, yet in
accordance with the moral perfection of his revealed nature and in order
to bring blessings to countless generations who would trust and reverence
him.
In the third stanza, vs. 51-53, is an illustration of another feature of
Hebrew poetry; not only is there striking parallelism, but here past
tenses are used to describe future events; the results of the coming of
the Messiah are stated as though already achieved. In contrast with the
blessedness of those that fear the Lord, “the proud,” the rebellious, and
unbelieving are pictured as “scattered” like the hosts of a defeated army;
the oppressed are exalted while tyrants are dethroned; the hungry are
filled and the rich are sent away “empty.” These results are to be
regarded as spiritual as well as physical. Such reversals are certain to
occur where Christ is accepted and those who receive blessings from him
are the humble who are conscious of their need.
The last strophe, vs. 54, 55, emphasizes the faithfulness of God to his
ancient promises which Mary sees fulfilled in the birth of her Son. In
this saving help given to Israel, God is showing that he has not forgotten
the mercy “toward Abraham and his seed” promised to the “fathers” of old.
Only in Christ Jesus can be realized all the promises to Israel, all the
hopes of the ages.