Luke 1:52

Luk 1:52-56. He hath put down the mighty from their seats — The mighty think to secure themselves by might in their seats, but he puts them down and overturns their seats; while, on the other hand, those of low degree, who despaired of ever advancing themselves, and thought of nothing else but being very low, are wonderfully exalted. To apply this to the subject which gave occasion to this divine hymn: “The kings who sprang from David, had, no doubt, one after another expected to be the parents of the Messiah; and when the kingdom was taken from them, such of the royal progeny as were in the highest station, would reckon this their certain and high privilege. But now their hope was wholly overthrown. They were brought down by God from that height of dignity to which, in their own imagination, they had exalted themselves; and a person in the meanest condition of all the royal seed was raised to it.” He hath filled the hungry, &c. — “Both the poor and the rich are here represented as waiting at God’s gate in the condition of beggars, the rich in expectation of receiving the honour of giving birth to the Messiah; the poor in expectation, not of that blessing, but hoping for such small favours as suited their condition. While they wait in this state, God, by an exercise of his sovereignty, bestows the favour, so much courted by the rich, on a poor family, to its unspeakable satisfaction, and sends the rich away disappointed and discontented.” See Macknight, and notes on 1Sa 2:3-9. He hath holpen his servant Israel — Dr. Campbell reads this and the next verse, He supporteth Israel his servant, (as he promised to our fathers,) ever inclined to mercy toward Abraham and his race. The word αντελαβετο, here rendered he hath holpen, properly signifies, to interpose in favour of a person in great necessity or extreme danger; and also to hold by the hand, to sustain from falling, or to lift up when fallen, and so to afford aid or help; this he hath done, saith the virgin, in remembrance of his mercy; for then God is said signally to remember his people, when, after a long oppression, in which he seemed to have forgotten them, he works a mighty salvation for them, (see Psa 136:23.) And he did this, also, in pursuance of his promise made to our forefathers, to send the Messiah to be an everlasting blessing to all that should believe in him, and so become the seed of Abraham by faith. And Mary abode with her about three months — Till very near the time of her delivery; and returned to her own house — Having, to her unspeakable satisfaction and great comfort, found all things as the angel had told her; and soon after took a journey with Joseph to Bethlehem.

Joseph Benson's Commentary on the Old and New Testaments (1811–1818) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Luk 1:52. Δυνάστας, the mighty [potentates]) as Saul, and Herod.

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

Ver. 52. From the moral contrast between the proud and the faithful, Mary passes to a contrast of their social position, the mighty and those of low degree. The former are those who reign without that spirit of humility which is inspired by the fear of Jehovah.

The third antithesis (Luk 1:53), which is connected with the preceding, is that of suffering and prosperity. The hungry represent the class which toils for a living—artisans, like Joseph and Mary; the rich are men gorged with wealth, Israelites or heathen, who, in the use they make of God’s gifts, entirely forget their dependence and responsibility. The abundance which is to compensate the former certainly consists—the contrast requires it—of temporal enjoyments. But since this abundance is an effect of the divine blessing, it implies, as its condition, the possession of spiritual graces. For, from the Old Testament point of view, prosperity is only a snare, when it does not rest on the foundation of peace with God. And so also, the spoliation which is to befall the rich is without doubt the loss of their temporal advantages. But what makes this loss a real evil is, that it is the effect of a divine curse upon their pride.

The poetic beauty of these three verses is heightened by a crossing of the members of the three antitheses, which is substituted for the ordinary method of symmetrical parallelism. In the first contrast (Luk 1:51), the righteous occupy the first place, the proud the second; in the second, on the contrary (Luk 1:52), the mighty occupy the first place, so as to be in close connection with the proud of Luk 1:51, and the lowly the second; in the third (Luk 1:53), the hungry come first, joining themselves with the lowly of Luk 1:52, and the rich form the second member. The mind passes in this way, as it were, on the crest of a wave, from like to like, and the taste is not offended, as it would have been by a symmetrical arrangement in which the homogeneous members of the contrast occurred every time in the same order.

