Commentary on the Four Gospel Books
The Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ
G009 Mary Visits Elizabeth
and Mary’s Song of Praise to the God
Luke 1:39–56

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All New Testament verses quoted in this article are from the English Majority Text Version, and Old Testament verses are from the King James Version, unless otherwise noted.

Luke 1:39-56

39 Now Mary rose up in those days and traveled into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why am I favored thus, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

44 For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb.

45 And blessed is she who has believed, because there shall be a fulfillment to the things having been spoken to her from the Lord.”

46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit has rejoiced in *God my Savior.

48 Because He looked upon the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

49 For He that is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52 He has overthrown the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

54 He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and she returned to her house.

In this lesson, we will study the event of Mary visiting Elizabeth, confirming that Elizabeth was pregnant, being encouraged by Elizabeth’s blessing, and Mary offering a song of praise to God.

Luke 1:39

39 Now Mary rose up in those days and traveled into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,

″In those days″ refers to the days following the event, a period that could range from a few days to a month. From Mary’s urgency, we can understand that immediately after the angel departed from her, she made arrangements to set out within a day or two.

At that time, travel was usually on foot. To avoid robbers or getting lost, travelers often joined caravans of merchants. Horses were used only by the military and government authorities. The common people used donkeys, oxen, or camels to transport goods. Oxen were generally used to pull carts, while donkeys and camels carried goods in two panniers on either side. Travelers could hire a donkey to ride, rent a seat in a pannier on a camel, or take a seat on an ox-drawn cart. Merchant caravans always had guards with swords for protection. Sometimes, Roman authorities provided soldiers to escort caravans carrying supplies to military units. Depending on terrain and weather, the average speed of merchant caravans ranged from 3 km to 5 km per hour, traveling 8 to 15 hours per day.

If Elizabeth lived in Hebron, the journey from Nazareth to Hebron would be approximately 191 km. However, if one had to take a detour along the Mediterranean coast or along the east side of the Jordan River to avoid passing through Samaria, the distance would be much greater. The Samaritans and the Israelites did not get along. The Israelites considered entering Samaria as stepping into an unclean area, while the Samaritans might attack any Israelites passing through their territory. At that time, walking directly from Nazareth to Hebron without detours would take about five days.

″The hill country″ refers to the land east of Judea, along the Dead Sea, consisting of many hills and including the cities of Jericho, Bethany, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, and Hebron.

″A city of Judah″ could refer to Hebron, a city in the territory allotted to the tribe of Judah and one of the cities set apart for the Levites, as recorded in Joshua 21:13. If it is Hebron, the distance from Hebron to Jerusalem is about 41 km, while the distance from Nazareth to Jerusalem is approximately 150 km.

Luke 1:40-41

40 and entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.

41 And it came to pass, that when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

Map illustrating the locations of Nazareth and Hebron

https://timhieuthanhkinh.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/NaxaretVaHepron.jpg

We need to remember that Mary’s visit to Elizabeth was an unexpected event, occurring immediately after Mary had been informed by the angel about the birth of the Lord Jesus. At that time, Elizabeth was entering the sixth month of her pregnancy and knew nothing about the angel’s message to Mary. When Mary arrived, entered the house, and greeted Elizabeth, at that very moment, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped, and Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit (power of God) from God. This event demonstrates that John the Baptist was filled with holy spirit even while still in the womb, as the angel had foretold to John’s father, Zechariah (Luke 1:15).

It was also because Elizabeth was filled with holy spirit that she was inspired by God the Spirit to recognize that Mary was carrying Christ. The Holy Spirit used Elizabeth’s words to bless Mary and to affirm that the child in Mary’s womb is ″the Lord.″

Luke 1:42-43

42 Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!

43 And why am I favored thus, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

God the Spirit inspired Elizabeth to speak the same words that the angel had spoken to Mary (Luke 1:28): ″Blessed are you among women.″ Elizabeth was also inspired by God the Spirit to know that Mary was pregnant and that the child in her womb was her ″Lord.″ Therefore, Elizabeth’s next words were a blessing for the child in Mary’s womb: ″Blessed is the fruit of your womb!″

Up to that moment, Mary had only been pregnant with the Lord Jesus for a few days, yet the Spirit used Elizabeth’s words to call the embryo in Mary’s womb ″my Lord.″ This helps us understand that a person’s life begins at the moment the embryo is formed in the mother’s womb.

