Luke 1:37

Luk_1:37

Nothing shall be impossible

Gods omnipotence

It certainly is not possible for us to be in a position where omnipotence cannot assist us.

God hath servants everywhere; and, where we think He has none, His word can create a multitude. There are treasures hid in the sand, and the Lords chosen shall eat thereof. (C. H.Spurgeon.)

The scorn of impossibility

It is not a lucky word, this same impossible: no good comes of those who have it so often in their mouth. Who is he that says always, There is a lion in the way? Sluggard, thou must slay the lion, then; the way has to be travelled. In art, in practice, innumerable critics will demonstrate that most things are henceforth impossible; that we are got, once for all, into the region of perennial commonplace, and must contentedly continue there. Let such critics demonstrate; it is the nature of them: what harm is in it? Poetry once demonstrated to be impossible, arises the Burns, arises the Goethe. Unheroic commonplace being now clearly all we have to look for, comes Napoleon, comes the conquest of the world. It was proved by fluxionary calculus, that steamships could never get across from the farthest point of Ireland to the nearest of Newfoundland: impelling force, resisting force, maximum here, minimum there, by law of Nature and geometric demonstration. What could be done? The Great Eastern could weigh anchor from Bristol Port; that could be done. The Great Eastern, bounding safe through the gullets of the Hudson, threw her cable out on the capstan of New York, and left our still moist-paper demonstration to dry itself at leisure. Impossible he, cried Mirabeau, ne me dites jamais ce bete de mot (Never name to me that blockhead of a word). (Thomas Carlyle.)

The Biblical Illustrator, edited by Joseph S. Exell (c. 1880s–1900s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 1:37. Πᾶν ῥῆμα, every word [thing]) As to things contradictory in the very terms, whether such are possible to happen, is not a subject which need be disputed; for they do not constitute a word [in the sense ῥῆμα, verbum, is here used, a true word or thing]: nor does a thing done and undone, i.e. true and false [a word verified and then falsified], constitute a word; for repentance of His deed or promise does not apply to God: Gen 18:14, μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ῥῆμα; Is any word impossible with God? (Surely not.)

Bengel's Gnomon of the New Testament — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1860) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 1:37 . ἀδυνατήσει : the verb means, in classic Greek, to be weak, of persons. In Sept [5] and N. T. (here and in Mat 17:20 ) it means to be impossible, of things. Commentators differ as to whether we should render: no word of God shall be weak, inoperative, or no thing , with, on the part of, God, shall be impossible. ῥῆμα = דָּבָר may be rendered either word or thing . The reading παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ( [6] [7] [8] ) seems to demand the former of the two translations. Field, Otium Nor. , discusses this passage. Adopting the above reading, and adhering to the sense of ἀδυνατ . in reference to things, he translates: “for from God no word (or no thing) shall be impossible”.

[5] Septuagint.

[6] Codex Vaticanus (sæc. iv.), published in photographic facsimile in 1889 under the care of the Abbate Cozza-Luzi.

[7] Codex Bezae

[8] Codex Regius--eighth century, represents an ancient text, and is often in agreement with א and B.

Some recent critics find in this section two different views of the birth of Jesus, one implying natural paternity, the other supernatural causality, the former being the view in the original document, the other introduced by the evangelist, the former Jewish in its tendency of thought, the latter heathen-Christian. The subject is discussed by Hillmann in Jahrb. für prot. Theol. , 1891, and Usener, Religions-geschictliche Untersuchungen , 1888. J. Weiss, in his ed. of Meyer, p. 303, note, seems inclined to favour this view, and to see in Luk 1:31-33 the one version, and in Luk 1:34-35 the other, due to Lk. Against this view vide Feine, Vork. Überlief .

The Expositor's Greek Testament, edited by W. Robertson Nicoll (1897–1910) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For, &c.--referring to what was said by the angel to Abraham in like case (Gen 18:14), to strengthen her faith.

