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58 And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the Lord had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.

59 And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.

poetical thanksgiving of Mary, and that of Hannah, 1 Sam. ii. 1-10, has often been noticed by commentators. The similarity is natural; for both were occasioned by very similar circumstances. In both cases, an unexpected blessing had been promised; and the minds of the two females were almost necessarily led to the contemplation of that sovereign power which bestows blessings or administers rebukes, not always according to human probabilities, but according to his own will. In both cases, too, the birth of the son was regarded as a public blessing, and the mothers had occasion to acknowledge the divine mercy both to themselves and to their race. The similarity is therefore natural, even if there were no spiritual influence exerted on the minds of the speakers.

58. Rejoiced with her. They no longer considered her subject to reproach, ver. 25, but they rejoiced with her, though they might not have realized the full extent of the blessing.

59. Eighth day. That is, on the eighth day after the birth of the child. This was the period, prescribed in the law, for circumcision. Gen. xvii. 12. God commanded Abraham that this rite should be performed upon all his male posterity, when eight days old. But according to the Jewish manner of reckoning, the two phrases indicate the same thing; for the day of birth was counted for one day, though not more than an hour of it remained; and the day of circumcision was counted for one day, at whatever hour the child might be circumcised. Circumcision was therefore performed frequently before the child was fully seven days old, of twenty-four hours each; yet it was called eight days old, because both the day of birth and the day of circumcision were included in the reckoning. See note on Matt. xxvii. 64. They called him, &c. It was the custom of

60 And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.

61 And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.

62 And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.

the Jews to give names publicly to their children, at circumcision, as we do, at baptism or dedication. By what authority the priests called this child Zacharias, does not appear. They certainly were not directed to do so by either of the parents. See ver. 60, 63. Perhaps they took it for granted that the first-born son would be called by his father's name, since the custom was so very general. Their officiousness in giving this name without permission, and their interference with the wishes of the parents, ver. 61, might have been no more than was usual in that day, but would now be deemed highly indecorous and impertinent.

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60. He shall be called John. Such was the direction of the angel, ver. 13. This, like most Jewish names, was significant, meaning grace of God, or gift of God, or mercy of God. though the character of individuals is not to be determined from their names, generally speaking, yet in this case, as in ver. 31, the name prescribed was peculiarly applicable to the person. The mother was not disobedient to the heavenly vision, of which she had been informed by her husband, but earnestly insisted that her child should receive the name announced by the angel.

61. There is none of thy kindred, &c. This objection may not now appear to have much force, since names are so generally bestowed as a matter of fancy, without the slightest reference to kindred. But among the Jews, at the time here indicated, "names were selected from those of the progenitors of a family; hence in the New Testament, hardly any other than ancient names occur. Jahn. Under such circumstances, it doubtless occasioned surprise to hear a name proposed which had not belonged to any of the kindred.

62. The priests appealed to the father to decide the question. They might better have taken his opinion at the

63 And he asked for a writing-[ table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. 64 And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.

first. Made signs. Hence some have supposed that Zacharias was deprived of hearing as well as of speech. The word eneneuon, (èvivevor,) here rendered made signs, occurs nowhere else in the New Testament. It indicates merely to make a silent inquiry or communication. A similar word occurs John xiii. 24; Acts xxiv. 10; in both cases rendered beckoned. But in neither case was the one party unable to speak, or the other to hear. A nod of the head or a glance of the eye is as truly a sign, a silent significant communication, as any other motion whatever. And, in the case under consideration, the priests probably turned their eyes upon Zacharias, as if they were waiting for his decision; and by this sign, without words, they indicated their desire that he should communicate a name. When the penalty of unbelief was imposed, the loss of hearing was not intimated, ver. 20; nor was its restoration mentioned, when the period of deprivation ended, ver. 64. If this had been a part of the penalty, we might reasonably expect some allusion to it; especially as the loss of speech was foretold in two forms, and its restoration declared in three forms of speech, at the least. Under such circumstances, the mere fact that others made signs to him does not justify the conclusion that he could not hear.

