◀ All Reading Plans / Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary) / Luke 1:46b-55 (The Lord lifts up the lowly); 1 Samuel 1:19-28 (Hannah presents Samuel to God); Hebrews 8:1-13 (The mediator replaces the sanctuary) (New English Translation)

Prev Day

December 23, 1969

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

December 1969
Su	Mo	Tu	We	Th	Fr	Sa
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Return to today's reading

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Daily Bible readings that follow the church liturgical year, with thematically matched Old and New Testament readings.

Duration: 1245 days

Luke 1:46-55

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

⁴⁶And Mary^[a] said,^[b]

“My soul exalts^[c] the Lord,^[d]
⁴⁷and my spirit has begun to rejoice^[e] in God my Savior,
⁴⁸because he has looked upon the humble state of his servant.^[f]
For^[g] from now on^[h] all generations will call me blessed,^[i]
⁴⁹because he who is mighty^[j] has done great things for me, and holy is his name;
⁵⁰from^[k] generation to generation he is merciful^[l] to those who fear^[m] him.
⁵¹He has demonstrated power^[n] with his arm; he has scattered those whose pride wells up from the sheer arrogance^[o] of their hearts.
⁵²He has brought down the mighty^[p] from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position;^[q]
⁵³he has filled the hungry with good things,^[r] and has sent the rich away empty.^[s]
⁵⁴He has helped his servant Israel, remembering^[t] his mercy,^[u]
⁵⁵as he promised^[v] to our ancestors,^[w] to Abraham and to his descendants^[x] forever.”

Footnotes

Luke 1:46 tc A few witnesses, especially Latin mss, (a b l* Ir^arm Or^lat mss Nic) read “Elizabeth” here, since she was just speaking, but the ms evidence overwhelmingly supports “Mary” as the speaker.
Luke 1:46 sn The following passage has been typeset as poetry because many scholars regard this passage as poetic or hymnic. These terms are used broadly to refer to the genre of writing, not to the content. There are two broad criteria for determining if a passage is poetic or hymnic: “(a) stylistic: a certain rhythmical lilt when the passages are read aloud, the presence of parallelismus membrorum (i.e., an arrangement into couplets), the semblance of some metre, and the presence of rhetorical devices such as alliteration, chiasmus, and antithesis; and (b) linguistic: an unusual vocabulary, particularly the presence of theological terms, which is different from the surrounding context” (P. T. O’Brien, Philippians [NIGTC], 188-89). Classifying a passage as hymnic or poetic is important because understanding this genre can provide keys to interpretation. However, not all scholars agree that the above criteria are present in this passage, so the decision to typeset it as poetry should be viewed as a tentative decision about its genre.
Luke 1:46 tn Or “lifts up the Lord in praise.”
Luke 1:46 sn This psalm (vv. 46-55) is one of the few praise psalms in the NT. Mary praises God and then tells why both in terms of his care for her (vv. 46-49) and for others, including Israel (vv. 50-55). Its traditional name, the “Magnificat,” comes from the Latin for the phrase My soul magnifies the Lord at the hymn’s start.
Luke 1:47 tn Or “rejoices.” The translation renders this aorist, which stands in contrast to the previous line’s present tense, as ingressive, which highlights Mary’s joyous reaction to the announcement. A comprehensive aorist is also possible here.
Luke 1:48 tn See the note on the word “servant” in v. 38.
Luke 1:48 tn Grk “for behold.”
Luke 1:48 sn From now on is a favorite phrase of Luke’s, showing how God’s acts change things from this point on (5:10; 12:52; 22:18, 69; Acts 18:6).
Luke 1:48 sn Mary is seen here as an example of an object of God’s grace (blessed) for all generations.
Luke 1:49 tn Traditionally, “the Mighty One.”
Luke 1:50 tn Grk “and from.” Here καί (kai) has been translated by a semicolon to improve the English style.
Luke 1:50 sn God’s mercy refers to his “loyal love” or “steadfast love,” expressed in faithful actions, as the rest of the psalm illustrates.
Luke 1:50 tn That is, “who revere.” This refers to those who show God a reverential respect for his sovereignty.
Luke 1:51 tn Or “shown strength,” “performed powerful deeds.” The verbs here switch to aorist tense through 1:55. This is how God will act in general for his people as they look to his ultimate deliverance.
Luke 1:51 tn Grk “in the imaginations of their hearts.” The psalm rebukes the arrogance of the proud, who think that power is their sovereign right. Here διανοίᾳ (dianoia) can be understood as a dative of sphere or reference/respect.
Luke 1:52 tn Or “rulers.”
Luke 1:52 tn Or “those of humble position”sn The contrast between the mighty and those of lowly position is fundamental for Luke. God cares for those that the powerful ignore (Luke 4:18-19).
Luke 1:53 sn Good things refers not merely to material blessings, but blessings that come from knowing God.
Luke 1:53 sn Another fundamental contrast of Luke’s is between the hungry and the rich (Luke 6:20-26).
Luke 1:54 tn Or “because he remembered mercy,” understanding the infinitive as causal.
Luke 1:54 tn Or “his [God’s] loyal love.”
Luke 1:55 tn Grk “as he spoke.” Since this is a reference to the covenant to Abraham, ἐλάλησεν (elalēsen) can be translated in context “as he promised.” God keeps his word.
Luke 1:55 tn Grk “fathers.”
Luke 1:55 tn Grk “his seed” (an idiom for offspring or descendants).