Frédéric Louis Godet — Commentaries on Luke, John, Romans, and 1 Corinthians — English translation (T&T Clark, Edinburgh, 1870s–1890s) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

Such as none account is made of, and are vile in men’s eyes, which are indeed the poor in spirit, that is, such as challenge nothing to themselves in the sight of God.

The mighty and rich men.

Geneva Bible (1599) marginal notes — public domain. Text via Bolls.life.

Verse 52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats] Or, He hath taken down potentates from their thrones. This probably alludes to the removal of Saul from the throne of Israel, and the establishment of the kingdom in the person and family of David. And as Mary spoke prophetically, this saying may also allude to the destruction of the kingdom of Satan and his allies, and the final prevalence of the kingdom of Christ.

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

(52) The mighty.—The word (that from which we get our English “dynasty”) is applied to the eunuch “of great authority” under Candace, in Act_8:27, and is used as a divine name in “the blessed and only Potentate” of 1Ti_6:15. Here it is used generally of all human rulers.

From their seats.—Better, their thrones, as the word is for the most part translated. (Comp. Mat_19:28, and in this very chapter, Luk_1:32.)

Of low degree.—The adjective is that from which the noun translated “low estate,” in Luk_1:48, had been formed.

A Bible Commentary for English Readers, edited by Charles John Ellicott (1878–1897) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword module.

52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats] Rather, He puts down potentates from thrones. The aorists throughout are gnomic, i. e. they do not express single but normal acts. The thought is common throughout the Bible, e. g. Luk_18:14; Dan_4:30; 1Sa_2:6-10; Psa_113:6-8; 1Co_1:26-29. The ancients noticed the fact (κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων ἐστὶ πρηγμάτων, Hdt. i. 207; “Irus et est subito qui modo Croesus erat,” Ov. Trist. iii. vii. 41) but did not draw the true lessons from it.

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.

He hath put down the mighty from their seats,.... As mighty kings and emperors from their thrones, as he often does, in the course of his providence; setting up one, and putting down another: or the mighty angels, from their seats of bliss and happiness in heaven; who rebelling against God, opposing the incarnation of Christ, taking it ill, that the human nature should be advanced above theirs, were cast down to hell; and are reserved in chains of darkness, to the judgment of the great day: or this may have respect to the putting down the monarchies and kingdoms of this world, by the kingdom of the Messiah to be set up; which, though at first was mean and despicable, like a stone cut out of a mountain, will increase, spread, and break in pieces, and destroy all other kingdoms:

and exalted them of low degree; as David to the throne of Israel, from the sheepfold, and following the ewes great with young; and now his house and family, which were sunk very low, by raising of his seed, of a poor virgin in his family, unto Israel, a Saviour Jesus; in whose days the poor had the Gospel preached, and received it: these were chosen and called: the great things of the Gospel were revealed to babes, and hid from the wise and prudent; and beggars were raised from the dunghill, to sit among princes, and to inherit the throne of glory: a method, which God in his infinite wisdom and grace has been pleased to take, more or less, in all ages of time; for not many mighty and noble are called by grace; but usually the foolish, the weak, and the base things of the world.

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

52 He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

Ver. 52. He hath put down the mighty] As he did Bajazet, the proud Turk, and set up Tamerlane, a Scythian shepherd; who said that he was sent from heaven to punish Bajazet’s rashness, and to teach him that the proud are hated of God, whose promise is to pluck down the mighty, and raise up the lowly.

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.

Hath put down the mighty - The “mighty” here denotes princes, kings, or conquerors. See Isa 14:12-14.

Their seats - Their “thrones,” or the places where they sat in pomp and power.

Exalted them - Raised them up, or placed them in the seats of those who had been removed.