63. He asked. This request was doubtless made by signs; for, being speechless, he had no other means of communicating his desire. ¶ Writingtable. Rather, writing-tablets. Instead of paper, the ancients used tablets, or thin pieces of wood or metal, covered with wax, upon which they wrote with hard sharp-pointed instruments, called styles. Such a tablet was requested, here, and not the article of furniture now called a writing-table.

64. His mouth was opened. That is, his power of speech was restored. The first use he made of his long-dormant faculty was to utter the praise of God in presence of those who had assem

65 And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill-country of Judea.

66 And all they that heard them,

bled, and to magnify his great goodness. He acknowledged the justice of his past suffering, and offered thanks to God for deliverance, and for the exact performance of the divine promise.

65. Fear came, &c. The restoration of speech to Zacharias was so sudden, and so unexpected to his friends, that they felt an overpowering consciousness of the divine presence. It seems probable, that, while praising God, ver. 64, he had recounted many of the circumstances which occurred nine months previously; and that these circumstances, as well as those attending the circumcision, are included in these sayings, which were speedily and widely noised abroad, or made public. See ver. 66. If so, the whole scene through which he had passed, from the beginning to the end, was so clearly understood to be miraculous, that a religious awe was felt by all who witnessed a part and heard the remainder. They might well say, it the hand of God; hallowed be his name.

66. Laid them up in their hearts. That is, they remembered and meditated upon the things they had heard. They did not reject or dismiss these sayings as an idle tale, but cherished a lively interest in them as indicative of marvellous events soon to follow. ¶ What manner of child shall this be? or, what shall be the character of this child? They had good reason to suppose that a child, whose birth, itself out of the common course of nature, was attended with such miraculous events, would not be an ordinary personage; but that some great work should be performed by him. Possibly, some hoped he might be the promised Messiah. Certainly, his existence and future actions were regarded with a general and a deep interest. ¶ And the hand of the Lord was with him. A Jewish form of speech, meaning, he was sustained, protected, and blessed, by the divine power. Some understand this as the language of the people, indicating their belief that the child was

laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.

67 And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,

evidently under the special protecting care of the Lord; others, as the language of the evangelist, indicating that God continued to distinguish John, by evident tokens of his favor, subsequently to the events before narrated. 67. Was filled with the Holy Ghost. Strongly moved by the divine spirit, and guided by its influence. Prophesied. "Zacharias does not seem to have prophesied in the strict sense of the word; for everything, which this speech of his contains, he was informed of by Gabriel, ver. 15-17, or he might have very easily concluded it from what the angel told him. Probably, too, he might have been informed by Mary of what Gabriel had said to her."-Pearce. The word prophet generally denotes one who is inspired to foretell future events; but it sometimes means merely a religious teacher, as in Matt. vii. 15; X. 41. The word prophesy has a similar latitude of signification. Doubtless, its usual meaning is, to predict the future; but sometimes it indicates no more than preaching or teaching the things previously performed or revealed. See Matt. vii. 22; Acts xix. 6. In this sense may the word be understood here. The poetical effusion of Zacharias, for this also is poetry, consists almost entirely of the language of the Old Testament and of the facts made known by the angel. I cannot perceive that he distinctly predicts a single event, which had not been before revealed. Nevertheless, as he is declared to have been filled with the Holy Ghost, we may safely believe he was under the special guidance of the spirit, in what he uttered; and his language may be regarded as a divine communication of truth for the benefit of men. It should be remarked, however, that he seems, throughout, to have entertained the common Jewish opinion concerning the Messiah, whose speedy advent he evidently expected. The blessings of his reign seem to have been regarded as temporal, such as deliver

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

69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house of his servant David :

70 As he spake by the mouth of

ance from political enemies and oppressors and the exaltation of the Jewish nation, rather than spiritual, such as purification from sin and the bestowment of immortal holiness.