Luke 1:44-45

44 For behold, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the baby leaped for joy in my womb.

45 And blessed is she who has believed, because there shall be a fulfillment to the things having been spoken to her from the Lord.”

When Mary visited Elizabeth, the baby in Elizabeth’s womb had entered the sixth month and was already capable of kicking. By the inspiration of God the Spirit, Elizabeth also knew that her son leaped for joy when the mother of the Lord greeted his mother.

Elizabeth also knew that Mary had believed the message that had been spoken to her, even though she may not have shared all the details with Elizabeth. And God the Spirit used Elizabeth’s words to affirm to Mary that the words spoken by the angel to her were from the God and would be fulfilled.

Luke 1:46-47

46 And Mary said: “My soul magnifies the Lord,

47 and my spirit has rejoiced in *God my Savior.

Mary began to speak in praise of the Lord. By saying, ″My soul magnifies the Lord,″ Mary expressed that her praise of the God arose from within her own being, her soul.

In her spirit, Mary recognized that the God is her Savior. This salvation refers to deliverance from the consequences of sin, from eternal death in hell. Therefore, there is no basis for the idea that Mary was born without sin, as the Catholic doctrine of the ″Immaculate Conception″ teaches. Mary, like everyone else, was a sinner and needed to be saved by the God.

Luke 1:48

48 Because He looked upon the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.

The term ″maidservant″ (G1399) in the original Greek means a female slave. Mary acknowledged herself as a lowly female slave of God. Therefore, the title ″Mother of God,″ as conferred by the Catholic Church, is both unreasonable and blasphemous.

From being a humble female slave of the God, Mary became ″blessed among women″ because the God Himself chose her and bestowed blessings upon her.

The God blesses humanity in two ways. The first is according to His mercy, even when the recipient is undeserving of His blessing. A prime example is the salvation of humanity from the consequences of sin, which the God grants to all people, regardless of anyone, even those actively opposing Him. The second way is according to a person’s response to the God. The more a person trusts and obeys the God, the more blessings they receive from Him. Typical examples of this are found in Psalm 1 and Matthew 5:1-12.

In Mary’s case, first, she was chosen by the God to be blessed; next, the blessing increased as Mary wholeheartedly trusted and obeyed the God. The same applies to each of us. First, the God has chosen to grant us the gift of salvation. Then, if we remain in His salvation, wholeheartedly trusting and obeying Him, He will make us instruments in His hands to accomplish His will on earth.

Mary also spoke a prophetic word that all generations after her would acknowledge that she is blessed.

Luke 1:49

49 For He that is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.

Mary called the God the Almighty because He is able to do all things. She affirmed that He had done great things for her. As a young girl of about 15 or 16, what great things had the God done for Mary? Certainly, the fact that the God caused her to conceive the Christ was a truly great and extraordinary work. But even before that, the God had given Mary the reality of human existence, which is itself a great work. The God also granted her knowledge of Himself, faith in Him, and the experience of His salvation; all of these are great works that the God had done for her.

Each of us also needs to ask ourselves: what great works has the God done for me so that I can lift my voice in praise and thanksgiving to Him?

The phrase ″holy is His name″ refers to the name ″I Am,″ the name with the meaning ″the Self-Existing and Eternal One″ (Exodus 3:14). The name of the God being holy means that His name is set apart and exalted. Yet the God also causes His Word to be exalted even above His own name.

″I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name for thy lovingkindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.″ (Psalms 138:2)

If we honor the name of the God but do not obey all of His commands, then we commit a sin that is even greater than those who merely disrespect His name.

Luke 1:50

50 And His mercy is on those who fear Him from generation to generation.

The second commandment in the God’s Ten Commandments carries the promise that He will show mercy for thousands of generations to those who love Him and keep His commandments. Therefore, the God’s mercy toward those who fear Him being passed down from generation to generation is natural. The Scriptures show us that because David loved and feared the God, He did not bring severe punishment upon Solomon, his son, nor upon the kingdom of Judah, even when Solomon and the people of Judah rebelled against the God.