1 Samuel 1:19-28

¹⁹They got up early the next morning. Then they worshiped^[a] the Lord and returned to their home at Ramathaim.^[b] Elkanah was intimate with^[c] his wife Hannah, and the Lord called her to mind.^[d] ²⁰Then Hannah became pregnant.

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the Lord

In the course of time she gave birth to a son.^[e] And she named him Samuel, thinking, “I asked the Lord for him.”^[f] ²¹Then the man Elkanah and all his family went up to make the yearly sacrifice^[g] to the Lord and to keep his vow.^[h] ²²But Hannah did not go up with them,^[i] because she had told^[j] her husband, “Not^[k] until the boy is weaned. Then I will bring him so that he may appear before the Lord. And he will remain there from then on.”^[l]

²³Then her husband Elkanah said to her, “Do what you think best.^[m] Stay until you have weaned him. Only may the Lord fulfill his promise.”^[n]

So the woman stayed and nursed her son until she had weaned him. ²⁴Then she took him up with her^[o] as soon as she had weaned him, along with three bulls,^[p] an ephah^[q] of flour, and a container^[r] of wine. She came to the Lord’s house at Shiloh, and the boy was with them.^[s] ²⁵They slaughtered the bull, then brought the boy to Eli.^[t] ²⁶She said, “My lord. Just as surely as you are alive, my lord, I am the woman who previously stood here with you in order to pray to the Lord. ²⁷For this boy I prayed, and the Lord has given me the request that I asked of him. ²⁸So I also dedicate^[u] him to the Lord. For all the days of his life^[v] he is dedicated to the Lord.” Then he^[w] bowed down there in worship^[x] to the Lord.