68. Visited. God is said to visit his people, whenever he bestows on them any extraordinary favor, or executes upon them any signal punishment. Gen. 1. 24; Ps. lxxx. 14; Exo. xxxii. 34; Jer. v. 29. In this case, the visitation is connected with blessings, and is therefore to be understood as an apparent as well as a real display of mercy. Redeemed his people. Some understand this to mean spiritual redemption or salvation. But from what follows, in ver. 71-75, I think it more probable that Zacharias referred to temporal or political deliverance; the same kind of deliverance which the disciples intended, when they said, "we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel." Luke xxiv. 21. Such was the common expectation of the Jewish nation. To redeem is literally to repurchase that which has passed from our possession with or without our consent. Thus we redeem property which we have pledg ed to others for their security; and thus also we redeem our friends who have been carried into captivity by enemies. Figuratively, deliverance from any kind of bondage, or from any evil, is expressed by this word. And in this figurative sense it is very_frequently used in the scriptures. See Exo. vi. 6; xv. 13; Deut. vii. 8; Ps. ciii. 4; Jer. XV. 21; Hosea xiii. 14; Tit. ii. 14. In all these cases, God is said to redeem, when he manifestly only delivers. Such a deliverance, and apparently from temporal bondage, seems to have been the burden of Zacharias' thanksgiving, here.

69. Horn of salvation. Salvation is here to be understood, like redemption in the previous verse, with reference to the political deliverance from a yoke of bondage, which the Jews expected

his holy prophets, which have been | that we, being delivered out of the since the world began:

71 That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,

75 In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. 76 And thou, child, shalt be

72 To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remem-called the Prophet of the Highest, ber his holy covenant;

73 The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,

74 That he would grant unto us,

the Messiah would accomplish. Horn was frequently used as an emblem of power. Ps. Ixxv. 10; Jer. xlviii. 25; Dan. vii. 8; viii. 20; Zech. i. 19. The figure is taken from those beasts whose principal weapon of offence and defence is the horn. This phrase is equivalent to strong deliverer. House of his servant David. Family or posterity of David. It was the uniform expectation of the Jews that the Messiah should descend from David, and should establish his throne in greater power and dignity than had before been witnessed; that he should break the yoke of all foreign oppressors, and give universal dominion to the chosen people.

70. Since the world began. Literally, from the age, ap' aiōnos, (an' alvos.) By this, some understand the whole period from the creation; some, the Jewish age or dispensation; and some, the period from the days of David. The reference may be safely understood to apply to all the prophets who had predicted the advent of the Messiah. Whatever the Holy Spirit may have intended in their predictions, they were clothed in such imagery as led the Jews to expect temporal splendor, and dignity, and power. Zacharias seems to have thus understood them; though his words, as prompted by the spirit, may have a further and more important meaning. See note

ver. 79.

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for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people, by the remisfilled. Gen. xxii. 16-18. God had sworn by himself, and was about to fulfil his promise. That promise, afterwards explained by the apostles to embrace the most glorious spiritual blessings, was understood by the Jews to relate to temporal privileges and enjoyments. And in this sense it seems to have been understood by Zacharias, whose language has an obvious application to such temporal blessings. He speaks as a Jew; and in common with his countrymen, rejoices in hope of a speedy deliverance from the oppressor, and liberty of conscience to worship God without fear.

76-79. In these verses, the mission of John is noticed, and the ministry of the Messiah is also alluded to, in terms familiar to Jewish ears.

76. Prophet of the Highest. Prophet of God; or perhaps teacher of God's truth would express the idea, with sufficient accuracy. John is often denominated a prophet, though he did not profess to foretell the future, unless his announcing the speedy appearance of the Messiah and the baptism of the Holy Spirit be regarded in this light. His labor consisted almost exclusively in teaching men the way of truth, and exhorting them to walk in it. ¶ Prepare his ways. See note on Matt. iii. 3.

