SEV Biblia, Chapter 1:68
Bendito el Seor Dios de Israel, que ha visitado y hecho redencin a su pueblo,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Luke 1:68
Verse 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for, &c.] Zacharias praises God for two grand benefits which he had granted to his people. 1. He has visited them. 2. He has ransomed them. 1. He speaks by the spirit of prophecy, which calls things that are not, as though they were; because they are absolutely determined by the Most High, and shall be all fulfilled in their season. God visits his people in the incarnation of Jesus Christ; therefore this Christ is called by him, kuriov o qeov, Jehovah the God of Israel. Here the highest and most glorious character of the Supreme Being is given to Christ. 2. This God redeems his people: it is for this end that he visits them. His soul is about to be made a sacrifice for sin: he becomes flesh, that he may suffer and die for the sin of the world. God, by taking upon him the nature of man, has redeemed that nature from eternal ruin. He hath-redeemed] epoihse lutrwsin, he hath made a ransom- laid down the ransom price. lutrow signifies particularly to ransom a captive from the enemy, by paying a price. The following remarkable passage from Josephus, Ant. b. xiv. c. 14, sect. 1, fully illustrates this meaning of the original. "Herod, not knowing what had happened to his brother, hastened lutrwsasqai, to ransom him from the enemy, and was willing to pay lutron uper autou, a ransom for him, to the amount of three hundred talents." Sinners are fallen into the hands of their enemies, and are captives to sin and death. Jesus ransoms them by his own blood, and restores them to life, liberty, and happiness. this truth the whole Bible teaches: this truth God has shown in certain measures, even to those nations who have not been favoured with the light of his written word: for Christ is that true light, which enlightens every man that cometh into the world.
How astonishing is the following invocation of the Supreme Being, (translated from the original Sanscreet by Dr. C. WILKINS,) still existing on a stone, in a cave near she ancient city of Gya, in the East Indies! "The Deity, who is the Lord, the possessor of all, appeared in this ocean of natural beings, at the beginning of the Kalee Yoog (the age of contention and baseness.) He who is omnipresent and everlastingly to be contemplated, the Supreme Being, the Eternal One, the Divinity worthy to be adored-APPEARED here with a PORTION of his DIVINE NATURE.
Reverence be unto thee in the form of (a) Bood-dha! Reverence be unto the Lord of the earth! Reverence be unto thee, an INCARNATION of the Deity, and the Eternal One! Reverence be unto thee, O God, in the form of the God of mercy; the dispeller of pain and trouble, the Lord of all things, the Deity who overcometh the sins of the Kalee Yoog; the guardian of the universe, the emblem of mercy toward those who serve thee] (b) O'M! the possessor of all things in VITAL FORM! Thou art (c) Brahma, Veeshnoo, and Mahesa! Thou art Lord of the universe! Thou art under the form of all things, movable and immovable, the possessor of the whole! and thus I adore thee. Reverence be unto the BESTOWER OF SALVATION, and the Ruler of the faculties! Reverence be unto thee, the DESTROYER of the EVIL SPIRIT! O Damordara, (d) show me favour! I adore thee, who art celebrated by a thousand names, and under various forms, in the shape of Bood-dha, the God of MERCY! Be propitious, O Most High God!"-ASIATIC RESEARCHES, vol. i. pp. 284, 285.
(a) Bood-dha. The name of the Deity, as author of happiness.
(b) O'M. A mystic emblem of the Deity, forbidden to be pronounced but in silence. It is a syllable formed of the Sanscreet letters a, o o, which in composition coalesce, and make o, and the nasal consonant m. The first letter stands for the Creator, the second for the Preserver and the third for the Destroyer. It is the same among the Hindoos as hwhy Yehovah is among the Hebrews.
(c) Brahma, the Deity in his creative quality. Veeshnoo, he who filleth all space, the Deity in his preserving quality. Mahesa, the Deity in his destroying quality. This is properly the Hindoo Trinity: for these three names belong to the same Being. See the notes to the Bhagvat Geeta.
(d) Damordara, or Darmadeve, the Indian God of Virtue.
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel , etc.] 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 24:27 Exodus 18:10) 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 Ep 1:3 1 Peter 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 3:16,17) 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.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 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. I John the Baptist it began to break, and increased apace to the perfec day. The gospel is discovering; it shows that about which we wer 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 Jesu Christ. It is reviving; it brings light to those that sit in the shado 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 brin 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 u follow peace with all men, as well as seek peace with God and our ow 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 __________________________________________________________________
Greek Textus Receptus
ευλογητος 2128 A-NSM κυριος 2962 N-NSM ο 3588 T-NSM θεος 2316 N-NSM του 3588 T-GSM ισραηλ 2474 N-PRI οτι 3754 CONJ επεσκεψατο 1980 5662 V-ADI-3S και 2532 CONJ εποιησεν 4160 5656 V-AAI-3S λυτρωσιν 3085 N-ASF τω 3588 T-DSM λαω 2992 N-DSM αυτου 846 P-GSM
Robertson's NT Word Studies
1:68 {Hath visited} (epeskeyato). An old Greek word with a Hebraic coloring to look into with a view to help. The papyri have plenty of examples of the verb in the sense of inspecting, examining. {Redemption} (lutrwsin) here originally referred to political redemption, but with a moral and spiritual basis (verses #75,77).