Footnotes

1 Samuel 1:19 tn Or “bowed before the Lord.” The posture of bowing often represents the act of worshiping.
1 Samuel 1:19 tc Heb “to Ramah;” LXX “Ramathaim.” Ramathaim, used in verse 1, is the dual form of Ramah.
1 Samuel 1:19 tn Heb “Elkanah knew his wife.” The Hebrew expression is a euphemism for sexual relations.
1 Samuel 1:19 tn The verbs זָכַר (zakar) is often translated “remember.” It does not simply mean the ability to recall (as “forgetting” does not simply mean the inability to recall). It means the decision to recall or to bear in mind, here with regard to her previous request. The Hebrew verb is often used in the OT for considering the needs or desires of people with favor and kindness.
1 Samuel 1:20 tc The translation follows the sequence of the LXX. The MT says: “It happened at the turning of the days. Hannah conceived. And she gave birth to a son.” The phrase “at the turning of the days” might refer to the new year or to end of the term of pregnancy.
1 Samuel 1:20 tn Heb “because from the Lord I asked him.” The name “Samuel” sounds like the Hebrew verb translated “asked.” The explanation of the meaning of the name “Samuel” that is provided in v. 20 is not a strict etymology. It seems to suggest that the first part of the name is derived from the Hebrew root שָׁאַל (shaʾal, “to ask”), but the consonants do not support this. Nor is it likely that the name comes from the root שָׁמַע (shamaʿ, “to hear”), for the same reason. It more probably derives from שֶׁם (shem, “name”), so that “Samuel” means “name of God.” Verse 20 therefore does not set forth a linguistic explanation of the meaning of the name, but rather draws a parallel between similar sounds. This figure of speech is known as paronomasia.
1 Samuel 1:21 tn Heb “sacrifice of days.” The plural “days” often refers to a set of days, commonly a year, thus an annual sacrifice (cf. 1 Sam 2:29; 20:6).
1 Samuel 1:21 tn The Hebrew suffix could be “his vow” or “its vow,” referring to his household’s vow. sn The only vow that has been mentioned so far is Hannah’s. This either implies an additional vow not made known to us, or implies Elkanah’s affirmation of her vow. According to Num 30:6-8 a husband could nullify his wife’s vow, or allow it to stand. tc The LXX adds “and all the tithes of his land.”
1 Samuel 1:22 tn The disjunctive clause is contrastive here. The words “with them” have been supplied in the translation for stylistic reasons.
1 Samuel 1:22 tn The perfect conjugation, used with a dynamic root, may be be past or past perfect. In a כִּי (ki) clause in narrative, it typically refers to a reason that occurred prior to the event in the main timeline. Most translations, however, render it as simple past (KJV, NRSV, NASB, NIV, ESV, Holman). sn According to this understanding, she and Elkanah have already discussed the issue. Her concern to not give the baby up while Samuel is nursing is most sensible; at the same time she affirms her long term commitment to her vow.
1 Samuel 1:22 tn Heb “until the boy is weaned.” The word “not” is implied and provided for clarity.
1 Samuel 1:22 tn Heb “until forever.”
1 Samuel 1:23 tn Heb “what is good in your eyes.”sn A similar phrase is a negative characterization in Judges, that “each would do what was right in his [own] eyes” (Judg 17:6; 21:25, cf. Prov 12:15; 21:2). However the phrase “in one’s own eyes” does not have to have a negative connotation (1 Chron 13:4; 30:4). As Hannah had done, Elkanah affirms the long term commitment to the vow.
1 Samuel 1:23 tc LXX and Qumran “establish what is coming out of your mouth.” MT “establish his word.”sn By reading “his word” (i.e., his promise) the MT is consistent with other passages that deal with establishing God’s word. But what it refers to is unclear. If Eli’s earlier response (v. 17) implies a promise, it has already been fulfilled in the birth. Other have suggested a connection to Deut 18:15, 18 and the promise to raise up a prophet like Moses. The reading preserved in the Greek text and at Qumran may well be the original. In this case Elkanah is affirming the conclusion of Hannah’s vow. Perhaps there is even an underlying admonition in the affirmation. Auld suggests it is possible that readers should discern in Elkanah an affirmation of the prophetic word through Hannah (Graeme Auld, I & II Samuel [Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 2011] 33).
1 Samuel 1:24 tc LXX “she went up with him to Shiloh.”
1 Samuel 1:24 tc LXX “with a three year old bull and loaves.”
1 Samuel 1:24 sn The ephah was a standard dry measure in OT times; it was the equivalent of one-tenth of the OT measure known as a homer. The ephah was equal to approximately one-half to two-thirds of a bushel.
1 Samuel 1:24 tn The Hebrew term translated “container” may denote either a clay storage jar (cf. CEV “a clay jar full of wine”) or a leather container (cf. NAB, NIV, NRSV “a skin of wine”; NCV “a leather bag filled with [full of TEV] wine”).
1 Samuel 1:24 tc The translation follows the LXX. Although “with her” can be conjectured instead of “with them,” the context of the LXX assumes the presence of Elkanah as well as Hannah. The MT has the unusual structure “and the boy was a boy,” possibly the result of dittography. If the MT is correct, perhaps we are to understand two different meanings of the same noun, e.g. “the boy was a servant.” The noun נַעַר (naʿar) is commonly understood to refer to a young man or a servant (HALOT s.v. נַעַר), however, it refers to the infant Moses (Exod 2:6) and to Benjamin when he may be well past adolescence (Gen 43:8). Further those called נַעַר (naʿar) may not simply be servants, but someone in line to receive a position of rank. Samuel does become a servant, or apprentice, and turns out to be in line to replace Eli. Yet since he has not yet been given to Eli, this seems like an odd place to remark on his being an apprentice.
1 Samuel 1:25 tc The LXX is longer, reading: “They brought [him] before the Lord and his father slaughtered the sacrifice which he would bring to the Lord from time to time. And he brought the child and slaughtered the calf. And Hannah, the child’s mother, brought him to Eli.”
1 Samuel 1:28 tn The Hiphil of שָׁאַל (shaʾal) might mean “to loan,” or “to treat as requested” (see HALOT s.v. שָׁאַל).
1 Samuel 1:28 tn Heb “all the days which he lives.”
1 Samuel 1:28 tc The MT is singular, apparently referring to Samuel (but cf. CEV “Elkanah”). A few medieval manuscripts and some ancient versions take the verb as plural (cf. TEV, NLT).
1 Samuel 1:28 sn This Hebrew verb, the Hishtaphel of חָוָה (havah), means “to bow down” or “to prostrate oneself.” When bowing to the Lord it is a gesture of worship. In this context, if Samuel is the subject (see the previous tc note), he demonstrates reverence to the Lord regarding his mother’s vow.