77. The language is still descriptive of what John should do. He should 71. Saved from our enemies, &c. A make known the fact that the promised deliverance from foreign bondage, rather Deliverer was at hand. He should dithan from sin and from spiritual foes, rect the attention of the people to Jesus, is the most natural and obvious import giving them information that he was the of this language. Thus it was doubt- true Messiah. He should teach the less understood by the speaker, what-people how to secure blessings to themever may be its additional meaning.

72-75. The promise anciently made to Abraham, of mercy in store for his posterity, was about to be signally ful

selves, by embracing Jesus as the Messiah, forsaking their sins and obeying his commandments. It is doubtful whether the Jewish people, or even

sion of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,

79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of Zacharias himself, understood by salvation or remission of sins, anything more than deliverance from the temporal evils which they were then suffering. Temporal calamities they regarded as tokens of the divine displeasure; and their removal, as an indication that their sins were forgiven. To us, the words have a more important signification, and they were perhaps designed by the spirit to convey the idea of a spiritual deliverance, and the forgiveness of sins, properly so called. See note on ver. 79.

death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

80 And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.

that although he probably contemplated temporal blessings as the fruit of the Messiah's reign, and described those blessings in the common language of the day, yet we may believe the spirit which guided his utterance intended to predict other and richer blessings. Literally, or in the sense in which the Jews understood them, these predictions were not fulfilled in that generation, nor have they yet been fulfilled. The children of Israel have never since that day been free from subjection to a foreign yoke; they have not received the temporal blessings which they expected from the Messiah. But, as we

78. Tender mercy of our God. The expected blessing is here ascribed, as all blessings should be, to the mercy of God. Existence, all temporal enjoy-are able to perceive by the history of ments, spiritual holiness, immortal happiness, all are the fruit of his mercy, and a manifestation of his love. Dayspring from on high. The original means, sometimes, the tender shoot or branch of a tree, and sometimes, the morning light, or the rising of the sun. It probably is used here figuratively, in the sense of morning light, to denote John, as the precursor of Jesus, who, by a similar figure is called the Sun of Righteousness. Mal. iv. 2. It is said to come from on high, to indicate that it comes from God, who is the Giver of every good gift and every perfect gift.

79. Sil in darkness, &c. See note on Matt. iv. 16. To guide our feet into the way of peace. The meaning is similar to ver. 77. "The way of transgressors is hard," Prov. xiii. 15; but of wisdom or virtue, it is testified, that "her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." Prov. iii.

17.

To forsake sin and practise virtue is the only sure method to secure present peace. And final and everlasting peace presupposes an absolute deliverance from the dominion of sin, and the active exercise of the spirit of holiness. In accordance with this fact, we find John guiding the feet of his brethren into the way of peace, by exhorting them to repent, to forsake their sins, and to practise righteousness. Luke iii. 2-14.

On this whole song of praise, uttered by Zacharias, it should be remarked,

the events, and as our own experience may testify, the predictions have been fully verified, in their more important sense, by the spiritual blessings resulting from the ministry of our Lord. I have chosen to explain the language, in the notes, as I suppose it was understood by the Jews, at the time. The higher signification need not be illustrated in detail, as there will be occasion elsewhere to notice all the important subjects here shadowed forth.

80. Waxed strong in spirit. That is, became strong in understanding; his spiritual energy was unfolded, and he was thus prepared to occupy the important post assigned him. To war is an almost obsolete word, meaning to increase. It is now seldom used, except in poetry. In the deserts. That is, in the less cultivated region, or the hillcountry of Judah. Ver. 39. Deserts, or the wilderness, as used in the scriptures, does not denote what is now usually understood by those terms. See note on Matt. iii. 1. Till the day of his showing unto Israel. Until the commencement of his public ministry, at the prescribed age of thirty years. In retirement and comparative obscurity, he meditated on the strange events connected with his birth, and prepared himself, and was prepared by the influence of the divine spirit, for the important and arduous duty allotted to him.

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