Jamieson, Fausset & Brown — Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible (1871) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

Verse 37. For with God nothing shall be impossible.] Words of the very same import with those spoken by the Lord to Sarah, when he foretold the birth of Isaac, Ge 18:14, Is any thing too hard for the Lord? As there can be no doubt that Mary perceived this allusion to the promise and birth of Isaac, so she must have had her faith considerably strengthened by reflecting on the intervention of God in that case.

Adam Clarke's Commentary on the Bible (1810–1826) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

37. nothing] Rather, no word. For the thought see Gen_18:14; Mat_19:26. “There is nothing too hard for thee,” Jer_32:17.

The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges (gen. ed. J. J. S. Perowne; Cambridge University Press, 1878–1918) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

For with God nothing shall be impossible. That is consistent with his nature and perfections, with his counsels, purposes, and promises: every thing that he has said, purposed, or promised, he is able to do, and will; every word that he has spoken, every thing predicted by his prophets, or declared by his angels, and particularly this of a virgin's conceiving and bearing a Son: so that the angel not only answers her question, how this should be, but confirms her faith in it; partly by the instance of her cousin Elisabeth, and partly by observing the infinite omnipotence of God.

For with God nothing shall be impossible. That is consistent with his nature and perfections, with his counsels, purposes, and promises: every thing that he has said, purposed, or promised, he is able to do, and will; every word that he has spoken, every thing predicted by his prophets, or declared by his angels, and particularly this of a virgin's conceiving and bearing a Son: so that the angel not only answers her question, how this should be, but confirms her faith in it; partly by the instance of her cousin Elisabeth, and partly by observing the infinite omnipotence of God.

Luke 1:38

luk 1:38

luk 1:38

luk 1:38And Mary said, behold the handmaid of the Lord,.... In which words she expresses her obedience of faith; she owns herself to be the handmaid of the Lord, and desires to obey him, and be submissive to him as such; and tacitly acknowledges her meanness, and great unworthiness:

be it unto me according to thy word; she assented to what the angel said should be unto her; she earnestly desired it might be, and firmly believed it would be; she set her "Amen" to the angel's message:

and the angel departed from her; to the heavenly regions from whence he came; to his great Lord and master, that sent him; having dispatched the business he came about, and which he was accountable to him for.

John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible (1746–1763) — public domain (CC PDM 1.0). Text via the HelloAO Bible API.

37 For with God nothing shall be impossible.

Ver. 37. For with God, &c.] We never doubt God’s will, but we do in some measure doubt his power. See them both running parallel, Job 42:2.

John Trapp, A Commentary or Exposition upon All the Books of the Old and New Testament (1647–1656) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. Nothing shall be impossible—Ages ago (Gen_18:14) “The LORD” had said in a similar announcement to Abraham, “Is any thing too hard for the Lord?” The angel refers to the analogous case of Elisabeth as proof to Mary that miraculous birth is an event that may now occur. The birth of an immortal being into existence is the greatest of natural events. The birth of an immortal being, without a human father, by a divine interposition, is one of the greatest of miracles. The birth of a human being from a true divine paternity, placing a God-man upon earth, is pre-eminently THE miracle of which all other miracles are but the subordinates and attendants. But all things are possible with God. To perform a contradiction is, indeed, not a possibility even with omnipotence. But then a contradiction is really nothing at all, and so does not come into the number of all things. God is fully able to suspend by miracle the laws of nature, and even reverse them all. For the laws of nature are nothing more than the ordinary action of the divine will, which God can vary just as easily as he can hold them uniform. The incarnation is just as easy a work with God as a maintenance of the ordinary laws of birth.

Daniel D. Whedon (gen. ed.), Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1874–1909) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ‘from God’ R. V[7] following אBDL.

[7] R. V. Revised Version.

37. οὐκ … πᾶν ῥῆμα. Ῥῆμα means word or fact (דבר). The οὐ negatives the verb (every fact shall be possible). Cf. Mat 24:22, οὐκ ἂν ἐσώθη πᾶσα σάρξ; Rom 3:20; Act 10:14, &c. The idiom is Hebraic (Exo 12:16; Exo 12:44, &c. LXX[33]) See Winer, p. 215. It is a common idiom in emphatic gnomes, &c. The so-called ‘laws of nature’ cannot bind God, for Nature, in its highest use, is but a reverent synonym for God, and the laws of nature, so far from being limitations which He cannot break, are only gossamer-threads which He weaves at His will. For the thought see Gen 18:14; Mat 19:26. “There is nothing too hard for thee,” Jer 32:17.