Low degree - Low or humble birth and condition in life. This probably has reference to the case of her ancestor David. Mary was celebrating the mercies of God to herself, to her family, and of course to her ancestors. It was natural to allude to that great event in their history when Saul was overcome in battle, and when David was taken from the sheepfold and placed on the throne. The origin of illustrious families is often obscure. People are often raised by industry, talent, and the favor of God, from very humble stations - from the farm or mechanic’s shop - to places of great trust in the church and state. They who are thus elevated, if imbued with right feelings, will not despise their former employments nor their former companions, nor will they esteem their parents or friends the less because they still remain in the same rank in life. No conduct is more odious and unchristian than to be ashamed of our birth or the humble circumstances of our friends.

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Bible (1834–1885) — public domain. Text from a community e-Sword/MySword module.

He hath put down the mighty - Both angels and men.

John Wesley, Explanatory Notes Upon the Whole Bible (1754–1765) — public domain. Text via the GEBible commentary corpus.

He has thrown down princes from their thrones

A throne is a chair that a ruler sits on, and it is a symbol of his authority. If a prince is brought down from his throne, it means he no longer has the authority to reign. AT: "He has taken away the authority of princes" or "He has made rulers stop ruling" (See: Synecdoche)

raised up those of low condition

In this word picture, people who are important are higher than people who are less important. AT: "has has made humble people important" or "has given honor to people whom others have not honored" (See: Metaphor)

of low condition

"in poverty." See how you translated this in Luke 1:48.

He has filled the hungry ... the rich he has sent away empty

The contrast between these two opposite actions should be made clear in the translation if possible.

filled the hungry with good things

Possible meanings are 1) "given the hungry good food to eat" or 2) "given the needy good things."

translationWords

prince

throne

raise

lowly

unfoldingWord translationNotes — © Distant Shores Media and the Door43 World Missions Community, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Source: git.door43.org/Door43/en_tn.

52. καθεῖλεν δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων. ‘He puts down potentates from thrones.’ The aorists throughout are gnomic, i.e. they do not express single but normal acts. Winer, indeed, denies this gnomic use of the aorist—to express what is wont to be done—in the N. T. (Gram., p. 346); but his explanation that the aorists represent the rapid succession of (normal) facts, comes to the same thing. See a marked instance in Jas 1:11 ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος … καὶ ἐξήρανε τὸν χόρτον. Hence Bleek renders these aorists by presents which is also the English way of expressing the gnomic aorist. Thus πολλὰ παρὰ γνώμην ἔπεσε means ‘many things happen unexpectedly.’ The thought is common throughout the Bible, e.g. Luk 18:14; Dan 4:30; 1Sa 2:6-10; Psa 113:6-8; 1Co 1:26-29. The ancients noticed the fact (κύκλος τῶν ἀνθρωπηΐων ἐστὶ πρηγμάτων, Hdt. I. 207; “Irus et est subito qui modo Croesus erat,” Ov. Trist. III. vii. 41), but did not draw the true lessons from it. With the general thought compare Wis 5:23, “Ill dealings shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty.” The rare word δυνάστας is rendered potentates in 1Ti 6:15.

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.

52. καθεῖλεν δυνάστας ἀπὸ θρόνων καὶ ὕψωσεν ταπεινούς. “He hath put down potentates from thrones.” “Potentates” rather than “princes” (RV.), or “the mighty” (AV.), because of 1Ti 6:15. Comp. δυνάσται Φαραώ (Gen 50:4). In Act 8:27 it is an adj. It is probable that ταπεινούς here means primarily the oppressed poor as opposed to tyrannical rulers. See Hatch, Biblical Greek, pp. 73-77. Besides the parallels given in the table (p. 31) comp. ἀναλαμβάνων πρᾳεῖς ὁ κύριος, ταπεινῶν δὲ ἁμαρτωλοὺς ἕως τῆς γῆς (Psa 147:6); θρόνους ἀρχόντων καθεῖλεν ὁ κύριος, καὶ ἐκάθισεν πρᾳεῖς ἀντʼ αὐτῶν (Ecclus. 10:14); also Luk 14:11, Luk 14:18:14; Jas 1:9, Jas 1:10. In Clem. Rom. Cor. lix. 3 we have what looks like a paraphrase, but may easily come from O.T. Comp. Enoch xlvi. 5.

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