1:52 He has brought down the mighty 1 from their thrones, and has lifted up those of lowly position; 2
1:68 “Blessed 3 be the Lord God of Israel,
because he has come to help 4 and has redeemed 5 his people.
7:33 For John the Baptist has come 6 eating no bread and drinking no wine, 7 and you say, ‘He has a demon!’ 8
1 tn Or “rulers.”
2 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).
3 sn The traditional name of this psalm, the “Benedictus,” comes from the Latin wording of the start of the hymn (“Blessed be…”).
4 sn The verb come to help can refer to a visit, but can also connote concern or assistance (L&N 85.11).
5 tn Or “has delivered”; Grk “has accomplished redemption.”
sn Has redeemed is a reference to redemption, but it anticipates the total release into salvation that the full work of Messiah will bring for Israel. This involves both spiritual and material benefits eventually.
6 tn The perfect tenses in both this verse and the next do more than mere aorists would. They not only summarize, but suggest the characteristics of each ministry were still in existence at the time of speaking.
7 tn Grk “neither eating bread nor drinking wine,” but this is somewhat awkward in contemporary English.
8 sn John the Baptist was too separatist and ascetic for some, and so he was accused of not being directed by God, but by a demon.