Luke 1:51

51 He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

From verses 51 to 55, Ma-ri listed seven things that the God has done:

1. The God has demonstrated His almighty power through His arm. The Scriptures often use the terms ″finger,″ ″hand,″ and ″arm″ of the God to describe actions that reveal His omnipotence. Many theologians assert that the God does not possess a human-like form or limbs. Yet the Bible clearly states that humanity was created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:26).

2. The God has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. This means that the God causes the reflections within the hearts of the proud to lead them astray from the truth.

Luke 1:52

52 He has overthrown the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.

3. The God has removed the high positions and authority of many people, for all authority is granted by Him (Romans 13:1; Colossians 2:10).

4. The God has exalted those with humble hearts to high positions. The Scriptures show us that a Joseph, persecuted by his family and society, and a young shepherd like David were both granted authority to govern a nation by the God.

Luke 1:53

53 He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.

5. The God has provided physical nourishment for those who are physically hungry, but He has also given spiritual nourishment, His Living Word, to those who hunger for His Word.

6. The God has caused those who are materially wealthy in the world to leave their possessions empty-handed; yet He has also caused those who are rich in worldly knowledge to lack true understanding in the place where they will go after death.

Luke 1:54-55

54 He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy,

55 As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”

7. The God has taken hold of Israel in His almighty hand to protect and restore them according to His great mercy, as He promised in the covenant made with their ancestors, beginning with Abraham and extending to Abraham’s descendants. The mercy of the God upon Israel endures forever and never ceases.

On another level, all who believe in the Gospel of the God are counted as Abraham’s spiritual descendants (Galatians 3:7, 29). Therefore, the God’s spiritual covenant with Abraham includes the Church. We are members of the Church of the God. We share in the spiritual blessings the God promised to Abraham. We are recognized as Abraham’s descendants in terms of faith. We are, indeed, spiritual Israelites.

Luke 1:56

56 And Mary remained with her about three months, and she returned to her house.

Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months. When Mary set out to return to Nazareth, Elizabeth was near the time of giving birth to John the Baptist. From the context of verses 56 to 57, we can understand that Mary had returned to Nazareth before Elizabeth gave birth.

We do not know what Mary and Elizabeth discussed during those three months together, but it was certainly a very blessed time for both of them.

Through the story of Mary visiting Elizabeth and through Mary’s hymn of praise to the God, we clearly see that when a person has faith and obedience to the God, they can be used in extraordinary ways for the God’s works on earth. Such a person will be filled with holy spirit to gain deep understanding of the God, His Word, and His will for them, enabling them to accomplish every good work that the God has prepared for them. The God will use the words and deeds of such people to glorify Him and proclaim His glory. Therefore, they become the light of the world, shining forth the glory of God through their good works for all people in the world (Matthew 5:14-16).

We conclude this lesson here.

May the Holy Spirit guide us into all the truths of God’s Word (John 16:13). May the Word of God sanctify us (John 17:17). May the Faithful *God of Peace Himself sanctify our spirit, soul, and body entirely, without blame (1 Thessalonians 5:23), at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, our Beloved Savior. Amen!

Timothy Christian Huynh
Priscilla Christian Huynh
10/08/2022

Notes:

[1] https://bibleresources.americanbible.org/resource/methods-of-travel

About Using “*God”, “the God” and “holy spirit”

Wherever the Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek texts of the Bible use a definite article with a noun to denote GOD, we translate it into English as *God or “the God” to refer to God the Father. We understand that “God,” without a definite article, was used as a collective noun for all and any of the three Persons of the Godhead. And “God,” with a definite article, was used to refer to God the Father.

In the Greek manuscripts of the New Testament, the term “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) without the definite article “the” (το) is used to denote the power of God, which is given by God the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit” (το πνευματι το αγιω) is God, and “holy spirit” (πνευματι αγιω) is the power that comes from God.