[33] LXX. Septuagint.

παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. (אBDL) on the part of (lit. from) God. Rom 2:11 we have παρὰ θεῷ, with God.

Cambridge Greek Testament for Schools and Colleges (Cambridge University Press, 1896; 21 vols, various authors incl. Carr, Maclear, Plummer, Farrar, Lumby, Moule, M. R. James, Simcox) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37.] The future, in Hebrew, expresses that which does not belong to any fixed time, but shall ever be so.

ῥῆμα] See reff., and above on ver. 4. This place, and its original, Gen 18:14, which are sometimes quoted to shew that ῥῆμα may mean simply “a thing,” are in fact most decisive against any such supposition. For the declaration amounts to this, “Hath the Lord spoken and can He not do it?”

Henry Alford, The Greek Testament (1849–1861) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

37. οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πᾶν ῥῆμα. The negative and the verb are to be closely combined and taken as the predicate of πᾶν ῥῆμα. We must not take οὐκ without πᾶν. This is plain from Gen 18:14: μὴ ἀδυνατεῖ παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ ῥῆμα; i.e. “Hath God said, and can He not do it ?” or, Is anything which God has promised impossible? RV. here has “be void of power” for ἀδυνατεῖν; but it is doubtful whether the verb ever has this signification. Of things, it means “to be impossible” (Mat 27:20); and of persons, “to be unable”; in which case, like δυνατεῖν (Rom 14:4; 2Co 9:8), it is followed by the infin. That “be impossible” is the meaning, both here and Gen 28:14, is probable from Job 42:2 οἶδα ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν; and from Zec 8:6, where ἀδυνατήσει is used of a thing being too hard for man but not too hard for God; and from Jer 32:17, where both Aquila and Symmachus have οὐκ ἀδυνατήσει for οὐ μὴ ἀποκρυβῇ of LXX. We render, therefore, “From God no word shall be impossible.” The idiom οὐ … πᾶς, in the sense of “all … not,” i.e. “none,” is probably Hebraic. Comp. Mat 24:22. It is less common in N.T. than in LXX (Exo 12:16, Exo 12:43, Exo 12:20:16; Dan 2:10, etc.), Win. 26:1, p. 214; Blass, Gr. p. 174

International Critical Commentary — older volumes (1896–1929), various authors — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

With God nothing shall be impossible [ουκ αδυνατησει παρα του θεου παν ρημα] . JRhma, word, as distinguished from logov, word, in classical Greek, signifies a constituent part of a speech or writing, as distinguished from the contents as a whole. Thus it may be either a word or a saying. Sometimes a phrase, as opposed to onoma, a single word. The distinction in the New Testament is not sharp throughout. It is maintained that rJhma in the New Testament, like the Hebrew gabar, stands sometimes for the subject matter of the word; the thing, as in this passage. But there are only two other passages in the New Testament where this meaning is at all admissible, though the word occurs seventy times. These are Luk 2:15; Act 5:32. "Kept all these things" (Luk 2:19), should clearly be sayings, as the A. V. itself has rendered it in the almost identical passage, verse 51. In Act 5:32, Rev. gives sayings in margin. In Luk 2:15, though A. V. and Rev. render thing, the sense is evidently saying, as appears both from the connection with the angelic message and from the following words, which has come to pass : the saying which has become a fact. The Rev. rendering of this passage is, therefore, right, though a little stilted : No word of God shall be void of power; for the A. V. errs in joining oujk and pan, not every, and translating nothing. The two do not belong together. The statement is, Every [παν] word of God shall not [ουκ] be powerless. The A. V. also follows the reading, para tw Qew, with God; but all the later texts read para tou Qeou, from God, which fixes the meaning beyond question.

Marvin R. Vincent, Word Studies in the New Testament (1887–1900) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.