Hebrews 8

The High Priest of a Better Covenant

8 Now the main point of what we are saying is this:^[a] We have such a high priest, one who sat down at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven,^[b] ²a minister in the sanctuary and the true tabernacle that the Lord, not man, set up. ³For every high priest is appointed to offer both gifts and sacrifices. So this one too had to have something to offer. ⁴Now if he were on earth, he would not be a priest, since there are already priests who offer^[c] the gifts prescribed by the law. ⁵The place where they serve is^[d] a sketch^[e] and shadow of the heavenly sanctuary, just as Moses was warned by God as he was about to complete the tabernacle. For he says, “See that you make everything according to the design^[f] shown to you on the mountain.”^[g] ⁶But^[h] now Jesus^[i] has obtained a superior ministry, since^[j] the covenant that he mediates is also better and is enacted^[k] on better promises.^[l]

⁷For if that first covenant had been faultless, no one would have looked for a second one.^[m] ⁸But^[n] showing its fault,^[o] God^[p] says to them,^[q]

“Look, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will complete a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.
⁹“It will not be like the covenant^[r] that I made with their fathers, on the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of Egypt, because they did not continue in my covenant and I had no regard for them, says the Lord.
¹⁰“For this is the covenant that I will establish with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord. I will put^[s] my laws in their minds^[t] and I will inscribe them on their hearts. And I will be their God and they will be my people.^[u]
¹¹“And there will be no need at all^[v] for each one to teach his countryman or each one to teach his brother saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ since they will all know me, from the least to the greatest.^[w]
¹²“For I will be merciful toward their evil deeds, and their sins I will remember no longer.”^[x]

¹³When he speaks of a new covenant,^[y] he makes the first obsolete. Now what is growing obsolete and aging is about to disappear.^[z]

Footnotes

Hebrews 8:1 tn Grk “the main point of the things being said.”
Hebrews 8:1 sn An allusion to Ps 110:1; see Heb 1:3, 13.
Hebrews 8:4 tn Grk “there are those who offer.”
Hebrews 8:5 tn Grk “who serve in,” referring to the Levitical priests, but focusing on the provisional and typological nature of the tabernacle in which they served.
Hebrews 8:5 tn Or “prototype,” “outline.” The Greek word ὑπόδειγμα (hupodeigma) does not mean “copy,” as it is often translated; it means “something to be copied,” a basis for imitation. BDAG 1037 s.v. 2 lists both Heb 8:5 and 9:23 under the second category of usage, “an indication of someth. that appears at a subsequent time,” emphasizing the temporal progression between the earthly and heavenly sanctuaries.sn There are two main options for understanding the conceptual background of the heavenly sanctuary imagery. The first is to understand the imagery to be functioning on a vertical plane. This background is Hellenistic, philosophical, and spatial in orientation and sees the earthly sanctuary as a copy of the heavenly reality. The other option is to see the imagery functioning on a horizontal plane. This background is Jewish, eschatological, and temporal and sees the heavenly sanctuary as the fulfillment and true form of the earthly sanctuary which preceded it. The second option is preferred, both for lexical reasons (see tn above) and because it fits the Jewish context of the book (although many scholars prefer to emphasize the relationship the book has to Hellenistic thought).
Hebrews 8:5 tn The word τύπος (tupos) here has the meaning “an archetype serving as a model, type, pattern, model” (BDAG 1020 s.v. 6.a). This is in keeping with the horizontal imagery accepted for this verse (see sn on “sketch” earlier in the verse). Here Moses was shown the future heavenly sanctuary which, though it did not yet exist, became the outline for the earthly sanctuary.
Hebrews 8:5 sn A quotation from Exod 25:40.
Hebrews 8:6 sn The Greek text indicates a contrast between vv. 4-5 and v. 6 that is difficult to render in English: Jesus’ status in the old order of priests (vv. 4-5) versus his superior ministry (v. 6).
Hebrews 8:6 tn Grk “he”; in the translation the referent (Jesus) has been specified for clarity.
Hebrews 8:6 tn Grk “to the degree that.”
Hebrews 8:6 tn Grk “which is enacted.”
Hebrews 8:6 sn This linkage of the change in priesthood with a change in the law or the covenant goes back to Heb 7:12, 22 and is picked up again in Heb 9:6-15 and 10:1-18.
Hebrews 8:7 tn Grk “no occasion for a second one would have been sought.”
Hebrews 8:8 tn Grk “for,” but providing an explanation of the God-intended limitation of the first covenant from v. 7.
Hebrews 8:8 sn The “fault” or limitation in the first covenant was not in its inherent righteousness, but in its design from God himself. It was never intended to be his final revelation or provision for mankind; it was provisional, always pointing toward the fulfillment to come in Christ.
Hebrews 8:8 tn Grk “he”; the referent (God) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Hebrews 8:8 tc ‡ Several witnesses (א* A D* I K P Ψ 33 81 326 365 1505 2464 al latt co Cyr) have αὐτούς (autous) here, “[in finding fault with] them, [he says],” alluding to Israel’s failings mentioned in v. 9b. (The verb μέμφομαι [memphomai, “to find fault with”] can take an accusative or dative direct object.) The reading behind the text above (αὐτοίς, autois), supported by P⁴⁶ א² B D² 0278 1739 1881 M, is perhaps a harder reading theologically, and is more ambiguous in meaning. If αὐτοίς goes with μεμφόμενος (memphomenos, here translated “showing its fault”), the clause could be translated “in finding fault with them” or “in showing [its] faults to them.” If αὐτοίς goes with the following λέγει (legei, “he says”), the clause is best translated, “in finding/showing [its] faults, he says to them.” The accusative pronoun suffers no such ambiguity, for it must be the object of μεμφόμενος rather than λέγει. Although a decision is difficult, the dative form of the pronoun best explains the rise of the other reading and is thus more likely to be original.
Hebrews 8:9 tn Grk “not like the covenant,” continuing the description of v. 8b.
Hebrews 8:10 tn Grk “putting…I will inscribe.”
Hebrews 8:10 tn Grk “mind.”
Hebrews 8:10 tn Grk “I will be to them for a God and they will be to me for a people,” following the Hebrew constructions of Jer 31.
Hebrews 8:11 tn Grk “they will not teach, each one his fellow citizen…” The Greek makes this negation emphatic: “they will certainly not teach.”
Hebrews 8:11 tn Grk “from the small to the great.”
Hebrews 8:12 sn A quotation from Jer 31:31-34.
Hebrews 8:13 tn Grk “when he says, ‘new,’” (referring to the covenant).
Hebrews 8:13 tn Grk “near to disappearing.”

New English Translation (NET)

Prev Day

Top

Next Day

Use the calendar to view readings from this devotional.

Log in to read this devotional and:

Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

Mary’s Hymn of Praise

Footnotes

Hannah Dedicates Samuel to the Lord

Footnotes

The High Priest of a Better Covenant

Footnotes